3:50 PM. SAT 12/27 Bluff Point Sate Park, Groton, CT Following up on the Spotted Towhee at Bluff Point in Groton. I was able to see the bird yesterday at approximately 3 PM. A small number of birders had also hiked out to get the bird. For anyone going for the chase today - heads up that this is 1.6 mile hike up a muddy path in the rain and fog - and 1.6 mile back to the parking area. Totally worth it as the bird was up at eye level in open brush on Staghorn Sumac feeding on berries and not skulking and scratching on the forest floor like our Towhee. The white spots on the upper wings and back are quite noticeable. Best seen from the beach looking back into the brushy areas. You will see a lot of footprints in the mud indicating the muddy path that veers off the main path to the beach. Check out the CT Rare Bird Alert for last coordinates. Kudos to David M. For finding this rarity. To be out that far, in that weather, that early, and spot this and not quickly dismiss it as a Eastern Towhee or even one of the Robins that are everywhere there is a testament to some intrepid birding. Rick Gedney Madison, CT Sent from Rick’s iPad > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2024 12:43:53 -0500 > From: Chuck Imbergamo <imbercj@comcast.net> > Subject: [CT Birds] Western rarities > To: "ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org" <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> > Message-ID: <70AD1BD0-A25F-4CD7-A166-23439483FAA4@comcast.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > I haven’t seen them posted here, so I wanted to make CT Birders aware of two western rarities currently in our state. > > Yesterday, Nick Bonomo found a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER at the Trumbull wastewater treatment plant in New London. According to eBird, the bird is still being seen, and there is one report from within the last hour. Here are the coordinates: 41.343087,-72.096004 > > Also within the last hour, David Mathieu found a SPOTTED TOWHEE at Bluff Point in Niantic. The report from the CT Audubon Rare Bird Alert was as follows: > > CTAudubonRBA: female-type SPOTTED TOWHEE at Bluff Point in GROTON. > > Coordinates: 41.3129569,-72.0305380 > > Chuck Imbergamo > CT Birds Moderator > Madison > > ****************************************