Re: [CT Birds] CTBirds Digest, Vol 752, Issue 2
Old Greenwich, March 17, Debby Ethridge: First osprey of the year was
spotted on the top of the Stamford Lighthouse. Last year they attempted to
build a nest there but it didn't work out. Perhaps they'll try again.
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Subject: CTBirds Digest, Vol 752, Issue 2
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Today's Topics:
- A Gulling mystery (Dennis Varza)
- Re: Storrs geese... (Brian Hiller)
- Brown Creepers, Somers (Jan Collins)
- Bonaparte's Gulls (wingsct@juno.com)
- Re: A Gulling mystery (Frank Mantlik)
- Eagles and Geese (Mntncougar@aol.com)
- Pintail (htg1523@att.net)
- a stunned siskin (Greg Hanisek)
- Mansfield Hollow Bald Eagles (Brian Hiller)
- Peregrine Falcon (PJDEGENNARO@aol.com)
- peregrine joyride (Carl Ekroth)
- Ospreys and Plum Island (Dennis Varza)
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:03:07 -0400
From: Dennis Varza dennisvz@optonline.net
Subject: [CT Birds] A Gulling mystery
To: Posting Bird List ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: C8795A46-D86D-4A96-8ADB-AEABD721C7DB@optonline.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
High Folks
Because the moon was in last quarter I decided a little looksee to
make sure the gulls were not barnacle feeding. That would support the
full moon hypothesis. It was mid tide falling, So I did my Bridgeport
run, and was totally surprised.
St. Mary's is a bluff, people park there, eat lunch etc. at the base
of the bluff there is a rip-rap of rocks. Not a single gull to be
seen feeding in the rocks. There were no gulls on the guard rails to
beg for food. I scanned across the way to Jennings Beach and there
were no gulls on the beach. Over on Penfield Reef there were two
groups of about 160 birds total, and another 150 in the water off the
reef. There was about 500 greater Scaup in that area that flew to the
east.
Over in Black Rock Harbor there were no gulls on any of the pilings
in the marinas! There were no gulls in Captain's Cove! On to Seaside
Park. There were gulls there, a few small groups totaling about 500
gulls. For the most part the beaches were empty.
Off shore at Seaside park there was a huge mixed congregation of
Scaup and Brant streching from Fayerweather Island. to nearly the
mouth of Bridgeport Harbor a distance of about a mile and a half. It
was not a continuous raft but groups scattered along the length. I
would estimate about a thousand Brant, and about 8 thousand Scaup.
They looked to be barnacle feeding. Also there was over a hundred
Common Goldeneye. Inside the harbor there were no gulls on the
Pleasure Beach side. What about Stratford?
I went to Long Beach and there were no gulls the length of the
parking lot. not even the Glaucous Gull. There was tape up at the end
of the lot with police there so I couldn't get a good look at the
length of the beach but it looked barren as well. There was the usual
couple hundred Goldeneye down the beach and 300 mixed flock of Dunlin
and Sanderling.
Over by the sea wall still no gulls. There is always a group of Ring-
billed gulls by the diner there, they were gone. Off shore all
morning there were a few gulls flying off shore to the east, but, not
a steady stream. On to Short Beach
At Short Beach there were finally gulls, mostly on the flats. I
figured I saw about 3000 birds. That was a lot of birds but I am not
sure if that represents all the gulls not seen elsewhere.
What is hapening here? I have no idea.
Bridgeport, 7:30 to 10:00 Ash Creek, Black Rock Harbor, Seaside Park
Brant 20 75 1145
Canada Goose 12 28 -
American Wigeon 24 10 34
American Black Duck 56 54 82
Mallard 10 78 8
Northern Pintail 0 1 1
Greater Scaup 500 4 8000
Lesser Scaup - 58 -
Bufflehead 58 2 -
Common Goldeneye 120 2 120
Hooded Merganser 0 2 -
Red-breasted Merganser 32 18 4
Red-throated Loon 0 1 1
Horned Grebe 0 2 4
Great Cormorant 0 1 2
Mixed Gulls 300 0 0 -
Great Black-bacled Gull 1 0 1
Ring-billed Gull - - 256/3
Herring Gull - - 228/43
Message: 2
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:58:28 -0400
From: Brian Hiller mudbat13@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] Storrs geese...
