Birding the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Rhode Island

 Tree Swallow at the Norman Bird Sanctuary 6-15-13

While visiting Connecticut this summer my sister and her husband took me along one morning to the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Rhode Island. While they were going there to do a road race I went off through the sanctuary to count birds. I had never been here before and found it amazing. Before this day I had only counted birds in Rhode Island at Misquamicut and my Rhode Island Bird list consisted of about 20 species of birds. I had high hopes that I would significantly add to that count today.

I followed the path through a green meadow filled with swallows!

 

Tree Swallow hunting over grass.

 

While tree swallows occupied most of the nest boxes, there were a few with House Sparrows inside!

 Lupine

I loved seeing lupine in bloom!

I followed the path down through the woods with robins everywhere…

 

In this damp shade the mosquitoes swarmed!

 

 

I heard a few catbirds, titmice, and downy woodpeckers.

 

Along this trail I found Carolina Wrens and Eastern Towhees.

 

I was surprised there were not as many birds near the water, but I did hear the call of a Common yellow throat and a few Red-winged Blackbirds.

 

 But the Black-crowned Night Heron was the only heron I saw.

 

 Gray Catbird

 

 Yellow Warbler

After crossing the bridge near the pond the trail wound up through the woods over rocky ledges and back down again to  a mixed woodland. I could just see the ocean beyond the trees with seagulls wheeling overhead and runners pounding by on the road. Near a little stream I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and this yellow warbler.

 Brown-headed Cowbird

In an overhead snag a cowbird called.

Ocean beyond the meadow

As the trail crossed a meadow before returning me to the original farm with the visitor’s center I saw a few sparrows and a Northern Mockingbird. A Red-tailed Hawk had a nest in a tall tree by the farm house. Once again there were birds everywhere and I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. The Norman Bird Sanctuary is an eBird Hotspot and definitely worth a visit!

 My Rhode Island Life List before and after birding at the Norman Bird Sanctuary:

(Bird species listed below bold type were seen at the same location/date.)

1. Mute Swan-Watch Hill Cove 5-12-1985
2. Great Black-backed Gull-Misquamicut Beach State Park 6-1-1996
3. Double-crested Cormorant-Misquamicut Beach State Park 9-17-2010
4. Great Blue Heron
5. Great Egret
6. Snowy Egret
7. Glossy ibis
8. Osprey
9. Piping Plover
10. Sanderling
11. Laughing Gull
12. ring-billed Gull
13. Herring Gull
14. Mourning Dove
15. European Starling-Napatree Point 9-17-2010
16. Turkey Vulture-Westerly Rhode Island 8-17-2012
17. Blue Jay
18. American Robin
19. Fish Crow-Misquamicut Beach State Park 8-17-2012
20. Semipalmated Plover
21. Barn Swallow
22. Rock Pigeon-Middletown Rhode Island 6-15-13
23. Red-winged Blackbird
24. Common Grackle
25. House Sparrow
26. Black-crowned Night Heron-Norman Bird Sanctuary 6-15-13
27. Red-tailed Hawk
28. Ruby-throated hummingbird
29. Downy Woodpecker
30. Northern flicker
31. Eastern Phoebe
32. Great Crested Flycatcher
33. American Crow
34. Tree Swallow
35. Black-capped Chickadee
36. Tufted Titmouse
37. House Wren
38. Carolina Wren
39. Gray Catbird
40. Northern Mockingbird
41. Cedar Waxwing
42. Common Yellowthroat
43. Yellow Warbler
44. Eastern Towhee
45. Field Sparrow
46. Song Sparrow
47. Northern Cardinal
48. Brown-headed Cowbird
49. American Goldfinch

In the end I spent 2 hours and 15 minutes at the Norman Bird Sanctuary and walked approximately 1.2 miles. I counted 31 species of birds here as well as 10 species I saw along the way while driving through town for a total of 35 species seen on this day. Obviously some birds were seen in town and at the sanctuary.

Links:

• Norman Bird Sanctuary
• Summer 2013 Trip
• Birding Rhode Island

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:

• Birding my Way Home
• Colchester Country

The Old Oak Tree

A Visit to Maine: Birds

The Road to Mackworth Island 6-13-13

When I returned from Norridgewock on June 12 I walked into a warm and friendly home where Mom’s cousin Wilma had a fire on the hearth! Anyone who knows me knows how much I love a warm fire on a cold day and it was so nice to sit by the fire and chat with my Mom and her cousin.

 

 

Mom sitting by the fire 6-12-13

 

Wilma sitting by the fire 6-12-13

But I could not leave Maine without at least attempting to count a few birds. Fortunately the next morning we had a break in the rain. I got up early and drove to Mackworth Island, an eBird Hotspot off the coast of Falmouth, ME. It is a small island with a nature trail that encircles it. You can hike the one mile loop trail around the perimeter but I have never yet had tome to do it and today was no exception.

The tide was out as I drove across the causeway to the island. I parked my car on the island and checked the mudflats for peeps, but I did not see any.

 

However, overhead a Double-crested Cormorant flew. I have seen osprey here before, but I did not see any on this day.

Just a couple of Herring Gulls on a sandbar.

 

The path through the wood coaxed me onward and I did follow it for a short distance. I so wanted to keep on going, but I knew I needed to get back and bring Mom home to Colchester.

Out in the harbor I spotted a few Common Eiders and more gulls.

 

Back at the house I found a garden in bloom!

