2/5 – Burying Hill to Ash Creek

With some free time on hand back on February 5th, I spent some time along the coast, hitting locations from Burying Hill Beach in Westport to Ash Creek on the Fairfield-Bridgeport border.

My first stop was at Burying Hill for a recently reported Glaucous Gull, a species I had yet to see this year. Unfortunately, I never did connect with the Glaucous, but instead enjoyed two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls as well as a couple of confiding Gadwall in the marsh.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Gadwall

Moving east, I hit Southport Beach which held a nice variety of waterfowl. The standout was definitely a young male Northern Shoveler that has been seen in the Sasco Creek area throughout the winter, including at Southport Beach and Bulkley Pond farther inland.

Southport Harbor held little of note, although two continuing female-type Common Mergansers and three of the wintering American Coots were nice.

Hooded Merganser

My next stop was the aforementioned Bulkley Pond, where I notched my first Green-winged Teal of the year, foraging in the only sliver of unfrozen water left on the pond.

Finally, I rounded out the day at Upper Ash Creek. One male Gadwall, definitely more uncommon here than on the other side of town, was present among the many American Black Ducks.

-AB

Cali and Arizona Take Two!

Just last Sunday, my dad and I returned from what had been a whirlwind ten-day tour of Southern California and Southeastern Arizona.

Starting in the Los Angeles area, we made our way south to San Diego County and east to Imperial County and the Salton Sea area. After only four days, we boarded a plane to Phoenix and spent the next five days racing around Southeastern Arizona before heading home, exhausted but immensely satisfied after a long and successful trip.

Successful it was, as we were able to put together a trip list of 210 species, beating my previous record of 202 set on last summer’s trip to California. I was also able to notch a double-digit life bird total, a difficult accomplishment for me anywhere in the lower 48 these days.

I also enjoyed seeing many species I have only seen once before, birds I have dubbed “seen once only birds.” It is quite a pleasure to learn and get to know these birds a bit better, now that the pressure of obtaining them as a life bird is gone.

During our time in these two magnificent states, we encountered fantastic birding conditions, with sunny, mild weather and little or no wind. When we had the time, we also got to savor terrific non-birding aspects of these areas, including great food, and awesome scenery.

Our basic itinerary:

Day 1 – March 14: Late arrival in Los Angeles; night in LA

Day 2 – March 15: A fantastic boat trip out to the Channel Islands with fellow Connecticut birder Annette Jablonski, followed by a delicious seafood dinner in Malibu; night in LA.

Day 3 – March 16: We started the day birding a couple of spots in the LA area, before making our way south to San Diego; night in San Diego.

Day 4 – March 17: Full-day trip to the world-famous Salton Sea and its environs in hot Imperial County east of San Diego; night in San Diego.

Day 5 – March 18: Birded the San Diego area, starting in the Laguna Mountains and ending in La Jolla; night in San Diego.

Day 6 – March 19: Took an early morning flight to Phoenix and then made our way to the Sulphur Springs Valley for the afternoon; night in Willcox.

Day 7 – March 20: One of the best days of the trip. We spent a fantastic day birding the Chiricahua Mountains, before making our way to Rio Rico for the night.

Day 8 – March 21: Another great day. We hit the San Rafael Grasslands in the morning, before making our way to the Patagonia area and finally finishing with the Huachucas in the afternoon; night in Green Valley.

Day 9 – March 22: Birded Florida Canyon in the Santa Ritas, then moved north to Tucson, and then finally, to Phoenix for the evening; night in Phoenix.

Day 10 – March 23: Started a little late. Visited the Hassayampa River Preserve before rounding out the afternoon in Metropolitan Phoenix. We flew out later that evening.

While I’m sure it’s apparent that there were some occasions where we “bit off a little more than we could chew” so to speak, most everything went according to plan and we very rarely found ourselves behind schedule.

Just reviewing the basics of these days really gets the adrenaline flowing and reminds me of how amazing a trip this was. I’m looking forward to getting into more detail in the coming days and weeks, and reliving the memories of what was an unforgettable trip.

-Alex

Québec

Jim Orrico and I just returned from a fantastic weekend of birding in the Montréal area of Québec. Highlights included no less than 3 Great Gray Owls, as well as numerous other northern specialties.

Photos to be posted soon.

-AB

1/5-1/6 – A Terrific Weekend in Northern Fairfield

After a terrific start to the year, two days of school followed, before birding once again reasserted itself. Much of my birding during this first weekend of the year was spent birding a few favorite spots in Northern Fairfield, although on Saturday I started my weekend off at Ash Creek.

