Vireos, Vireos, Vireos!
Connecticut has recently been experiencing an influx of vireos as the fall migration for song birds reaches flood stage. With approaching cold fronts, one is never sure of what will show. Below is a nice study in one of the not-so-easy identification puzzles one may run into in the field. The first three images below are by my friend John Schwarz at www.birdspix.com who enjoyed this PHILADELPHIA VIREO at Bluff Point in Groton. The same day, I captured some images of the similar bird at my patch in Ivoryton, in different light that might lead one to believe this to be a WARBLING VIREO. Consensus is that it is a Philadelphia. Lighting in the field as well as in camera images can be a real issue. Just because you got a good image doesn't mean the challenge ends! There is an excellent discussion of fall Warbling Vireo vs. Philadelphia Vireo at this LINK. Scroll down to photo #8. Think image #8 is a Warbling? Enjoy the challenge!  AG  

Nova Scotia: An Outstanding Fall Destination
I recently returned from what I think was my sixth trip up to Nova Scotia! This time the theme seemed to be "Eagles Everywhere!" We took advantage of great photo ops of adult eagles at close range as they retrieved fish from the back of a boat. The same day, travelers enjoyed views of over a 1,000 Atlantic Puffin and outstanding landscapes of sea and cliff. Clouds of shorebirds, extreme tides, pristine bog habitats, and grand hotels were the standard! We plan to repeat the trip next year. Each group is limited to five participants, so call soon.    AG

Black-billed Cuckoo Image by Wolfgang Wander

Listening to the Night
Just the other night, at about 1045PM, I heard one of the great sounds of summer, a night calling Black-billed Cuckoo! It is not too often that I have heard them at night, but it is always a fun event. It's always one of those "What the..." moments. The bird, in my yard, called for a solid hour. Got to love it!  AG

Getting Ready!!!
The shorebirding season is just starting and so it's time to get ready to head for one of the Meccas of the discipline, the Bay of Fundy. The extensive mud and sand flats that make-up the Bay at low tide (50 foot tides in some places), are an indispensable fueling ground for hundreds of thousands of sandpipers, turnstones, dowitchers, and other shorebirds, so much so, that one can sometimes literally see "carpets" of birds standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

This year I have a wonderful group of faithful Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel patrons joining the adventure. We will be flying into and meeting in Halifax, make our way to the Bay of Fundy, travel out on the Bay and to the northern end of Minas Bay, and then explore the northern tip of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, a unique and wild place on its own, with lots of Moose, grouse, whales, and grand hotels!

If I have the chance, I will post entries while on the trip. Let me know if you are watching!

AG

Eagles !
It's been a while since posting! Just been too busy to think of doing it when I have so many people depending on our getting reservations right for the multitude of Eagle Boats and destinations further afield in places like Arkansas, Jamaica, Galapagos, Cuba, and the Platte River of Nebraska. It has been a very busy travel season for EcoTravel which included moving our office across town. Moving has got to be one of the dullest exercises on the planet but it does afford you the chance to toss all that stuff you have not laid hands on for over a year.

We recently ended our Eagle Boat Season and started our Osprey Cruises but not before we enjoyed the highlight of the year with two days of great Golden Eagle viewing. On the second day, the young bird was perched for over and hour alongside an unusually plumaged sub-adult Bald Eagle (since nicknamed "Weird Whitey"). Enjoy the image by Gary Spinner and give us a call to join a trip; lots of birds and fun people! We are already taking reservations for our next Cuba Bird Study and Tanzania Safari. AG

Happy Holidays and Time to Schedule a Trip!

I hope you all have a happy holiday and will take some time to consider taking a trip with me or one of our talented leaders; either a day trip somewhere not too far or perhaps something a bit more adventurous. Having a trip on the calendar will help you to get through the winter.

I will be leaving in a couple of weeks to enjoy the bottom land cypress and tupelo forests of the White River in Arkansas. I still have a couple of spots left!

Recently, I enjoyed a visit with an American Bittern. Enjoy the image!

Happy Holidays! AG

Snowy Owl Image by Gary Melnysyn

Trips in the Works
With the holiday season fast approaching, it also brings the arrival of our very busy travel schedule with trips departing in the next few months for alluring places like the bottomlands of Arkansas, the jungles of Jamaica, home of the Bee Hummingbird on the island of Cuba, and "The Number One Natural History Destination," the Galapagos Islands. We have enjoyed such great response for both Cuba and Galapagos, that we have added second departures! There still is space on both so give us a call. Hope you will be able to join us. I will be leading the Arkansas trip in January and the first of the two Cuba departures in March.

