Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Birding at Owen Bell Park WBW

1. birdwatching-kab Who is watching who?

On February 22nd I was headed to Connecticut to be with my Mom for her chemo treatment for breast cancer the next day. Since February 22nd is my birthday I decided to treat myself to a bit of bird watching at Owen Bell Park in Dayville, CT. Owen Bell Park is located right off exit 93 of Route 395 in what is known as Connecticut's Quiet Corner. I am familiar with the area since I use to live here years ago. This park is where I used to take my kids when they were young to play on the playground and feed the ducks in the pond. Now I come here to stretch my legs and count the birds!

2. TUVU-kabI had barely parked the car and gotten out when I saw two vultures soaring overhead. One was obviously a Turkey Vulture with its long tail and wide wingspan with its wings held slightly above the horizontal. I watched as it tilted and rocked on the wind. But the other vulture gave me pause, and then excitement!

3. black vulture-kab It had a short tail and a shorter wingspan with a solid black body and black secondaries. At the tips of the wings I saw the diagnostic white or silver squares of a black vulture. I quickly grabbed my camera from the back seat and started shooting. In the photo you can even see that black head! After watching the vultures drift slowly off beyond the horizon I got my gear together and headed for the park.

4. the pond-kab I avoided the playground area and walked down by the pond.

5. mallards-kab Of course there were a couple of mallards,

 

6. CANG-kab and the handsome and beautiful Canada Geese!

 

7. CANG-kab I love the way their bodies reflect in the blue water.

 

8. winter pond-kab With the temperature at 56 degrees F it was a pleasant day to be outside. Only the bare brown grasses and trees belied the fact that it was still winter! In the trees and hedgerows I heard a few Chickadees greeting me merrily with their characteristic call of  “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee!” They should be the ambassador of the bird world because they are so friendly and cheerful!! However, though the day was pleasantly warm for February the wind was gusting quite strongly at times and I did not see very many little birds.

9. DEJU-kabBack at the car I spotted a little slate-colored dark-eyed junco feeding along a rock wall. I only stopped for a half hour but what a pleasant break it was! Since Windham County is the least eBirded county in Connecticut I always try to stop here whenever I am passing through to count the birds! you can find out about other parks and natural areas in Killingly, CT by clicking on the link for the Killingly Conservation Commission.

Click on the link below to see who else is watching birds!

World Bird Wednesday!

And Come on Over to Birding is Fun to see

The Birds I Thought I’d Never See!

Birds seen at Owen Bell Park 2-22-12:

  1. Canada goose
  2. Mallard
  3. Turkey Vulture
  4. Black vulture
  5. Ring-billed gull
  6. Black-capped chickadee
  7. European Starling
  8. Dark-eyed Junco

I counted birds for 35 minutes over 3.3 acres of land.

10. watching birds-kab Canada Geese at Owen Bell Park 2-22-12

16 comments:

  1. Hi Kathie!

    Lovely pictures of the Canada Geese on the water - love the reflections.

    Thinking of you and your Mom. I'm keeping up with her progress on FB. Remember to keep yourself healthy too. Birding is so good for the soul!

    Hugs,
    L

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  2. Lisa, you are so sweet! Thank you so much! We are all excited for this part of her treatment to be over with! and yes, birding IS good for the soul. I was just watching a magnificent red-belied woodpecker in the backyard a few minutes ago!

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  3. Sure hope you got to enjoy some birding on your journey today. Those geese do reflect well and you always get the best photos.

    My thoughts are with you and your Mom.

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  4. Gaelyn, believe it or not, I haven't left yet! If I don't see any birds on my way down today, I will have time to go birding tomorrow!

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  5. Canada Geese are incredible birds, especially in the wilds, but they have such bad press because of their penetration of the urban environment. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  6. Wonderful images Kathie beautiful birds to watch.

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  7. Lovely post Kathie. I love the photos of the Geese on dark water, that almost shines black and white with the reflections.

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  8. Hi Kathie, I hope your Mom is doing well after her chemo. It is good that you were able to take some time for yourself to go birding. Loved the photos.

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  9. A lovely bit of birding success! Happy birthday to you, Kathie!

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  10. Beautiful photos Kathie. The Canadian Geese are just gorgeous.

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  11. Lots of birds on your short break! Glad you took your camera and shared them with us.

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  12. Wonderful peace of mind keeping your eyes on the birds as you deal with tougher issues. These are great shots of these tough birds, nice captures Kathie!

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  13. Gorgeous shots, Kathie! Love the colors and reflections, too! Great work!

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  14. Beautiful photos.

    Regards and best wishes

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  15. Hi Kathie

    It is great to hear that your mom continues to make progress. I am also happy to hear you are taking time for yourself this type of illness can be such a draining process.

    Wow a black vulture. It is good you are such a careful birder I find that when I take birds for granted I run the risk of missing something interesting. I guess that is true of many things in life.

    Regards
    Guy

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  16. Good birding Kathie! The Black Vulture is a cool find!

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.