I was at the same spot I had the shoveler on January 1st, viewing from a parking lot off of the Post Road. No shoveler on this day, although my first Common Merganser of the year in the form of a nice female was quite a treat.

Common Merganser and friends.

One of many Hooded Mergansers at the same location.

I then headed down to the Ash Creek Open Space Area, where I spent a couple of hours poking around. New birds for the year included a Pied-billed Grebe in the marina, a Greater Yellowlegs in one of the marshy areas, and an awesome flyby White-winged Crossbill at the point, calling as it headed towards Saint Mary’s.

Greater Yellowlegs, quite uncommon in Fairfield in the wintertime.

Other fun birds included both Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, a close Common Loon, a Horned Lark just across the creek on the Saint Mary’s sand spit (a residual bird from the big flock on the 2nd?), and an American Tree Sparrow. All of the common passerine and waterfowl species were well-represented as well.

Red-shouldered Hawk soaring over Ash Creek.

Common Loon that I watched swim into Ash Creek from Long Island Sound.

White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch practicing his acrobatics.

The next day, I moved north of the Merritt to some of Fairfield’s interior haunts. My first stop was the Larsen Sanctuary on Burr Street, which I covered more or less in its entirety. Not only was Larsen birdy, but it was also very enjoyable walking on such a mild day with snow blanketing the ground, which made the whole sanctuary look rather picturesque.

In terms of the birds, highlights were many, and included Turkey Vulture, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Pine Siskin.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, my first of the year.

Eastern Bluebird at Deer Meadow.

Hermit Thrush

Pine Siskin at one of Larsen’s numerous feeders.

This spectacular variety (thirty species in all) was due in part to the numerous habitats Larsen contains, from wooded swamps to open fields.

After Larsen, I headed to Hoydens Hill Open Space off of Congress Street. Although I’ve visited this location numerous times during the breeding season to conduct surveys of its large numbers of breeders, I’ve never taken the time to visit in the dead of winter.

Just like at Larsen, the snow made for increased beauty at Hoydens. I found the entire landscape to be rather quiet, seeing few other people. However, that quiet was pierced every now and then by birds including Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, American Tree and Field Sparrows, and Red-winged Blackbird.

Also noted were large numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos and Song Sparrows, which the Field and American Trees were associating with. Perhaps its only a matter of time before something even more special shows up with that flock!

Last but not least, I also made a stop that day at another undisclosed location to view a Yellow-breasted Chat that was frequenting the area. It provided great looks as it emerged from the dense cover, before disappearing again. It also provided a nice touch of color on an otherwise uniform winter day.

Yellow-breasted Chat

-Alex

1/1-1/2 – Those first two days…

I had spent much of the latter part of December anticipating a certain local birding outing I planned to take in the coming days. Sure, my dad and I only planned to hit Pine and Ash Creeks, my two main patches that I cover numerous times over the course of the year. But unlike any other random day in the year, this outing was scheduled for January 1st.

For most birders, the first day of the new year holds a special place in their hearts. When the clock strikes midnight, all year lists revert to zero for the coming year, and all species once again become new. It’s a sort of clean slate, a chance to write a whole new chapter in one’s birding life.

Thus, this trip presented my first opportunity to get out there and start adding to my newly born 2013 list. It was also the first field birding I’d done since a recent surgery, which had limited my action for most of December to random checks of the bird feeders here and there.

Now New Years Day, I looked out at those same feeders for that oh-so-special first bird of the year. The bird that would set the tone. Just as the poles, baffles, and feeders were becoming visible, I noticed a few small sparrow-like birds quickly moving about in the snow, searching for the seed I had scattered there the day before.

Even without binoculars, I could clearly tell that these were Dark-eyed Juncos, a favorite winter visitor of mine, and a great bird to start off the year.

Soon, more birds joined the juncos. Opening my notebook, I recorded Mourning Dove, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, American Tree Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, and House Sparrow, all before stepping out the door.

Moving along to Pine Creek, my dad and I worked both to pick up the rest of the ‘low hanging fruit’, and to secure more uncommon birds that we knew were present.

We first worked the entire landfill area, from Old Dam Road to Veres Street and back. We then walked the dike out into the marsh before heading down to the Old Dam Road feeding station. Later, we hit the open space area behind that feeding station, and then returned to the car by walking down Old Dam Road.

In three hours of birding, we picked up thirty-six species, including thirty-one for the year. Our highlights included: Brant, Common Loon, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Brant among Canada Geese on the Pine Creek Golf Course.

One of the two Red-breasted Nuthatches wintering at the feeding station on Old Dam Road.