The Christmas Bird Count season is here, too! Connecticut in just the last week has been host to some great birds including Northern Shrike and Snowy Owl, so hopefully this is an indication of an interesting season ahead.

I have been working all day on the information packages that will go out to the Jamaica travelers, pouring over great info on birds, island history, rastafarians, and the local language of "patua." I had the fortune to travel to Jamaica a number of times back in the '80s and '90s and see most of its 28 endemic bird species including their national bird, the Red-billed Streamertail. Back then, an ex-pat British woman named Lisa Salmon ("The Bird Lady of Anchovy") lived up above Montego Bay and hosted tourists at her sanctuary to see the birds.

Lisa had trained the local hummingbirds to land on visitors' fingers while being fed sugar water from a bottle. It was really quite exciting with not just the streamertails but also the very large, all purple, Jamaican Mango; another spectacular hummingbird!

AG

Anhinga (Florida) - Andrew Griswold

Interesting Time of Year
With the migration all but over and summer on the doorstep, this can sometimes be a quiet time for New England birders, but in the last week there have been some truly "fun" sightings in our areas. The Anhinga that made a showing in Hamden over the weekend was nice to finally record for the state as the first that was not one flying-by far overhead. My 13 year old son seemed to enjoy the chase! And the Magnificent Frigatebird seen out at Block Island must have energized a few observers!
Get-out and find those rarities!

Magnificent Frigatebird - Laura Taylor

Prothonotary Warbler explodes from the creekside pines

Getting Out
Been out a good amount lately and seeing some fine birds during this migration season. I recently returned from an all-men birding weekend on the Delmarva Peninsula. Birds were outstanding with over 20 Blue Grosbeak, four YB Chat, 15 Prothonotary Warbler, and an outstanding view of Kentucky Warbler. Just six hours to our south, this area is a treasure chest, year round, with places like Bombay Hook, Chincoteague, and Milburn Landing. We wiggled our way back home along Maryland's Eastern Shore, through the lovely towns of Oxford and Saint Michael's. I think, the only meal I did not eat crab was at breakfast.

There is still time to get out to enjoy the morning chorus of bird song and the beautiful gems of the migration. Give me a call if you would like to join me! AG

Blue Grosbeak gives a "High Four"

A Kentucky Warbler creeps through the understory
Image by Jim Sherwonit

As past travelers to Block Island, some of you may have had the pleasure of meeting Elise Lapham, the "Bird Lady of Block Island." We will miss her. CLICK HERE: Elise Smith Lapham passes at 99 - - Block Island Times - News, Classifieds, Events and Business in Block Island, RI

Fork-tailed Flycatcher - Dario Sanchez
Northern Lapwing - Noorden Bos
Wow! It's About Time! I know that I keep promising to do better on the blog. I just cannot do it with regularity. Maybe if I don't try to have prophetic submissions then I could write more often. We will see. November was an outstanding month in Connecticut for unusual birds; Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Rufous Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, and Northern Lapwing. Outstanding! I had the chance and luck to see all five and laughed with Noble Proctor at the Old Lyme/Old Saybrook Christmas Count about what a month it had been and how we could not remember another November, or any month, quiet as special! I hope you were able to get out and see at least some of these not-so-common birds for Connecticut. Since November, I have been working hard on a number of custom tours including one for Maureen C. and her husband to Galapagos and Machu Picchu. They had a great time and returned with many outstanding photos and memories. We have added a number of new tours to the CAS EcoTravel list and this has been taking much time to workout the logistics. I recently returned from another sucessfull trip to Arkansas and will tell you more in my next post. Let me know if you are reading my blog. I suspect any followers may have given-up. Cheers, AG

Image of Great Shearwater by Patrick Coin

Block Island - Always Something New!
Each year, as I gear-up getting ready for the annual Block Island weekend, I wonder what will make it stand-out from the 20 other times I have been out there in early October in search of birds. Well, this year did not disappoint with the passing of a tropical low just off shore producing our first-ever sightings of Cory's and Great Shearwater and a few ocean swells over ten feet. It was a rough ride for travellers but for some worth the pain. A few shearwaters came in close to the boat, as the spray raced down the sides at over 40mph, drenching those who were not protected behind the cabin.

