Kathie's Birds: Birding CT

Showing posts with label Birding CT. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Oh, the Places I’ve Been!

View from the Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary in Estes Park, CO

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I recently had the opportunity to fly to Colorado and go birding with my best birding buddy, Chris Rohrer. I had not seen him since last summer when he came to visit me and I was so happy to see him again!

But before I joined him in Estes park, I stopped in Longmont to bird at the Jim Hamm Nature Preserve on the east side of town.

When I got to Estes Park my other birding buddy, Kathryn Kelley was there and she joined us at the cabin where Chris met her for the first time! TWO birding buddies! I couldn’t be happier!

The next day Chris and I went to downtown Estes Park and the Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary where we saw plenty of elk as well as birds!

All of these huge boulders were deposited here after the most recent flood of 2013 at the alluvial fan in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Long’s Peak as seen from Many Parks Curve in Rocky Mountain NP 10-20-15

Every morning we had a Murder of over 40 crows around our cabin.

No, we did not kill them. A “murder’ is the collective noun for crows!

We also had Black-billed Magpies and Stellar’s Jays!

We looked and looked for Gray Jays but never found them.

However, Mule Deer were easily seen within Rocky Mountain National Park!

And snow covered elk were seen in the field right next to our cabin!

Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

We tried to find Gray Jays here, but all we found were a couple of ducks and a chickadee!

Chris says he loves this weather and he is not cold.

I’m not sure I believe him!

Chris in full birding mode at McIntosh Reservoir in Longmont, CO

On our last morning in Colorado we managed to find an hour to bird at McIntosh Reservoir in Longmont. We were on our way to the airport with Chris’ family and after filling my rental car with gas we grabbed some sandwiches at Subway and while the rest of the family had a picnic, Chris and I bolted for the shore and started birding. I wanted tog et my Western Grebes and this is where they had been spotted. We saw small dots at the western end of the lake and of course we were at the Eastern end. We walked about halfway down until we could clearly see them. I could not get photos because my camera was broken but Chris got some for me. I could have stayed there all day, or all week or for the rest of my life, but we had to get back. I had a plan to catch and so did the rest of his family. So, we made ourselves turn around and return.

And then I flew away…

Once back in Maine I went birding at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland.

Evergreen was very orange on this particular day! 10-26-15

I was looking for an American Widgeon that had been seen in the ponds, but I never found it, though I saw that others did and reported it on eBird.

A couple days later I went birding at the Paper Mill Trail in Lisbon 10-31-15.

Gus came with me and we followed the trail as far as the school and back to the main parking lot, but it was the middle of the day and we did not see many birds. Still, the Autumn foliage was lovely. Maine is a very beautiful state.

The Little Sabattus River runs alongside the Paper Mill Trail.

On November 2nd i headed to Connecticut but stopped in Massachusetts to get new tires on my car. While waiting for them to be changed, Of course I went birding! I walked to a nearby park in Wilmington, Massachusetts where I have counted birds at least one other time when I lived nearby. It is called Rotary Park and it has a small pond with a nature trail around it.

The pond at Rotary Park in Wilmington, MA

The “open-hearted” Willow Tree!

The flaming tree along the trail.

The little creek in the woods.

Once in Connecticut I birded all around Colchester. I was able to bird at Cohen Meadows on two separate days, thus adding to the eBird data for this location. It is such a pretty spot and I saw a wide variety of birds here. I do not know why more people do not come and bird here!

This is the larger of two ponds on the property.

The first day I stopped here there was a large flock of geese on the pond and more flew in as I watched until there were around 200 Canada Geese! I also saw and heard a Red-shouldered Hawk giving its eerie cry as it flew above the tree line. There was no shortage of woodpeckers here, and I counted Northern Flickers, Downy, Pileated, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers here, as well as a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!

The early morning light was glorious!