However, on this day, we were also happy to record many of the expected common species, which were arguably almost as exciting as some of the more unusual finds.

We then moved on to Ash Creek, viewed from a parking lot off the Post Road just before the bridge into Bridgeport.

Emerging from the car, I was both surprised and delighted to find a female Northern Shoveler among the more expected Bufflehead, Red-breasted Mergansers, American Black Duck, and American Wigeon.

Northern Shoveler at Ash Creek.

All of the species named above (excluding American Black Duck which we’d seen at Pine Creek) were new for the year. My FOY Great Black-backed Gull and White-breasted Nuthatch were also present.

After Ash Creek, we headed home for a while. A couple of hours later, I made it out into the field again with some friends (the Pintos). Our first stop was the Scandinavian Club (part of the Pine Creek complex), a spot my dad and I hadn’t visited that morning.

There, I enjoyed my first Fox Sparrow of the year, which spent some time singing, providing a hint of spring in the cold temps. A nice American Tree Sparrow was also present.

American Tree Sparrow at the Scandinavian Club.

After some time with the Fox Sparrow, we moved on to the Old Dam Road feeding station, which my dad and I had visited that morning.

When we arrived, four calling Cedar Waxwings (sometimes a tough bird to get at this time of year) were present above the feeders.

Much the same was present at the feeders and open space area during my second visit as when my dad and I had first come around that morning. After a while, we decided to get lunch.

Upon returning home later that day, I added Northern Flicker and Monk Parakeet by way of the feeders, two species that can be pretty hit-or-miss at this time of year.

The next day, I first stopped at an undisclosed location somewhere in Fairfield. Here I was in for a treat in the form of a Long-eared Owl, which quietly gazed at me while I took photos at a safe distance.

Long-eared Owl, my first since January 2011.

Moving on, I visited the Ash Creek Open Space Area, with the highlights being my first Gadwall and Killdeer of the year. Two female-type Northern Shoveler (one possibly being the bird from the day before) were also present.

I was still so pumped to see the Long-eared that I took the time to head over to Pine Creek for the third time in two days. Here, a staked-out Barred Owl performed beautifully, and made January 2 a two-owl day for me.

Barred Owl enjoying its wintering abode at Pine Creek.

It was then back over to the Ash Creek area, thanks to a report from James Purcell of nine Snow Buntings at Jennings Beach. The buntings were right where he said they would be, foraging in the grassy shoulder of the parking lot. A large flock of 50 Horned Larks then made its way over, which took my gaze away from the buntings. When I looked back, the buntings were gone, replaced with ten Horned Larks foraging in exactly the same spot. A flyover Red Crossbill seconds later upped the number of winter notables at Jennings to three.

Horned Larks, a long-awaited first for me in Fairfield.

After the excitement in the parking lot, I spent some time scanning offshore from the Jennings Beach pavilion. The cold, nippy conditions kept me from staying long, but I did notch my first Horned Grebe and Greater Scaup for the year.

Overall, January first and second had seen my year get off to a great start, adding both common and desirable species to my growing list of birds seen. It was a great beginning to what has so far been an awesome month of birding, in Fairfield and beyond.

-Alex

Looking back: 2012

Coming off the best birding year of my life (2011), I really wasn’t sure what to expect in 2012, both in terms of where I’d go that year, and actually how much birding time I’d get. Both were affected by an unstable treatment status, which haunted me for much of the early part of the year.

Nevertheless, 2012 turned out to be a great journey in the birding world, characterized for me by two awesome migration periods (spring and fall) and an incredible trip to California over the summer.

The year began with three very successful rarity chases. The first entailed a trip to Union Township, New Jersey for a Common Chaffinch, whose providence was obviously being called into question.

Common Chaffinch

The second was for a nice Pink-footed Goose in Somers, CT, one of multiple in New England that winter.

Pink-footed Goose

And the third was for a stunning female Townsend’s Warbler in Ipswich, Mass, which was followed by a nice stop in the Gloucester area.

Townsend’s Warbler

Surgery followed, and I was mostly out of commission for a while, at least in terms of birding trips.

I was able to get around a little locally during the month of February, before a bout of colitis struck (related to the treatment), putting me out of the birding theater once again at the end of February and beginning of March.

