Starlings Having A Wild Puddle Party

 I came across this wild scene of dozens of starlings bathing in puddle near Dock and Dine in Old Saybrook.

 There were a few cowbirds around but they didn't want any part of that out of control pool party.

Below is a video clip of the starlings in action.

                                                                                          click to play

Blogging Helps Give Birding A Purpose

The routine of find the birds-identify the birds-and check the birds off on a list can become a little bit monotonous for me. One of the benefits of having a birding blog is that it forces me to come up with some sort of theme when I'm out birding. I want to be able to post about something other than just the birds I've seen. If I'm lucky enough to capture a good bird photo then I don't need to say much but since 99% of my photos end up in the trash bin I have to fill a blog post with something.

On this particular morning my idea was to look for birds within walking distance of where I live. The top photo was taken at Portland Riverfront Park. It used to be pretty good birding here but it is quite a bit more developed than it used to be.

There's a large, private field along the trail. It has a big Sycamore tree in the center. It looked like a nice day to be a sheep.

The Mute Swans get along well with the Canada geese on this stretch of the river. It looks like one of the swans has a little river spinach on its tooth.

In a nearby field I spotted pheasant under grass. It's funny to watch these birds run across the field. I'd be running too if hunters had their shotguns pointed at me.

If it weren't for blogging I wouldn't bother taking bird photos and my field trips would probably be less imaginative. I guess you could say that blogging helps give me a sense of purpose when I go birding. 

Checking Out Some CT Lucky Duck Ponds

This the time of the year that a lot of waterfowl start moving into the area. There is a route that I like to take that goes from the town of Durham to Wallingford and ends in Meriden. There are ponds in each of these 3 towns that are productive for ducks and other waterfowl. I could probably leave my house and complete the whole circuit in an hour if I was in a hurry. The first stop was at a small farm pond on route 68 in Durham. Besides the Canada Geese I found a few Ruddy Ducks and a Scaup (lesser I think) here.

 Just up the road from Durham is an area of Wallingford that has lots of farm fields, ponds and reservoirs. I found a Northern Harrier hawk patrolling the fields but I was a little too slow to catch it in action. It's a beautiful area though.Several of the less common geese show up in this part of the state as well.

Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and starlings gathered in large numbers in fields along the way.

This was the quiet half of Mackenzie Reservoir in Wallingford. I did get to see my first Hooded Mergansers of the year on this side at scope distance.

I got a much better view of Ruddy Ducks on the other end of the reservoir. 

After leaving Wallingford I continued onto Bishop's Pond on Research Parkway in Meriden. I don't know what makes this pond so special. It is sandwiched between a highway and an industrial area. It's definitely not a place that I would want to have a picnic but for some reason, ducks love it. I found lots of American Wigeon, a few Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, and a Bufflehead here. 

Just as I was getting ready to leave I found some Northern Shovelers emerged from some corner of the pond. I used to have to work hard to find a variety of ducks in Connecticut until I found out where some of the lucky duck ponds are.

Birding At Haunted Connecticut Cemeteries

This photo was taken at Union Cemetery in Easton Connecticut. It is rumored to be haunted by the White Lady who appears to be dressed in a white nightgown and has long flowing dark hair covered by a white bonnet. Many people have reported seeing her over the years. There are graves at this cemetery dating back 400 years.

This is the Connecticut Valley Psychiatric Hospital cemetery. Some people say they have heard strange voices and glowing green orbs hovering over the grave sites.

 Sadly, the head stones in this cemetery are marked with only numbers instead of names because it used to be considered an embarrassment to have family members with mental illness. Fortunately, mental illness no longer carries the same stigma. Large stones were recently erected with a listing of the names and the matching grave site numbers of the people who are buried here. 

I'm skeptical of any reports about ghosts or other supernatural phenomena but I'm also curious. I've witnessed things during my lifetime that seem to defy explanation. That doesn't mean there isn't an explanation , just that I don't know what the explanation is. I don't believe everything I read or hear but I don't accept every scientific explanation as fact either. People make mistakes, even scientists. 

For several years there were reports of cougar sightings in Connecticut. The official word from the experts was that the people  were probably seeing bobcats, coyotes or other animals and mistaking them for cougars. It was said to be nearly impossible for a wild cougar to be living in Connecticut. Then one day in 2011 a car ran over a Mountain Lion in Milford, Connecticut. Oops, I guess the experts didn't see that one coming. Genetic testing determined that the animal had traveled here all the way from the Black Hills in South Dakota. Sometimes, amazing things do happen.

So if you were to tell me you see Bigfoot, a ufo, a ghost, or an Ivory-billed Woodpecker I may not believe it but I'll still look for myself anyway. Just in case-you just never know.

Cemeteries are rich in history and have stories to tell if you take the time to look. They can also be good birding spots. I saw my only two Lark Sparrows at cemeteries in Enfield and Bloomfield. Cedar Hill Cemetery in the Hartford area is a popular birding spot and can be very productive at times.

I managed to find a few birds during my visits to Union and CVH cemeteries. I caught a Chipping Sparrow resting on a head stone.......

..........A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was doing a little leaf jumping in the surrounding woods...........

and a Dark-eyed Junco catching some sun on a beautiful Fall day. So did I see any ghosts? You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you so we'll just leave that to your imagination.