Kind of a slow day at the Manchester Landfill, on the Hartford CBC, but also wasn't feeling 100%.
12/15 - Manchester, landfill-- 16 COMMON REDPOLLS, 2 AMERICAN PIPIT, and 12 HORNED LARK.
Probalby less than 100 gulls and the blackbird roost was reasonbly sized with at least 3 Cooper's Hawks hunting over the marsh at first light. This blackbrird roost would be fun to watch regularly at dawn and dusk to see who's preying on them and what's mixed in. You could hear the starlings and grackles fussing well before there was enough light to see well. Once there was enough light, a few birds left and that was the cue for the Cooper's Hawks, which had assembled ahead of time in various trees around the marsh, to fly sorties into the reeds. Once that happend, the whole flock rapidly evacuated in various directions.
Evening is a better time to get a #'s estimate, but at least several thousand were there, mostly European Starlings, but with also 3000+ Common Grackles a few hundred Red-wings and some cowbirds.
Atop Manchester's Mount Trashmore before dawn is a more interesting place to be than you might expect, although not nearly as interseting as it used to be. Feels like it could be the coldest place in CT at times though!
Patrick Comins, Meriden
Kind of a slow day at the Manchester Landfill, on the Hartford CBC, but also wasn't feeling 100%.
>From Patrick Comins:
12/15 - Manchester, landfill-- 16 COMMON REDPOLLS, 2 AMERICAN PIPIT, and 12 HORNED LARK.
Probalby less than 100 gulls and the blackbird roost was reasonbly sized with at least 3 Cooper's Hawks hunting over the marsh at first light. This blackbrird roost would be fun to watch regularly at dawn and dusk to see who's preying on them and what's mixed in. You could hear the starlings and grackles fussing well before there was enough light to see well. Once there was enough light, a few birds left and that was the cue for the Cooper's Hawks, which had assembled ahead of time in various trees around the marsh, to fly sorties into the reeds. Once that happend, the whole flock rapidly evacuated in various directions.
Evening is a better time to get a #'s estimate, but at least several thousand were there, mostly European Starlings, but with also 3000+ Common Grackles a few hundred Red-wings and some cowbirds.
Atop Manchester's Mount Trashmore before dawn is a more interesting place to be than you might expect, although not nearly as interseting as it used to be. Feels like it could be the coldest place in CT at times though!
Patrick Comins, Meriden
