[CT Daily] 04/29/2007 PURPLE GALLINULE

[Roy Harvey]

Special Note on the importance of CTBirds.

Today the first report of the Purple Gallinule (details below)
appeared on CTBirds -- the OTHER list -- around 12:35, with another
THERE NOW message about twenty minutes later, and more following.

But the word did not go out to the daily list subscribers.  Nick
Bonomo and I are the ones who send out the daily or hot RBA messages.
Nick is out of state.  I was at my granddaughter's christening.

One key advantage of CTBirds, well demonstrated today, is that reports
are distributed immediately, without waiting for a middleman such as
myself to be available.  In a practical sense, if you get a Really
Good Bird in the middle of the day a call to anyone on the CTBirds
list and near a computer the person you tell can get the word to the
300 subscribers on CTBirds.  Note that both the Fat Robin and the
Audubon Shop, which are open during most key hours, have offered to
take such calls and post the news to CTBirds.  The daily RBA list has
around 515 subscribers so there are a couple of hundred who do not get
the word right away, but I don't see a way around that.

So anyone who wants the fastest news really needs CTBirds.

A corollary to this is that the preferred place to REPORT your
sightings is to CTBirds.  You can still mail them to
CTBirdReport at msbx.net, but if you send them to CTBirds they will be
seen (before my editing!) right away by everyone.  Of course only
subscribers to CTBirds can post there.

Roy Harvey
Beacon Falls, CT


Scott Kruitbosch found a PURPLE GALLINULE (thanks, Scott!) in
Stratford today, "on a pond at the start of FOREST ROAD, which is off
of RIVER VALLEY ROAD, which is the street across from the Boothe Park
graveyard on MAIN STREET PUTNEY. The pond is on private property that
is not owned by myself or my family so please be respectful and
mindful. But the bird can clearly be seen from the street, and from
your car, and is foraging in the reeds of the pond."  "For the most
part, it can be seen from the road and side of the pond in front of
the fence. The pond is very obvious on your left immediately upon
turning down Forest Road."

This is just south of the intersection of Rt 15 (the parkway) and Rt
110

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=FOREST+ROAD,+stratford,+ct&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=46.27475,58.798828&layer=&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=15&ll=41.23256,-73.11596&spn=0.021591,0.02871

The homeowners told Scott they first noticed it on Saturday, April 21,
and that it has been around since.  It was present and seen all
afternoon until at least 6:55 PM.  Thanks to Scott, and to all who
provided updates throughout the afternoon.


 From Florence McBride:
4/29 - Hamden, Johnson's Pond, and Lake Whitney RWA woods (permit
required for the latter) -- singing HOODED WARBLER at 9 am and for a
while after that; heard again about 5 pm from the end of Ingram 
Street.

 From Shaun Martin and Emily Shaw:
4/28 - Greenwich, Pomerance park -- 1 Whip-poor-will flying then
perched along driveway

 From Mike Moccio
4/29 - Stamford CIWS -- 1 ORCHARD ORIOLE behind tennis court

 From Luke Tiller:
4/29 -- Wilton, South Norwalk Reservation -- CLIFF SWALLOW
Wilton, Schenk's Island -- LINCOLN'S SPARROW

 From Frank Gallo:
4/29 - Weir Preserve, Wilton -- Greater Yellowlegs (rare inland)

 From Bill Yule:
4/29 - Madison, Hammonasset SP -- at the end of the "Moraine Trail", 2
Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 White-rumped Sandpiper.  

 From Larry Nichols:
4/29 - Portland, Riverfront Trail area -- 7 BLUE-WINGED TEAL

 From Karen Fiske:
4/29 - Madison, Hammonasset SP -- trail to Cedar Island- 2 Brown
Thrashers, 3 Little Blue Herons; 

 From Ernie Harris:
4/29 - Bolton yard -- BROWN THRASHER


Migration Notes

First reports, more or less:
Warbling Vireo -- Wilton; 
NASHVILLE WARBLER -- Westport; East Rock Park New Haven
Ovenbird -- East Rock Park New Haven
Least Flycatcher -- East Rock Park New Haven

Others:
Prairie Warbler -- West Hartford; East Rock Park
Baltimore Oriole -- Norwalk; Portland; East Rock Park
Hooded Warbler -- Hamden
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds -- Southington; Branford; Sherman; Norwich;
Southbury
Yellow Warbler -- increasing
Wood Thrush -- Wilton
Purple Martin -- Madison
Northern Waterthrush -- East Rock Park
Common Yellowthroat
Spotted Sandpiper