4/10 Milford, Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center, 9:50am-1PM. sunny, low tide rising, 51F, windy. Very busy at the center today. Class visits, and several family visits. Plus lots of avian visitors. We have 2 Purple Martins back now- visiting gourds 68 & 69. Our ospreys were on their nest-copulating, & on the perch and sitting on the mud flats all morning. On the marsh: (viewed from inside building)- 6 Gadwall, 4 Green winged teal, 4 Black ducks, close count of 167 Brant all over the marsh, 4 American Oystercatchers on the mudflats, 6 Buffleheads, 2 Red breasted mergansers (a pair), 5 Mute swans & 5 Great egrets. There was one Boat tailed grackle sitting in the bare tree at the edge of the marsh by the observation platform by the parking lot -a first for me at the center. It was a bit larger than the Common grackles and I knew its song was different. I turned on Merlin and it confirmed my ID. On the grounds & feeders: a Pair of Fish crows has taken up residence again in the pine tree in front of the center- bringing in twigs for the nest & enjoying the bird bath. A golden crowned kinglet (others saw several of them), 4 Cardinals, a Flicker, 3 Robins, 4 House finches, 1 Red winged blackbird, 6 Song sparrows, 1 White throated sparrow, many House sparrows. Our water feature had several birds enjoying the water. Bev Propen, Orange