To: CT birding list ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: COL118-W81871ADDBDC94A5F7E774C6980@phx.gbl
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
In addition to the snow goose and white-fronted geese at UConn there were
also 7 Common snipe. The snipe were in the field to the right of Horsebarn
Hill road when entering from the south (Gurleyville road). The field is
downhill from the road and the birds are located where the stream entering
from the trees first fans out across the flat of the field.
Brian Hiller
Willimantic
Windows Live?: Life without walls.
http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_allup_1a_explore_032009
Message: 3
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:21:16 -0400
From: "Jan Collins" jgcollins@cox.net
Subject: [CT Birds] Brown Creepers, Somers
To: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: 000e01c9a746$4fe00300$0300a8c0@Prairie
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
3/17 Somers Backyard, 2 BROWN CREEPERS
continue at suet tree. Have not seen the 5 together again of a couple weeks
ago but at least 2 come every day. Wonder if they will nest?
Jan Collins
Message: 4
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:46:31 GMT
From: "wingsct@juno.com" wingsct@juno.com
Subject: [CT Birds] Bonaparte's Gulls
To: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: 20090317.174631.25129.5@webmail17.dca.untd.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
From Meredith Sampson:
3/16 - Old Greenwich, Greenwich Point -- 102 BONAPARTE'S GULLS.
Surf a world without wires. Click now for great wireless Internet solutions!
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTE4hcMI1lO6Qjt3wSp2yEYgLVd
mQY3OtNTvT4l8ypHxRAQ60YMYjG/
Message: 5
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:53:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Frank Mantlik mantlik@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Re: [CT Birds] A Gulling mystery
To: Posting Bird List ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org, Dennis Varza
dennisvz@optonline.net
Message-ID: 975835.81327.qm@web80015.mail.sp1.yahoo.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Dennis and others,
I found the same thing late Monday afternoon: Stratford Long Beach and
Seawall were surprisingly devoid of gulls, including the Glaucous and the
always-present Ring-billeds at Marnick's Restaurant beach.
But then about 4pm today, my wife Linda stopped at Merwin Point for a walk,
and just had to call me to tell me of "thousands" of gulls just offshore
here and spreading east into West Haven.
In Westport, off Compo and Sherwood Is. today and yesterday there have been
up to 500 gulls foraging offshore. And I have not seen the ICELAND GULL
there these past 2 days either.
Frank Mantlik
Stratford
--- On Tue, 3/17/09, Dennis Varza dennisvz@optonline.net wrote:
From: Dennis Varza dennisvz@optonline.net
Subject: [CT Birds] A Gulling mystery
To: "Posting Bird List" ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 2:03 PM
High Folks
Because the moon was in last quarter I decided a little
looksee to make sure the gulls were not barnacle feeding.
That would support the full moon hypothesis. It was mid tide
falling, So I did my Bridgeport run, and was totally
surprised.
St. Mary's is a bluff, people park there, eat lunch
etc. at the base of the bluff there is a rip-rap of rocks.
Not a single gull to be seen feeding in the rocks. There
were no gulls on the guard rails to beg for food. I scanned
across the way to Jennings Beach and there were no gulls on
the beach. Over on Penfield Reef there were two groups of
about 160 birds total, and another 150 in the water off the
reef. There was about 500 greater Scaup in that area that
flew to the east.
Over in Black Rock Harbor there were no gulls on any of the
pilings in the marinas! There were no gulls in
Captain's Cove! On to Seaside Park. There were gulls
there, a few small groups totaling about 500 gulls. For the
most part the beaches were empty.
Off shore at Seaside park there was a huge mixed
congregation of Scaup and Brant streching from Fayerweather
Island. to nearly the mouth of Bridgeport Harbor a distance
of about a mile and a half. It was not a continuous raft but
groups scattered along the length. I would estimate about a
thousand Brant, and about 8 thousand Scaup. They looked to
be barnacle feeding. Also there was over a hundred Common
Goldeneye. Inside the harbor there were no gulls on the
Pleasure Beach side. What about Stratford?
