Spots??
Hey all!! I need your help. I haven't been able to go birding much this summer (if only we didn't need money to survive, lol) and I am planning on going to different spots on CT for the next few weeks. My question is: where in CT do I go??? So, keeping in mind with migrations happening and special visitors in CT, what are some exceptional places that never seem to disappoint? I am from Groton but am willing to travel to ANY part of CT. Variety is the spice of life!! Thank you in advance ;-)
P.S- planning on going out to Bent of the River if anyone would like to join today
~Daisy Echevarria
Diasy,
There are many places to go, so you'll probably get quite a few helpful
offline responses from folks. I will reply publicly just in case there are
others on this listserv who are not aware of this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Connecticut-Birding-Guide-Arnold-Devine/dp/0965718506
It's a great way to learn the best birding spots in CT - where and when to
go - exacly what you're looking for. Since this book has been published a
few places probably no longer exist, but the "best" birding spots have gone
largely unchanged. I'd recommend it to anyone just learning about birding
in CT.
You may want to call The Audubon Shop in Madison or The Fat Robin in Hamden
to see if they are currently carrying any copies.
Best of luck,
Nick
Nick Bonomo
Wallingford, CT
www.shorebirder.com
On Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 12:14 PM, Daisy via CTBirds <
ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote:
Hey all!! I need your help. I haven't been able to go birding much this
summer (if only we didn't need money to survive, lol) and I am planning on
going to different spots on CT for the next few weeks. My question is:
where in CT do I go??? So, keeping in mind with migrations happening and
special visitors in CT, what are some exceptional places that never seem to
disappoint? I am from Groton but am willing to travel to ANY part of CT.
Variety is the spice of life!! Thank you in advance ;-)
P.S- planning on going out to Bent of the River if anyone would like to
join today
~Daisy Echevarria
This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA)
for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For subscription information visit
http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org
Daisy,
The COA website is a great resource for such information. Go to COA - Connecticut Ornithological Association
COA - Connecticut Ornithological Association
Connecticut Ornithological Association birding website
View on www.ctbirding.org Preview by Yahoo
Under CTbirdBot is this link to information about Connecticut's top birding spots.
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/view?mid=zci-NVkfAeiM.kBFJWoXmSO3E
Glenn Williams
Mystic
This time of year? You absolutely have to experience the morning flight at nearby Bluff Point. Wait for some blocking weather, watch the CTBirds posts for forecasts, show up predawn and join the others standing near the railroad track fence, and watch the neotropical migrants spit out of the woods right at you, like so many sparks from a sparkler.
You are so very fortunate to live in Mystic!
Steve Mayo
Bethany
On Monday, September 15, 2014 1:09 PM, Glenn Williams via CTBirds ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org wrote:
Daisy,
The COA website is a great resource for such information. Go to COA - Connecticut Ornithological Association
COA - Connecticut Ornithological Association
Connecticut Ornithological Association birding website
View on www.ctbirding.org Preview by Yahoo
Under CTbirdBot is this link to information about Connecticut's top birding spots.
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/view?mid=zci-NVkfAeiM.kBFJWoXmSO3E
Glenn Williams
Mystic
This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For subscription information visit http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org
My apologies to all for the length of this. I was going to send it privately to Daisy but there were a few bits here and there I thought might be worth sharing with everyone. (Particularly about using The Connecticut Warbler archive.)
Daisy.
I heartily endorse the suggestion of Bluff point but want to add a few things. I usually only get there once or maybe twice a year - for me it is a long drive from a painfully early start - but have been visiting the spot for over a decade.
First, the all time champion of Bluff Point at this season is Dave Provencher. Dave wrote a site guide that appeared in The Connecticut Warbler back in 1993. You can download a pdf file with that year of the Warbler from here: http://ctbirding.org/pubs.htm. The article starts on page 94 (pdf numbering, not what it says at the bottom of the page, that is 84). Later I will say more about the map that opens the article.
(As an aside, the archive of old issues of The Connecticut Warbler is a valuable resource EVERYONE should be aware of. For example Nick Bonomo mentioned a good book about good birding locations in CT. Many Site Guides were published in the Warbler, Go to the Master Index: http://ctbirding.org/CTWarblerMasterIndexVol1-32.htm and search on Site Guides.)
The birds - the mix of species varies as the season progresses. Two visits a week
apart can have very different birds. The experts can tell how far along the migration is by the mix of birds.
Time - it pays to get there EARLY. First light is not quite necessary, but
within a couple of minutes of sunrise is recommended.
Blocking weather - bad weather at night when the small birds migrate.
Sometimes the best morning flight is the 2nd morning after it passes.
Wind the night before - to get a good morning flight requires the wind overnight to come at least partially from the west. Someone local such as yourself can afford to visit on the "maybe" days and still go elsewhere if it flops.
Location - as soon as you pass under the railroad tracks, park. It is possible to park on either side, which is to say along the water on the right, or in a wide space to the left. Do not block the gate. As you walk toward the gate to your left will be a small raised area along a fence where a handful of birders can stand. That's where the experts all position themselves. (Note that the road continues, with water to the right and woods to the left, to a real parking lot (and toilets of a sort). Past that parking lot is the main part of the park but I don't bird that part and as far as I know neither does anyone else.)
Watching them fly by - There are some very, very, very skilled birders who can just stand with backs to the fence and identify the birds as they fly by in a manner beyond the ken of mortals such as myself. One chip of a call note or a glimpse and they identify the bird. (At least that is how it seems to me.) The rest of us go nuts trying to see one long enough for an ID. Sometimes I stand with them for a while and try to watch the ones still in the trees. Mostly I move off to the left, into the small field along the fence, and watch that same bunch of trees from the side with the sun at my back. Far fewer birds, no question, but at least for some of them I have a chance to see them. Identification is something else, but at least I see them. The two trails I mention below start from that field.
