A little New England...

I recently made a stop back in CT to see some friends and family, and get my daughter baptized!  The trip also provided an opportunity to catch up with some CT birds.  I visited some great sites including The Bent of the River, Mondo Pond and Milford Point.  It was a great opportunity to catch up with some CT birders and birding.  Some of the highlights are below.

  

Barred Owl on a nest

Piping Plover in a Marsh

Seeing these familiar sites was awesome.  It was like visiting old friends.  They had great treasures and awesome sights to share in once again.  Seeing the Piping Plovers in the marsh, warblers in the field, and gulls were happy sights!  What are some of your favorite old sites to visit?

Wild Bird Wednesday - Link here

Not Quite Migration

Everyday Spring migration draws nearer and nearer.  Or so they tell me.  While the last storm missed Connecticut, we got a good burst of cold wind and weather nonetheless.  Of course, that doesn't keep the New England Birder at bay.  Well, actually, it takes the New England Birder right to the Bay.  I visited several parks that were near open water this past weekend with great success.  I found an Eared Grebe that had been a winter resident near Greenwich Point Park.  While I had seen the EAGB in Texas, it was nice to add this rare bird to my Connecticut List.

The 2 most exciting birds that I got this last outing were the Long Eared Owl and a Glaucous Gull!  Both were great finds in the state of Connecticut.  It was hard to snap photos of the better birds due to distance and folliage, but all 3 were great birds to find for different reasons.  The Owl was just a great find.  Its silence and almost magical flight around me made me truly feel special to share space with that bird.  The Glaucous Gull was a bit more of a workhouse find.  Visiting Southbury where hundreds of Gulls have been visiting and to find the Glaucous, I had to sort through the Gulls.  Sitting out, against the wind, I had to sort through hundreds of Gulls and when I found the Glaucous, I felt like all those hours of reading and work finally paid off!  

I can't wait til the next weekend comes.  Until the next time, get outside and go birding!

A House Finch

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Juvenile Eastern Bluebird

Downy Woodpecker

Long-Eared Owl

2014 Year Birds: 127
CT Year Birds: 120
Notable Additions:
Long-Eared Owl *Life and Goal Bird*
Eared Grebe
Glaucous Gull *Life Bird*