I went to Long Beach and there were no gulls the length of
the parking lot. not even the Glaucous Gull. There was tape
up at the end of the lot with police there so I couldn't
get a good look at the length of the beach but it looked
barren as well. There was the usual couple hundred Goldeneye
down the beach and 300 mixed flock of Dunlin and Sanderling.
Over by the sea wall still no gulls. There is always a
group of Ring-billed gulls by the diner there, they were
gone. Off shore all morning there were a few gulls flying
off shore to the east, but, not a steady stream. On to Short
Beach
At Short Beach there were finally gulls, mostly on the
flats. I figured I saw about 3000 birds. That was a lot of
birds but I am not sure if that represents all the gulls not
seen elsewhere.
What is hapening here? I have no idea.
Bridgeport, 7:30 to 10:00 Ash Creek, Black Rock Harbor,
Seaside Park
Brant 20 75 1145
Canada Goose 12 28 -
American Wigeon 24 10 34
American Black Duck 56 54 82
Mallard 10 78 8
Northern Pintail 0 1 1
Greater Scaup 500 4 8000
Lesser Scaup - 58 -
Bufflehead 58 2 -
Common Goldeneye 120 2 120
Hooded Merganser 0 2 -
Red-breasted Merganser 32 18 4
Red-throated Loon 0 1 1
Horned Grebe 0 2 4
Great Cormorant 0 1 2
Mixed Gulls 300 0 0 -
Great Black-bacled Gull 1 0 1
Ring-billed Gull - - 256/3
Herring Gull - - 228/43
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
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:07:40 EDT
From: Mntncougar@aol.com
Subject: [CT Birds] Eagles and Geese
To: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: c61.436d44d0.36f1792c@aol.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Yesterday there were 2 Bald Eagles at Mansfield Hollow in Mansfield, and
they were back again today. I reported 3 there at the beginning of the
year,
and I think these are 2 of the three. 1 is a full adult and the other
appears
to still have a dark area around the eyes and a tail that is not fully
white.
I believe they may be the same 2 that were there in Jan. The third one
was
an immature, and I found 1 Immature Bald Eagle today at Beaver Dam Marsh in
Natchaug State Forest. Possibly he is the third bird. Some poor
digiscoped
pics taken from across the lake, about 3500 feet, yesterday and today.
I'm
practicing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85082925@N00/sets/72157615348441981/
As Chris Elphick reported, 5 Greater White-fronted Geese and 1 Snow Goose
have been at Horsebarn Hill in storrs at least Sunday and Monday. Here are
a
few pics of them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/85082925@N00/sets/72157615415155142/
Don Morgan
Coventry
**************Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10
or
less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood00000001)
Message: 7
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:41:11 -0400
From: htg1523@att.net
Subject: [CT Birds] Pintail
To: "CTBIRDSGROUP" ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: 004401c9a762$3d00dc70$afe8b145@D5YDTZ61
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
From Hank Golet
3/17 Old Saybrook, South Cove, 3 Northern Pintail
Message: 8
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:42:38 -0400
From: "Greg Hanisek" ghanisek@rep-am.com
Subject: [CT Birds] a stunned siskin
To: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: 000801c9a762$70250e00$6e02a8c0@internal.repam.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Everyone seemed to enjoy the stunning siskin.
This one is much less fortunate.
http://blogs.rep-am.com/nature/
Greg Hanisek
Waterbury
Message: 9
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:54:09 -0400
From: Brian Hiller mudbat13@hotmail.com
Subject: [CT Birds] Mansfield Hollow Bald Eagles
To: CT birding list ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: COL118-W72F88DBD04F1A4C3092935C6990@phx.gbl
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
This evening at 6PM my three sons and I watched two adult, or nearly so,
Bald Eagles perched on a dead tree at Mansfield Hollow Reservoir near the
mouth of the Fenton River off Rte 89. Numerous common mergansers and 7
common goldeneye were visible near the mouth of the Mt. Hope River to the
East(?). There is parking available near the ballfields along Rte 89 north
of the elementary school.
Brian Hiller
Willimantic
Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail?.
http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=TXT_MSGTX
_WL_HM_express_032009#colortheme
Message: 10
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:14:32 EDT
From: PJDEGENNARO@aol.com
Subject: [CT Birds] Peregrine Falcon
To: ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: c75.4bb71504.36f1b308@aol.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
3/17/09 - Waterbury, the Mixmaster around 7 am - the Peregrine Falcon was
flying parallel of route 8 towards the Mixmaster
Peter DeGennaro
Naugatuck
**************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy
steps!
