The meadows flanking Meadow Road in Farmington regularly yield shorebirds after storms, as they flood quickly and hold standing water for days and weeks. When in flood, the road is sometimes closed, but you can walk in on the sidewalk. I saw a Northern Harrier hunting there this spring. Flocks of ducks and geese also stop over - always worth scanning. A large flock of turkeys often ventures out from the woods. And the meadows are bordered on the other side by the Farmington River -- I have seen GBHeron, Bald Eagle, and Osprey over the river, looking from Meadow Road. The Poquobock River empties into the Farmington here - nice quiet water for dabblers and riverside passerines. Great little canoeing spot, with an small parking area and easy put-in/takeout. Just off Rt 10 in Farmington Village - look for intersection of Meadow Rd and Rt 10. Sarah Sarah Hager Johnston, BMus, MLS 860-676-2228 Peregrine Information Consultants www.peregrineinfo.com Research and writing for insurance, risk management, safety & health, business, and medical professionals Grace Notes www.grace-notes.com Program annotations, research, and writing services for classical musical ensembles and the professionals who serve them -----Original Message----- From: Tim Antanaitis [mailto:timant123@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 8, 2007 12:45 PM To: 'BIRDS' Subject: Re: [CT Birds] inland shorebirds Dennis Varza wrote: Most shorebirds pass over inland Connecticut before dropping in on the shore. So, if the habitat is available, drawn down reservoirs, wet grassy fields etc. they should attract birds. But, how many? Last year I’ve started collecting reports of inland shorebirds. I can’t recall more than 40-50 birds at a time in the best of locations. Dennis is right about rarely seeing large concentrations of inland shorebirds. However, if the weather conditions are right, and people check their local flooded fields, it is possible to hit the jackpot. Andrew Dasinger and I were in the right place at the right time on 9/9/04 - Ferry Lane in South Windsor, as the remnant bands of rain and wind from Hurricane Frances were passing to our north. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Frances2004rain.gif Here's the list of shorebirds from that day: American Golden-Plover 23 Black-bellied Plover 1 White-rumped Sandpiper 18 Pectoral Sandpiper 20+ Semipalmated Sandpiper 40+ Least Sandpiper 50+ Semipalmated Plover 1 Solitary Sandpiper 1 Killdeer 20+ Greater Yellowlegs 6 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 My estimates total 181+ birds, but there may have been over 300 given my tendency to underestimate the number of peeps. So Andrew, if you read this and you had a higher count, I would like to see your numbers. Tim Antanaitis Manchester --------------------------------- Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links. _______________________________________________ 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