You know what the difference is between a Sailor and an Old Salt?

The Old Salt puts his rain gear on before he gets wet!

Cheers, AG

Image of Cory's Shearwater by Tom Allmendinger

Image copyright Mark Jankura

Swallow Video
We are nearing the end of the swallow season. Call Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel now if you want to see the event here in Connecticut.

Take a look at this swallow video link. Outstanding!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFpKvUIrU5U&feature=related

This is the roost that we will be visiting in late November just north of New Orleans, so if you want to join us, be in touch.

800-996-8747

Image by Jim Denham - Sunrise at Fish Tails

At the Edge of the Shelf
I had the opportunity over the weekend to join some old friends for a trip out the edge of the continental shelf, about 80 miles south of Block Island. We birded an area known as the Fish Tails and a bit further south into 81 degree waters. These warm waters and areas where the waters meet the cooler waters of the north are great places to find seabirds as they search upwellings associated with Gulf Stream eddies for food. We were truly lucky to find Black-capped Petrel (the third record for Rhode Island) and Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, a new record for Rhode Island.
If off-shore trips are of interest to you, let me know and we can try to put one together for Connecticut Audubon or I can hook you up with some already scheduled boats.
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel copyright Frank Mantlik

Long-tailed Jaeger copyright Carlos Pedro

Image by Mark Jankura

The Heart of Swallow Season

We are right in the heart of swallow season with the bird numbers building each night. If you have never seen this amazing display of bird behavior, you really must make it a point to join us soon. Each fall, as much as half-a-million birds congregate at dusk on a communal roust site, preforming an outstanding aerial ballet before settling down for the night.

At EcoTravel, we will be running our boats into the first week of October and now have very limited space. Call now! 1-800-996-8747.

Bird Species Splits
If you have not heard already, Winter Wren and Whip-poor-will have each been split! Winter Wren remains such on the East Coast and has become Pacific Wren in its western range. Whip-poor-will has become Eastern Whip-poor-will in the east and Mexican Whip-poor-will in its western range.

Some details can be found at http://www.sibleyguides.com/

Congratulations to those of you who have added a new species or two to your life lists!

Cheers, AG

(Winter Wren image by Paul Stein)

Up The Creek

It seems that recently I have been spending quite a bit of time up Selden Creek, a lovely side-water of the Connecticut River. A friend of mine Louise M. took this photo as we cruised along what I like to call "The Poor Man's Amazon" due to its similarity to the canals that you run in boats when in the Amazon or places like the Tortuguero in Costa Rica.

At EcoTravel, we are just about to jump into the heart of our swallow season. If you have not joined us in the past (or want to see it again - as many do!) give us a call so you can be amazed by the 500,000 Tree Swallows and their aeriel ballet as they come into roost each night during the month of September. Famous ornithologist, Roger Tory Peterson thought this to be one of the best displays of bird behavior he had ever seen. Don't miss this!

King Rail x Clapper Rail

A friend recently sent me a couple of photos of what he told me was a Clapper Rail at Hammonasset Beach State Park. I took a look and immediately thought this bird looked like a good candidate for a hybrid of King and Clapper, a phenomenon that is not all that uncommon, at least in some places. This hybridization has been well documented and is generally thought to occur where salinity readings average 5,670ppm; Kings preferring lower salinity and Clapper higher.

I sent the pictures to a couple of expert friends and they concur that this is indeed a hybrid bird exhibiting a characteristic mottled appearance. Interesting! AG

Early Calling Katydids

Each year in the first few days of August, southeastern Connecticut can expect to hear the first katydids of the year calling, a sign of summer being well on its way and a symphony for those who enjoy the sounds of nature.

Interestingly, last night I hear katydids calling in three or four locations about four miles north of Long Island Sound. This is about 11 or 12 days earlier than I have heard them. Amazing! I suspect that the timing of our "heat wave" has something to do with it.

Have any of your noticed this early calling? What dates in the past and this year have you noticed the start of their nightly chorus? Another indicator or global warming?

AG

More With Comparisons

Here is one of my favorite photos comparing Canada Goose and Cackling Goose. It makes you wonder how you could ever mistake one for the other. Also, check-out the Mallards in the background for a size comparison. I remember when taking the photo that a woman walking nearby said, "Oh...look at the baby goose!" Totally understandable.