Once out of the hospital, my family headed to Florida to get away from it all. Down there I was able to get quite a bit of birding done, highlighted by a very successful day in Hernando County which yielded Henslow’s and Le Conte’s Sparrows, Sedge Wren, Chuck-will’s-widow and Budgerigar, among others. (More Florida photos here)

Henslow’s Sparrow

Le Conte’s Sparrow

Sedge Wren

Budgerigar

Returning home, I got right back on the local birding scene, hitting my yard and favorite patches nearby. The biggest highlight of the period was probably my first encounter with Ring-necked Pheasant at Pine Creek since 2008, as well as some great birding in the yard.

Soon after the colitis struck again, and I spent much of mid-April in the hospital.

I returned home at the end of the month, just in time to witness an unbelievable spring migration period in Fairfield, certainly my best ever. I birded nearly every day, spending some quality time with my favorite family of birds, the wood warblers.

It’s tough to choose a single, definite highlight to define this period. Top honors would certainly have to go to the great initial days, the twenty-warbler day in Fairfield the next weekend, as well as the record-breaking effort of the Fairfield Big Day the week after.

Prairie Warbler

The breeding season soon kicked into high gear. Early June was highlighted by a very successful Breeding Bird Survey at Hoyden’s Hill as well as a great trip to the Sterling Forest in Tuxedo New York, which included great looks at two Mississippi Kites, as well as less-than-stellar views of some secretive Golden-winged Warblers.

Mississippi Kite

During the next few weeks, I was able to catch up with a few of my nemeses (Black-billed Cuckoo and Eastern Whip-poor-will) and also made a successful stab at the Chestnut-collared Longspur in Biddeford, Maine.

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Following another surgery at the end of June, my first major birding endeavor was up in Ithaca, NY at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s now annual Young Birders Event.

This event was a terrific opportunity for myself and fellow young birders to meet and learn from leading names in ornithology, as well as experience some of the newest technologies in the field, giving us a good idea of what a career in ornithology (or any related field) might be like. Of course, the birds didn’t disappoint as well!

Just a few days later, my dad and I embarked on our trip to California, which would go down as one of the greatest vacations we’d ever had. In twelve whirlwind days we made our way from San Francisco down to San Diego, taking in the numerous habitats that lay in between.

The birding on the trip was simply incredible, and we ended up recording 202 species when the whole thing was over, shattering my counts on any previous trips. Standout birding moments included my first Pacific pelagic, a magnificent and life-affirming day in Yosemite National Park, a crazy non-stop day birding Kern County with Bob Barnes, and seeing my last North American scrub-jay.

Black-footed Albatross while on my first experience pelagic birding out in the Pacific!

Once home, my family headed out for a stint in the Cape, with a stop in Rhode Island on the way back. Now in the heart of shorebird migration, I couldn’t pass up a chance to spend a morning at Napatree Point, just over the border in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

This spot did not disappoint, and yielded such shorebird highlights as Piping Plover, ‘Western’ Willet, and Red Knot. Two Roseate Terns rounded out of the list of notables for the morning.

A week later, I enjoyed a terrific start to the local fall passerine migration with a fifteen wood-warbler morning at Pine Creek highlighted by a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and Mourning Warbler, as well as 64 other species to boot.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

The next few weeks saw a number of quality mornings at Pine Creek, all with large species totals. I made my inaugural visit to the Fairfield Metro Conservation Area in early September, which would become a favorite spot of mine over the course of the fall. Highlights on this visit included Dickcissel and Bobolink.

Dickcissel

The quality trips to Pine Creek and the Fairfield Metro Conservation Area continued over the remainder of September. A count of seventy-one species on the morning of September 16 at Pine Creek was my highest single-visit total there ever, highlighted by a single Philadelphia Vireo and Clay-colored Sparrow.

The beginning of October was notable for the continual, large movements of Pine Siskins and Red-breasted Nuthatches into the area. My highest count of Pine Siskins was in the yard on morning of October 13th, with FORTY-TWO.

Pine Siskin

The day after the monster count of siskins, I successfully chased a Wood Sandpiper in Jamestown, Rhode Island, one of many Eurasian shorebirds to grace North America this year.

Wood Sandpiper

Connecticut endured its second major hurricane in two years with Sandy at the end of the month. While Sandy did significant damage, it also presented terrific birding opportunities. The birding highlight of Sandy, for me, was a successful seawatch at Pine Creek Beach in Fairfield that yielded TWO Leach’s Storm-Petrels, Black-legged Kittiwake, and a Sooty/Bridled Tern that avoided specific ID, among others. 

The latter half of October also saw some fantastic birds grace the Fairfield Metro Conservation Area including Vesper, Clay-colored and White-crowned Sparrows (numerous some days), Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Merlin and Pine Siskin. 