I cannot thank Wilma enough for her gracious hospitality and putting up with me and my crazy birding! I know my Mom had a great time visiting her cousin, who is more like a sister to her. I did get to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Wilma's yard, the only one I saw during my whole month back east. It was a fun, though wet and chilly visit and my only complaint was that it was too short! I needed time to see more birds!

These are the birds I did see in Maine in order of first sightings:

1. Ring-billed Gull-Wilma’s 6-11-13
2. Chimney Swift
3. American Crow
4. Red-breasted Nuthatch
5. American Robin
6. Chipping Sparrow
7. American Goldfinch
8. Black-capped Chickadee-Wilma's 6-12-13
9. Black-throated Green Warbler
10. Mourning Dove-Fairfield Center 6-12-12
11. Ovenbird-Grammy and Grampy’s yard 6-12-13
12. Great Crested Flycatcher-Wilma’s Yard 6-13-13
13. Tufted Titmouse
14. American Black Duck-Mackworth Island 6-13-13
15. Common Eider
16. Double-crested Cormorant
17. Herring Gull
18. Red-eyed Vireo
19. Gray Catbird
20. Cedar Waxwing
21. Pine Warbler
22. Song Sparrow
23. Northern Cardinal
24. Turkey Vulture-Rt. 95 in York, ME
25. Red-tailed Hawk

The mainland as seen from Mackworth Island 6-13-13

A Visit to Maine: Family

 Me and my grandkids on June 12, 2013

Of course, my trip to the east coast had to include a drive up to Maine to visit family. While Gus and I lived in Massachusetts he managed to take a drive to see his parents at least once a month. Usually I was with him but there were a couple of times I could not go. Though Gus was not with me this time, I made the trip with my mom. We spent the night at her cousin’s house near Portland, then I took the drive by myself up to Norridgewock the next day. It was cloudy, rainy and cold. Not very good birding weather, so I did not stop anywhere along the way, but went straight to the house. My son and his wife drove down from Bangor and joined us, but as you will soon see, this visit seemed to be all about the cat! Just after we moved away my in-law's cat died. They were heart broken and said they would not get another, but the house was too empty and within a week they had a new kitty in their lives. Gus and I had never seen the cat, so I was anxious to meet it. The grandkids were ecstatic as they are all cat lovers as well!

Introducing Paws!

 

Crazy (as in, crazy fun!) Aunt Doreen and my grandson, Trey.

(P.S. all the kids LOVE Aunt Doreen!)

Grammy and Paws

 

Grammy, my son, Chris, and Paws

 

Grampy and Paws

 

The Family and Paws

 

One very tired Paws!

 

Paws was adopted from a local animal shelter and now lives the life of Riley! He rules the house and goes where he wants and is nearly loved to death. In my opinion he is the best cat my in-laws have ever had as he is the most friendly cat they have ever had! I wish them all a long and happy life! It was great to see my kids and grandkids. I did do a brief bird count in the yard but it was so rainy that I did not see many birds. Besides, this visit was really all about family…and the cat!

A Misty Moisty Morning in Central Park

 Bow Bridge in Central Park 6-10-2013

Since I took the trip to New Jersey to go birding with Rick Wright I did not have as much time to go birding in New York City. Thus is was that I found myself going for a stroll through Central Park on my last day there. The whole month of June was cool, cloudy, gray and rainy, and this morning was no exception. Laden down with binoculars, camera, smartphone and notebook my brother, his partner and I set out for the park.  Though the birds were not quite as active as they might have been on a sunny day, I did manage to see and photograph a few before I had to stuff my camera up my shirt to prevent it from getting rained on! Here is some of what we saw:

Central Park Birds

Female Cardinal

Male Cardinal

 

Red-eyed Vireo

 

Canada Geese

Yes, the water was this green! Everything was green!

“The red was green, the blue was green,

the Emerald City all was green,

It made a very pretty scene, especially if you like green!”

(For my little brother and sister-Do you know where this quote came from?)

House Sparrow

 

Gray Catbird

 

Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)

 

Baltimore Oriole

Belvedere Castle and Beyond

 

 

 

Such gray and misty days always make me think of this old nursery rhyme I used to read to my children:

One misty moisty morning

When cloudy was the weather

I chanced to meet an old man

Clothed all in leather,

He began to compliment and I began to grin,

“How do you do, and how do you do, and how do you do again!”

From Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

 

Scenes from the Shakespeare Garden

 

 

 

By the time we were done the mist has developed into a steady drizzle. By the time we left the city is was a downpour. As always, I had such a good time in the city and I look forward to going back again next year. I mean, what could be better than family, good food, and good birds?

Birds seen in Central Park on June 10, 2013:

1. Canada Goose
2. Mallard
3. Black-crowned Night Heron
4. Double-crested Cormorant
5. Rock Pigeon
6. Mourning Dove
7. Chimney Swift
8. Downy Woodpecker
9. Northern Flicker
10. Great-crested Flycatcher
11. Eastern Kingbird
12. Warbling Vireo
13. Red-eyed Vireo
14. Blue Jay
15. Black-capped Chickadee
16. Wood thrush
17. American Robin
18. Gray Catbird
19. Northern Mockingbird
20. European Starling
21. Cedar Waxwing
22. Pine Warbler
23. Northern Cardinal
24. Common Grackle
25. Red-winged Blackbird
26. Baltimore Oriole
27. House Finch
28. American Goldfinch
29. House Sparrow