In this pine tree cathedral I searched for but did not find Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Before Mom’s cataract surgery on November 5th I had time to go birding in the morning, so I took a drive around Lake Hayward. It was a mild, November day and so soft and beautiful under the steel wool skies.

Lake Hayward as seen from East Shore Drive 11-5-15

The woods around Lake Hayward.

Then, while Mom was in her surgery I went birding at nearby Harkness Memorial State Park. It was much better than sitting in a waiting room watching boring TV! I did not think I would get the chance to bird near the ocean in Connecticut, but I did! And I was almost back to the surgery center when I got the call that she was done.

Along the roadside.

The beach at Harkness 11-5-15

Picnic Area at Harkness Memorial SP

Golden Gingko Trees at Harkness Memorial SP

I ended the day counting birds at Fitchville Pond in Bozrah, CT.

The next day I headed back to Maine after doing a few more errands with my mom. It did not leave me much time, but I managed to stop by Plum Island a hour and a half before the sunset where I finally got my American Widgeons! No photos for now, but I hope to post some later.

Sunset at Sandy Point State Reservation 11-5-15

It was uncommonly warm on Friday with a southerly breeze and temps in the low 70’s! it was so warm that I took off my shoes and walked on the beach in my flip flops! What a fun time I had, even though it was short and it was dark by the time I left. I had a long two hour drive home in the car, but I was glad I took the chance and went to Plum Island. It only made me want to go back again, for I know that there are place there that I have yet to explore!

Here are my eBird Checklists for all these places I birded:

Jim Hamm Pond 10-19-15
Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary 10-20-15
Evergreen Cemetery 10-26-15
Paper Mill Trail 10-31-15
Rotary Pond 11-2-15
Cohen Meadows 11-3-15
Cohen Meadows 11-5-15
Lake Hayward 11-5-15
Harkness Memorial State Park 11-5-15
Fitchville Pond 11-5-15
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island 11-6-15
Sandy Point State Reservation 11-6-15

You can read Chris Rohrer’s Posts by clicking on the links below:

All With The Family
Winter Wonderland

Monday, October 7, 2013

BiF at Cohen Meadows

Dawn at Cohen Meadows 7-13-2012

Hey! What’s Dawn Fine doing on my blog?

She’s looking for birds at Cohen Meadows, an eBird Hotspot!

If you want to see what she found in these tall pines, come on over to

Birding is Fun

for a full report on Cohen Meadows, an eBird Hotspot!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Savin Lake

Savin Lake 6-14-13

A late spring day

Late in the day

Shadows falling long, deep and green

Across the banks of Savin Lake

Brimming from the recent rains

With water pouring over the dam

Pounding to the creek below.

I watch the writhing, frothing water

A churning mess that would pound me to death

If given the chance,

But I turn away to the glassy lake

Cool, calm, and serene

Where a kayak cuts through the water

In silent strokes

—And geese serenely sit and float

—And swallows slice the evening air,

Then dip and drip and fly again

—and in the brush the catbird sings

—and in the trees the waxwings feed

As I stand on green and grassy banks

As a yellow warbler calls my heart

With notes so sweet and pure,

“Sweet, sweet, sweet, so sweet!”

I breathe in this rich, cool scene,

I drink in this serenity—

The flat, calm water—

The lush green trees—

The world reflected

In Savin Lake

~kathie adams brown (June 16, 2013)

Savin Lake lies east of Colchester on the Old Norwich Road in Lebanon, CT. I used to stop by here to count birds on my way back to Andover, MA after visiting my Mom in Connecticut. It wasn’t an eBird Hotspot then, but it is now. I would say you can easily find it by driving out of Colchester Center on Norwich Ave, but shortly after I stopped here they took the bridge out over the brook that runs from the dam and the road is closed. You have to go all the way around if you are coming from the west. If you are coming from Norwich, then it is no problem. You can just get off the Fitchville exit and travel west to the parking area which is right alongside the road. It is a calm and peaceful place frequented by fishermen and kayakers. During migration you can see all kinds of waterfowl. My sister has seen Bald Eagles in the trees across the road from the lake. I have seen pheasants and wild turkeys in the surrounding fields and in 2012 a wayward Harris Sparrow showed up around an old barn across the street. This was the only day I made it to Savin Lake while I was home for the month. I was going to go back out at least one more time until I heard they took out the bridge and closed the road. Now I’m glad I took these photos and wrote the above poem. It will be a long time until I can go back again.