Then what? - After that busy stage is over there is still birding to be done. That is when you walk the trails from that point south through the woods until you reach the outhouses and the main parking area, and then return. There are two main paths that meet at either end, and parallel the entrance rd that runs along the river/inlet/whatever it is. I usually take the left (east) one on my first (southbound) leg; there is one open area with a brushy area adjacent, but the whole way can be productive. On the way back I take the other trail, which (since I am now headed north) is again on the left. When you get back to your car it is probably mid-morning so you can continue on to your next birding spot.
The map - with the map from the article in hand, and the lousy description of the trails I gave, open Google Maps and find Bluff Point State Park. Change to the Satellite view. Zoom out and move to the top of the area so the railroad is visible. Find the almost white parking area at the end of the road; compare that to Dave's map and it matches with the P for parking. A line runs from around there east through the woods. Everything I talked about is between that line and the railroad, and none is that far in from the road to the parking lot. The trails are somewhat visible and probably preferred to the ones Dave drew. If you find a spot that looks like six or eight mounds of gray gravel, that is to the east of the first trail I mentioned.
Hope that helps.
Good birding!
Roy Harvey
Beacon Falls, CT
Thank you all who responded!! I am beyond appreciative. It's nice to know that I live just 5 mins from one of the best birding spots. It's funny though bc I rarely visit since it's SO close!! I usually travel an hour to 1.5 whenever someone on here mentions something worth seeing. I guess I really should stop taking that for granted. Thank you, Roy, for your in-depth review. I am still looking for the best places to hawk watch, find the most variety of warblers and go to the other side of CT so any other suggestions would still be greatly appreciated!!
~Daisy Echevarria
Groton, CT
On Sep 15, 2014, at 11:55 PM, Roy Harvey rmharvey@snet.net wrote:
My apologies to all for the length of this. I was going to send it privately to Daisy but there were a few bits here and there I thought might be worth sharing with everyone. (Particularly about using The Connecticut Warbler archive.)
Daisy.
I heartily endorse the suggestion of Bluff point but want to add a few things. I usually only get there once or maybe twice a year - for me it is a long drive from a painfully early start - but have been visiting the spot for over a decade.
First, the all time champion of Bluff Point at this season is Dave Provencher. Dave wrote a site guide that appeared in The Connecticut Warbler back in 1993. You can download a pdf file with that year of the Warbler from here: http://ctbirding.org/pubs.htm. The article starts on page 94 (pdf numbering, not what it says at the bottom of the page, that is 84). Later I will say more about the map that opens the article.
(As an aside, the archive of old issues of The Connecticut Warbler is a valuable resource EVERYONE should be aware of. For example Nick Bonomo mentioned a good book about good birding locations in CT. Many Site Guides were published in the Warbler, Go to the Master Index: http://ctbirding.org/CTWarblerMasterIndexVol1-32.htm and search on Site Guides.)
The birds - the mix of species varies as the season progresses. Two visits a week
apart can have very different birds. The experts can tell how far along the migration is by the mix of birds.
Time - it pays to get there EARLY. First light is not quite necessary, but
within a couple of minutes of sunrise is recommended.
Blocking weather - bad weather at night when the small birds migrate.
Sometimes the best morning flight is the 2nd morning after it passes.
Wind the night before - to get a good morning flight requires the wind overnight to come at least partially from the west. Someone local such as yourself can afford to visit on the "maybe" days and still go elsewhere if it flops.
Location - as soon as you pass under the railroad tracks, park. It is possible to park on either side, which is to say along the water on the right, or in a wide space to the left. Do not block the gate. As you walk toward the gate to your left will be a small raised area along a fence where a handful of birders can stand. That's where the experts all position themselves. (Note that the road continues, with water to the right and woods to the left, to a real parking lot (and toilets of a sort). Past that parking lot is the main part of the park but I don't bird that part and as far as I know neither does anyone else.)
Watching them fly by - There are some very, very, very skilled birders who can just stand with backs to the fence and identify the birds as they fly by in a manner beyond the ken of mortals such as myself. One chip of a call note or a glimpse and they identify the bird. (At least that is how it seems to me.) The rest of us go nuts trying to see one long enough for an ID. Sometimes I stand with them for a while and try to watch the ones still in the trees. Mostly I move off to the left, into the small field along the fence, and watch that same bunch of trees from the side with the sun at my back. Far fewer birds, no question, but at least for some of them I have a chance to see them. Identification is something else, but at least I see them. The two trails I mention below start from that field.
Then what? - After that busy stage is over there is still birding to be done. That is when you walk the trails from that point south through the woods until you reach the outhouses and the main parking area, and then return. There are two main paths that meet at either end, and parallel the entrance rd that runs along the river/inlet/whatever it is. I usually take the left (east) one on my first (southbound) leg; there is one open area with a brushy area adjacent, but the whole way can be productive. On the way back I take the other trail, which (since I am now headed north) is again on the left. When you get back to your car it is probably mid-morning so you can continue on to your next birding spot.
The map - with the map from the article in hand, and the lousy description of the trails I gave, open Google Maps and find Bluff Point State Park. Change to the Satellite view. Zoom out and move to the top of the area so the railroad is visible. Find the almost white parking area at the end of the road; compare that to Dave's map and it matches with the P for parking. A line runs from around there east through the woods. Everything I talked about is between that line and the railroad, and none is that far in from the road to the parking lot. The trails are somewhat visible and probably preferred to the ones Dave drew. If you find a spot that looks like six or eight mounds of gray gravel, that is to the east of the first trail I mentioned.
Hope that helps.
Good birding!
Roy Harvey
Beacon Falls, CT