Dori Sosensky, Roy Harvey, Tom Sayers, Gary & Carol Lemmon and I birded the CT shoreline for much of the day. 19 shorebird and 4 tern species. Here are our highlights: West Haven, Sandy Pt - juv 'Western' Willet, Marbled Godwit, Red Knot Stratford, end of Long Beach Blvd (with DS, RH, TS) - juv Stilt Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper Old Lyme, Griswold Pt (with DS, TS) - imm Black Tern, 5 Roseate Tern, 4 White-rumped Sandpipers Orange, pond behind Pasta Fair restaurant - Solitary Sandpiper Photos of the Western Willet and Black Tern here: http://picasaweb.google.com/nbonomo The 'Western' Willet (subspecies inornatus) was the highlight of the day for me. A juvenile bird, it was first associating with a juvenile Eastern Willet, allowing for nice comparisons on the ground and in flight. Noticeable were the Western Willet's larger size, paler gray upperparts, lack of contrast between scapulars and wing coverts, long and narrow bill, and long primary projection. Overall the bird appeared very lanky, much less compact than your typical Eastern Willet. Also at Sandy Point, the Marbled Godwit continues. It seems to be difficult to find on the lower tides but is obvious while roosting around high tide. A very fresh juvenile Stilt Sandpiper at the new restoration pools in Stratford was another nice surprise. Side-by-side were juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Stilt Sandpiper. The Stilt Sand was quite fresh and buffy across the breast, without a hint of a nonbreeding scapular. Also of note is the number of birds that were at this new restoration site. A large flock of 1500 or so combined peep and Semipalmated Plover were seen on both sides of the warehouses at the end of Long Beach Boulevard. When the water became high enough to cover the flats today, the birds picked up and flew over the warehouses to the mounds of dirt on the other side. They seemed content with roosting here until a persistent Red-tailed Hawk flushed many of them from the area. Some birds may have even been roosting on roofs of the warehouses themselves. All locations had flocks of several hundred shorebirds to look through. Only very rough estimates, probably not worth posting, were taken. Juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Least Sandpipers are now around in good numbers. The first juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers are trickling through. Nick Bonomo Orange, CT

While on my way to see my son in New York today I saw a Bald Eagle circling rather low a bit before Exit 2 westbound on RT 95. The bird was in its 3rd (?) year, being mostly dark-headed but showing a mostly white tail. I am wondering if this is a northern or CT bird moving south or a southern bird wandering north. Mark Mark S.Szantyr 80 Bicknell Road Apt. 9 Ashford, CT 06278 USA Birddog55@Charter.net 860-487-9766 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nick Bonomo" <nbonomo@gmail.com> To: <ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2007 11:54 PM Subject: [CT Birds] 8/11 - CT coastline;19 shorebird species + Western Willet > Dori Sosensky, Roy Harvey, Tom Sayers, Gary & Carol Lemmon and I > birded the CT shoreline for much of the day. 19 shorebird and 4 tern > species. Here are our highlights: > > West Haven, Sandy Pt - juv 'Western' Willet, Marbled Godwit, Red Knot > Stratford, end of Long Beach Blvd (with DS, RH, TS) - juv Stilt > Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper > Old Lyme, Griswold Pt (with DS, TS) - imm Black Tern, 5 Roseate Tern, > 4 White-rumped Sandpipers > Orange, pond behind Pasta Fair restaurant - Solitary Sandpiper > > Photos of the Western Willet and Black Tern here: > http://picasaweb.google.com/nbonomo > > The 'Western' Willet (subspecies inornatus) was the highlight of the > day for me. A juvenile bird, it was first associating with a juvenile > Eastern Willet, allowing for nice comparisons on the ground and in > flight. Noticeable were the Western Willet's larger size, paler gray > upperparts, lack of contrast between scapulars and wing coverts, long > and narrow bill, and long primary projection. Overall the bird > appeared very lanky, much less compact than your typical Eastern > Willet. > > Also at Sandy Point, the Marbled Godwit continues. It seems to be > difficult to find on the lower tides but is obvious while roosting > around high tide. > > A very fresh juvenile Stilt Sandpiper at the new restoration pools in > Stratford was another nice surprise. Side-by-side were juvenile Lesser > Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Stilt Sandpiper. The Stilt > Sand was quite fresh and buffy across the breast, without a hint of a > nonbreeding scapular. > > Also of note is the number of birds that were at this new restoration > site. A large flock of 1500 or so combined peep and Semipalmated > Plover were seen on both sides of the warehouses at the end of Long > Beach Boulevard. When the water became high enough to cover the flats > today, the birds picked up and flew over the warehouses to the mounds > of dirt on the other side. They seemed content with roosting here > until a persistent Red-tailed Hawk flushed many of them from the area. > Some birds may have even been roosting on roofs of the warehouses > themselves. > > All locations had flocks of several hundred shorebirds to look > through. Only very rough estimates, probably not worth posting, were > taken. Juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Least > Sandpipers are now around in good numbers. The first juvenile > Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers are trickling > through. > > Nick Bonomo > Orange, CT > > _______________________________________________ > This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA) > for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. > For subscription information visit > http://lists.ctbirding.org/mailman/listinfo/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org >