[CT Birds] 186 Species reported in CT to date

[David Provencher]

It's been a while since I updated this list. I managed to squeeze it in
somehow during a weekend full of 10 year old girls and kids birthday
parties. Well the doldrums of winter are slipping away and we can finally
smell the onset of Spring. Nine species have been added since last I posted
this list. They are; Tundra Swan, Blue-winged Teal, Piping Plover (just got
word of report as I write this), Osprey, Little Gull (Well done Dennis),
Black-headed Gull (You too Frank), American Oystercatcher, Tree Swallow, and
a surprise, Varied Thrush. The Varied Thrush has been present at a private
residence for quite some time. The homeowner didn't really know what it was
but photographed it and asked a knowledgeable person to confirm its
identity. I am told the residence where the Varied Thrush is does not lend
itself to visitors and the home-owner has asked the location to be kept
private. So please don't ask me where it is. Actually I don't know anyway.

 

Well new species will be coming faster and faster as the days go by. The
Tundra Swan flurry has been pretty unusual and exciting as Greg pointed out.
Phoebes will be popping up all over the place shortly and this is prime time
to Woodcock watch. Sometimes coastal open areas will have a number of
displaying birds at dusk. These are birds that have just gotten "in"
so-to-speak. I have even seen a number of newly arrived migrants display in
parking lots on the coast. So keep birding everyone and report what you've
found so those of us who can't get out can at least read about birding! The
list is getting awfully long to be sending to everyone each time I post.
Soon I will switch to only sending the actually species seen list once or
twice a month (but will post the total and new species added more often than
that) but I will send it to whoever asks me directly.

 

Good Birding!

 

Dave

 

The current list:

 

Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Brant, Canada Goose, Cackling
Goose, Mute Swan, Tundra Swan, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, American
Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Blue-winged Teal,
Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck,
Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, King Eider, Common Eider, Surf Scoter,
White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common
Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser,
Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck

 

Ring-necked Pheasant, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey

 

Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Red-necked
Grebe

 

Northern Gannet, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Cormorant, American
Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Hight-Heron

 

Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawk,
Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Golden Eagle,
American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon

 

Clapper Rail, Virginia Rail, American Coot, Sandhill Crane

 

Black-bellied Plover, Piping Plover, Killdeer, American Oystercatcher,
Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Dunlin, Purple
Sandpiper, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Wilson's Snipe, American Woodcock

 

Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring
Gull, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Great
Black-backed Gull

 

Razorbill, Black Guillemot

 

Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Monk Parakeet

 

Barn Owl*, Eastern Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Long-eared
Owl, Short-eared Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl

 

Rufous Hummingbird *, Belted Kingfisher

 

Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,
Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker

 

Eastern Phoebe

 

Northern Shrike

 

Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Common Raven

 

Horned Lark

 

Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow

 

Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch,
White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper

 

Carolina Wren, House Wren, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren

 

Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit
Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush*

 

Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher

 

European Starling, American Pipit

 

Cedar Waxwing, Bohemian Waxwing

 

Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine
Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat

 

Western Tanager

 

Eastern Towhee, American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow,
Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow (including "Ipswich Sparrow"), Fox Sparrow,
Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, 

White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco (including
Oregon Junco), Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting

 

Northern Cardinal

 

Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Rusty
Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird,
Baltimore Oriole

 

Pine Grosbeak, Purple Finch, House Finch, Red Crossbill, White-winged
Crossbill, Common Redpoll, Hoary Redpoll, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch,
Evening Grosbeak

 

House Sparrow

 

* At undisclosed sensitive location