[CT Birds] Pine grosbeak (Washington, CT), Redhead duck (Lake Waramug), and American kestrel (Good Hill, Roxbury/Woodbury)

[John D Babington]

I had a phone call from Peary Stafford  early this afternoon  (March 16) reporting seeing two female pine grosbeaks and three fox sparrows at the Macricostas section of Steep Rock Preserve in Washington, CT.
I picked up my friend Russ Naylor in Woodbury early this afternoon (March 16) and we drove over to the Macricostas section of Steep Rock Preserve in Washington, CT, The best way to get here is to take RT 47 from Washington Depot towards RT 202. At RT 202 take a right heading towards Litchfield. Take the first sharp left on to Christian St. Go up Christian St and at a old red farm house on the right pull into a parking lot for the Macricostas section of the Steep Rock Preserve. Follow the trail marked by the Washington Garden Club to marker 8. Here Russ and I found the two female pine grosbeaks on a crab apple tree opposite the farm field. There were also at least 50 cedar waxwings here. Other birds in this area included at least one singing fox sparrow, song sparrows, American tree sparrow, American robins, and red-winged blackbirds
Russ and I continued our birding outing by driving over to the southern end of Lake Waramaug in Washington. While good parts of Lake Waramaug are still covered in ice there are sections of open water. Russ and I drove around the western sections of Lake Waramaug on Shore Road in Washington into Kent. We had good numbers of common mergansers (between 100 to 150). In a large group ring-necked ducks we had three male canvasbacks, one male redhead, and one male lesser scaup.
Taking Russ back to Woodbury we stopped  on Upper Grassy Hill Rd (off  Good Hill Rd/RT 317) on the Woodbury/Roxbury town lines and had a pair of American kestrel.
Not a bad afternoon of birding.
 
David Babington
Washington, CT