White-crowned Sparrow

I had some fun outings in the field locally during the first couple of weeks of November, including two terrific trips to Pine Creek, with the second weekend also including successful jaunts to the Fairfield Metro Conservation Area and Fairfield U, where I enjoyed my first ever White-winged Crossbills in Fairfield.

The next weekend, I journeyed to Bridgewater, Mass, where I took in my second European stray in a month, a stunning Northern Lapwing. This bird was followed up with a visit to the East Beach area of Rhode Island, which produced a sensational show of winter irruptives, including both crossbill species.

Northern Lapwing

White-winged Crossbill (male)

A relaxing thanksgiving break then ensured, followed a couple of weeks later by my third surgery of the year. December has been a quiet month for birding, with a stray check of the feeders here and there as I’ve been recuperating.

So that was my 2012 as far as birding went. An incredibly successful effort, when I was able to make it out into the field. With the impending occurrence of the start of 2013 in just a few hours, I’m finally feeling well enough to make it into the field and get the year list off to a great start.

Bring on 2013!

-Alex

Birding Coastal Yarmouthport

My family recently sold our home in Cape Cod, one we’ve had in our possession for over seven years now. Personally, I was devastated to see it go, having accumulated so many memories both on the property and in the area.

These memories include becoming terrific friends with our neighbors and the epic adventures we had, enjoying holidays up there as a family, and birding two nearby locations, both within walking distance.

Both of these locations are coastal, each within half a mile of the other and our house. They’re both represented on eBird as hotspots, one known as Hallet’s Mill Pond, the other as Water Street Marsh, Yarmouth. Hallet’s even has its own entry in Birding Cape Cod, written by the Cape Cod Bird Club and Massachusetts Audubon.

Our old house (point A) in relation to Hallet’s Mill Pond (bottom right)

Hallet’s Mill Pond is a tidal pond fed by Mill Creek, which in turn is fed by the waters of Barnstable Harbor. This location is a proven site for winter waterfowl, and is also decent for summer shorebirding at low tide, when a bar is exposed in the center of the pond. During the winter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, American Black Duck, Mallard, American Wigeon, Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers can all be expected, and a variety of other species are possible. Barrow’s Goldeneye has been recorded at this location previously, including a possible individual of this species I had before my scope-toting days (likely first winter male). Northern Pintail has been an annual winter resident over the past few years, and Northern Shoveler is also an annual visitor, typically occurring in the early spring.

Recent highlights at the pond (seen by other observers) have had a distinct old world flair, and include Black-headed Gull and the Little Egret seen on the Cape recently, which paid a one-day stop to Hallet’s.

The pond is easily scanned and accessed from a variety of points off Mill Lane, including the one-lane bridge linking Mill and Keveney Lanes (both are roads are directly accessible from Route 6A).

A slightly-worn trail leads northeast into the marsh from the aforementioned bridge. While this trail can by muddy in places, one never knows if a surprise or two is lurking for them in the marsh beyond!

And it is this marsh beyond that we will be discussing next, specifically the marsh accessible off of a dirt road off of Water Street.

Our old house (point A), Hallet’s Mill Pond (bottom left) and Water Street Marsh (the noticeable sandy indentation to the right of the words ‘Mill Creek’).

Water Street Marsh, Beach, whatever you want to call it, is situated to the east of the Hallet’s Mill Pond. This location is accessible from a dirt road leading off of Water Street, specifically between the patch of phragmites and small freshwater pond.

During the summertime, and especially at low tides, shorebirds might be glimpsed from the dirt road feeding in the marsh, which can also be seen roosting here at high tide. Terns and herons are also noticeable during the summer months.

In the winter, the dirt road offers a terrific vantage point to scan the marsh and waters beyond for waterfowl, including ducks such as White-winged and Surf Scoters, and both species of scaup. 

I had a lot of wonderful days at this spot over the summers, generating lots of fond memories. I spent many a time when I was younger exploring the marsh beyond the road, returning home utterly filthy, full of muck and grass, much to the apparent dismay of my mother. Friends from my former street and I also used to catch crabs in the marsh, sometimes using bait and sometimes not.

As mentioned above, this spot is accessible off of Water Street, which is in turn accessible from Route 6A from a variety of nearby roads, including Mill Lane. This location is also mentioned in Birding Cape Cod, under the Hallet’s Mill Pond entry.

The thickets in this area are also well-worth exploring, especially in the late fall and early winter.

While I’m pretty bummed about selling the house, we will be renting a home on the street over next summer, so our time in the area is definitely not finished. And although I never would’ve said this upon selling, it is my hope that the new owners get as much out of the house as we did and take away lots of fond memories.

-Alex