Trip Highlights

Five members set out to explore the sanctuary trails on a cool, cloudy morning, with air fresh as could be and ears alert.  We walked just over a mile and enjoyed the songs and calls of 40 species in all.  Highlights included a very close Pileated Woodpecker working away at a stump near the parking area, hearing the song of the Louisiana Waterthrush, and getting a Blackpoll Warbler (FOY for some).  Click below to view complete species list.

The morning was very hot, and incredibly humid in the woods.  There were 6 of us on the walk.  The most striking thing was how incredibly loud the birds were, especially the catbirds, redstarts, and yellow warblers.  A couple of highlights were hearing the Willow Flycatcher and spotting a Solitary Sandpiper.  We found 29 species in all. Click below to view species list.

We were serenaded by Wood Thrush, Peewees, Ovenbirds, Redstarts and Red-eyed Vireos the whole trip.  We did pretty good with warblers, seeing 2 Tennessees, a Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue and Green and of course the Cerulean.  We heard 2 Worm-eating Warblers but did not see them, and also heard a Nashville. The top of the mountain brought us Indigo Buntings, Great Crested Flycatchers, Turkey Vultures with a Black Vulture thrown in, as well as flybys of a Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk and Double-crested Cormorant.  On the way out, a couple of us stopped to check out the eagle nest at the bottom of the hill.  We managed to get a photo of an adult eagle and a large eaglet with heads well above the rim of the nest. Click below to view complete trip list.

Eight members birded Bark Haul Trail and a short distance left, beyond the “T.”  The weather was overcast and in the 50’s, and we ended early when light sprinkles became rain.  Click below to view complete trip list.

Four members birded for 3 hours and gathered a total of 37 species along the CT River.  After a visit to the fish ladder, we headed up River Road and that’s where the Peregrine and the warblers were found.  Click below to view complete species list.