[CT Birds] East Hartland Pine Grosbeaks

[ctredbird at comcast.net]

>From Jamie Meyers:
12/13 - East Hartland, at the intersection of CT 20 and the northern end of Old Town Road - 13 PINE GROSBEAKS, also 2 COMMON REDPOLLS at the elementary school where the grosbeaks were previously reported in a small tree on the north side of the school.

I checked the area around the school and Walnut Hill Road for a little while with no luck and decided to try other directions.  Maybe a mile up from where 20 and 179 intersect I saw a single bird teed up on top of a deciduous tree and it was a Pine Grosbeak.  While I was watching, the bird started calling and a dozen more came in.  I didn't make a serious effort to sex the birds since the light was poor and they were almost right over my head.  I was just happy to see them as this was my third try.  Old Hill Road loops off 20 near the intersection with 179 and then reconnects to it.  I saw the birds where the road reconnects to 20 as you go north from the intersection.  North as the grosbeak flies anyway, though since 20 is signed east.west, it's really west if you follow the highway signs.  I don't recall the grosbeaks being seen at this location before; obviously they move around from place to place so they may require some patience and searching.

The redpolls were only in a small tree next to the school for a moment and then flew off.

Please note that the people at the post office across the street from the school tried to give me a hard time about birding there.  After some discussion on the topic, they said I could bird from the paved parking lot there but not from behind the building itself as they don't own it and it's private property, and there have been complaints about birders walking back there.  The guy wasn't particularly friendly.  IMHO, there is no reason why people should be beating the bushes behind the post office anyway.

Nice yard bird for some unknowing residents of East Hartland!

Jamie Meyers
Canton, CT