Birding Break & The Summer Experience

  Summer is not my favorite season but there are things that I look forward to this time of year. Instead of  sitting around and waiting for summer to be over I decided to look for some of the best of what summer has to offer. I don't enjoy birding much in the heat and humidity so I decided to leave the binoculars behind for a couple of weeks. You could say I've been taking a birding break but  binoculars aren't required to see birds. 


 One hot morning I climbed to the traprock ridge overlooking Black Pond in Meriden. There is trail with a gradual incline which gets you to the ridge in about 15 minutes. There was a cool breeze at the top and the views are great! Although I wasn't going out of my way to look for birds I did see Osprey, Turkey Vultures, Double-crested Cormorants, Mute Swans, and Great Blue Herons in the pond and surrounding marsh.

One Sunday morning  I was on my way to Rose's Berry Farm in Glastonbury when a flash of white  caught my eye. It was a Great Egret perched high in a tree at the Portland Fairgrounds.

  We are fortunate to have several fruit orchards and farm stands near Portland. Rose's Berry Farm in Glastonbury offers breakfasts on Sundays featuring recipes containing whichever fruit is in season at the time. I had french toast topped with homemade blueberry sauce. It was so good that I considered ordering a second helping. It's no wonder they hire a falconer every year. He uses a dozen falcons to chase birds away from the berries. They initially tried firing cannons to scare the birds off but the neighbors didn't particularly care for that method.

 After breakfast I took a walk along a dirt road that passes by the fields. There were several  Field Sparrows that would land on the sprinklers and sing.

       Here is a short clip of one of the Field Sparrows singing.

    I enjoy attending some of the free outdoor concerts and events that take place during the summer. Somehow the Mallards found their way into this photo which was taken at the Dragon Boat Festival in Hartford.

  This is a video of  a dragon boat race in progress.

   This gull found its catch of the day on the Mystic River in front of a restaurant. I wonder if it saw the all you can eat sign?

My wife and I spent a couple of relaxing days at the Steamboat Inn at Mystic. We enjoy looking out the window as boats pass by. The name of this yacht is Serque. 

Other than the hurricane we've had nice summer and fall will soon be here.

click to play video of Mystic River Bridge being raised

Across The Promenade And Into The City

This is the view heading into Hartford as you are crossing the pedestrian promenade on Founder's Bridge. Like a garden path that leads you through a landscaped garden, this brick lined walkway provides an inviting entrance into the city of Hartford.

Hartford used to be a place that I only tolerated if there was a special concert or event that I wanted to attend. Trying to manoeuvre my way around the city while looking for a place to park my car was never my idea of a good time. I usually ended up paying to squeeze my car into a public garage where I felt like a can on a crowded shelf in a supermarket.
The Riverfront Recapture project started may years ago with a goal to reestablish connections between the city of Hartford and the Connecticut River. I walked across the promenade for the first time last year to a attend a free concert at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza in Hartford. That experience renewed my interest in Hartford. Last Weekend, I attended the Riverfront Dragon Boat Race and Asian Festival.

Dragon boat racing started in China as part of ritual 200 years ago and eventually became a competitive team sport during the 1970's. Teams from several different states showed up for the competition. I was a little disappointed that the boats didn't breathe fire but it was still fun to watch.

The festival also featured Asian food, art, and cultural demonstrations.

Birds and nature play a significant role in Asian art. These paintings were submitted by six year old students from the Greater Hartford Chinese Language Academy.

I like the visual effect of looking through the arches under the Founder's Bridge. The man in the photo who was participating in the event hopped up for a look at the action as I was taking the photo.

After crossing the bridge, I followed the shoreline of the river back to Great River Park in East Hartford. There were many mature trees along the way where I was able to see some woodland birds along with the pigeons, House Sparrows, starlings, and grackles you might expect to see in an urban area.

One thing that surprised me was how nice and sandy the Connecticut River shoreline was at this park. I was also pleased to find a well decorated Spotted Sandpiper there.

I enjoyed watching as the sandpiper scurried quickly along the shore searching for food proudly bobbing its tail everywhere it went. One of the nice things about birds is that they are everywhere so I didn't have to make a choice between activities like visiting the city or birdwatching. I was able to do both !

click to play

For information about other upcoming events taking place at the Mortensen Riverfront Plaza click here.