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219850974x1201371016/aol?redir=htt
p:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID
%3D62%26bcd%3DMarchfooterNO62)
Message: 11
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:26:35 -0400
From: "Carl Ekroth" cekroth@sbcglobal.net
Subject: [CT Birds] peregrine joyride
To: "report sightings" ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: BEE633063A274D02B402E1CBD5F67BC2@CarlPC
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Today I was once again working up on the red and white stack in Bridgeport.
A peregrine flew by me towards the east end of Seaside Park. About 300
yards from the stack are two gas turbines (essentially jet engines) that
produce electricity and whose exhaust is ducted to the atmosphere through 10
foot diameter stacks. As the peregrine crossed the upward flow of air above
the stack exit, it shot up and then rode this "thermal" quite high. It then
flew to the top of the stack where it sat for a while. Again I saw the
peregrine glide from the stack directly to the turbine exhaust and ride it
up apparently for the shear joy of it. This activity was very similar to
that of turkey vultures I observed over similar conditions in Dayville.
As I left the grounds there was a female kestrel, atop a pole, dining on a
meadow vole and a flock of turkeys searching for supper.
Message: 12
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:42:43 -0400
From: Dennis Varza dennisvz@optonline.net
Subject: [CT Birds] Ospreys and Plum Island
To: Posting Bird List ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org
Message-ID: 277014F3-3368-4C75-9084-B1451BC8941E@optonline.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Hi Folks
Another interesting tidbit from
C. HART ^MERRIAM's A REVIEW OF THE BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT.
This one is about Ospreys. We think they are common now, well read
this!
Dennis Varza
Fairfield
Mr. W. W. Coe informs me .......
" Immense numbers of them breed regularly at Plumb Island, Conn.,
where I saw, last spring, at least five hundred nests, and over a
thousand birds. There is only one small piece of timber on the
island, and every tree contains a Fish Hawk's nest, or from eight to
ten Night Herons' nests. There is quite a colony of Night Herons
there. There not being trees enough for the Hawks to nest in, many of
them build on the ground and some lay their eggs in the sand. They
occupy the same nest for years, adding a little to it each season,
till some of them, that were originally placed flat on the ground,
had become so large that I could not look into them. Many were seven
feet high and measured six or eight feet across the top ! On the 4th
of June I found both young birds and fresh eggs in some of the nests.
The Crow Blackbirds (Grackles) had built their nests in among the
large sticks on the sides of the Fish Hawk's nests, there being often
four or five of the former placed about the sides of one of the
latter. Besides the Fish Hawks, Night Herons, and Crow Black-birds,
many other birds breed upon this island, among which might be
mentioned the Upland and Killdeer Plover, and large numbers of Terns."*
Which brings me to a an interesting idea. If Plum island belongs to
Connecticut then the waters around the island should belong to
Connecticut. This opens new possibilities for pelagics for Connecticut.
In 1826 the west end of Plum Island was purchased from Richard Jerome
for $90 for the purpose of building a lighthouse.
By the late 1860s the lighthouse was falling into disrepair. A new 55
feet (17 m) tall granite lighthouse building was constructed and in
service by 1869.
In 1879 Fort Terry was built on Plum Island. The relations between
lighthouse keepers and army personnel remained congenial for many
years, and the keepers could usually purchase food and supplies at
the Fort commissary.
Plum Island, (643-acres), formerly Ft. Terry, was acquired by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture from the military at the end of World
War II. They established the research facility FADDL, or the
Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab. It is a diagnostic facility
that is a full service diagnostic laboratory receiving samples from
around the world.
Plum Island is a pork chop shaped island, about one mile and a half
off the north fork shore at Orient Point, Long Island. It is
approximately 10 miles across Long Island Sound from US submarine
base at Groton, Connecticut. Plum Island is accessible by Government
Ferryboat only.
This list is provided by the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA)
for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut.
For subscription information visit
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End of CTBirds Digest, Vol 752, Issue 2