[CT Birds] B-t Grackle settling in

[greg hanisek]

At Hammo this morning, two female Boat-tailed Grackles were carrying nesting material on Willard's Island. At least one male was chasing off anything that flew in the vicinity. The females were going deep into thick cover. The birds can easily be viewed from the paved walkways, and obviously no one should go into the thickets trying for closer looks.
   
  We've been waiting for more than a decade to see if the nesting colony at Long Beach, Stratford, would be joined by nesting somewhere else in the state. This looks like it.
   
  BTW, this is the known northern limit of this species' breeding range.
   
  Greg Hanisek
  Waterbury