For more scenes and stories from Savin Lake just click on the links below:

The Old Oak Tree

Friday, July 26, 2013

Birding with the Brownstone Birder

Cedar Waxwing in Portland, CT 6-29-13

On the morning of June 29th I drove to Portland, Connecticut to go birding with Larry of the Brownstone Birding blog. As a blogger I have known Larry since January of 2008. When I lived in Andover, MA I met him in person for the first time at a gathering of the Birders who Blog, Tweet, and Chirp in Wilton, CT. However, this would be my first time going birding with him by myself. I always consider Larry my eBird mentor since he is the one who first turned me on to eBird when I first started blogging. His birding treks around his hometown of Portland are legendary and I was looking forward to seeing some of his favorite spots for myself. I was also hoping to see some of his favorite birds! After a brief stop at the Portland County Fairgrounds, we headed for some power lines on a back road.

As we headed up the steep trail a small family of Wild Turkeys scurried out of our way! They were too quick for me and my camera!

While the heavy gray skies threatened to open on us, we kept walking.

It was worth it when we saw and head this Prairie Warbler sing!

This was a new Connecticut species for me!

We saw and heard several Common Yellowthroats!

I was only able to get one blurry shot off of a Blue-winged Warbler, yet another new species for my Connecticut Life List!

We saw several Field Sparrows. This one has a mouthful of something.

We also saw and heard Blue jays, crows, and a Rose-breasted grosbeak while here. Though we didn’t walk very far, we saw lots of birds. when it started to sprinkle we headed back to the car. After a quick drive we stopped at the Portland Reservoir.

Here the drizzle continued. the temperature was rising and the humidity with it. Still, we ventured on. We followed a trail around the edge of the reservoir with a blog on the left and the reservoir on the right. Tree swallows swooped over the bog. An Eastern Phoebe called from the fence near the water.

And in weather that was only fit for ducks and frogs, a frog sat in the mud!

The trail took us through the woods in what I call mosquito alley. After resisting using bug spray, this spot forced Larry and I to give in. There were so many mosquitoes! I’m glad we went because it was down this trail that we heard the least flycatcher, a Life Bird for me. I so wanted to see it but it was hidden high in the leafy tree tops and it never did come down into sight. Even with the bug spray the mosquitoes soon drove us away.

Back out in the open a song sparrow serenaded us from a fence post.

Before leaving the reservoir we took a short walk up another trail where we found American Redstarts in the trees.

I loved seeing these colored leaves, though it seemed a bit early for them to be changing. I don’t think it was autumn chill that made them change, however. On this warm and muggy day it certainly didn’t feel like it!

Larry and I knew we didn’t have much time before the weather became unbearable, so we headed back to the flooded fields of the Portland Fairgrounds. This time we tried to walk around the grounds without getting our feet wet!

These mallards didn’t have to worry about that!

I’m sorry to say that this is the only picture I got of Larry. We were both too busy birding! The Connecticut River flows along one edge of the fairgrounds. Larry led me down a trail to see if we could get in view of the river. We had to dodge several puddles along the way, but finally we made it!

I found these cowbirds in a brush pile along the riverbank.

Across the river from the cowbirds I spotted an adult Bald Eagle. A bit lower in the trees we found a juvenile. Larry told me this is a well known nesting sight for them. Larry’s knowledge of the local birds is outstanding and his sense of humor is quirky and fun. As the sun started to break through the overcast the temperature and humidity started to rise and we both knew we were done for the day. I had a great time and I so appreciated his taking the time to show me around.