Help from Beardsley Zoo's Conservation Discovery Corps

It has been a hectic couple of weeks since Hurricane Irene paid Connecticut a visit, but in the week before we had a visit from the Beardsley Zoo's Conservation Discovery Corps. The teenagers in the program spend their summer working and learning at the zoo, dealing with the public and visitors, helping the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection band shorebirds, removing invasive plants, and more. They came down to Stratford Point to help me find and identify insects and birds as we add to our site list and continually work on our coastal management plans.

It did not take us long to grab some nets and head out into the field on what was a gorgeous August day. The only problem was - initially, at least - the strong Stratford Point winds. We were having a very difficult time catching dragonflies and damselflies as more and more popped up around us. We identified a lot of butterfly species and caught some to get a better look at, from Black Swallowtails to Clouded and Orange Sulphurs and of course Monarchs.

Eventually, though, they really got the hang of their nets and started snagging dragonflies quickly. Below is the first catch, a Common Green Darner.

As their name portrays they are indeed common throughout Connecticut and abundant at Stratford Point. Twan and I have seen hundreds at a time on some days in the past month. We were able to identify nearly everything we caught in the field, even sometimes confusing juveniles and females like the Twelve-spotted Skimmer one of them had captured in the photo below.

We kept looking for birds as we recorded a couple dozen Bobolink, saw a few shorebird species, separated the egrets and terns, and picked out Tree, Bank, and Barn Swallows. It is a bit late, but I want to thank all of them for coming out to Stratford Point and helping us with our nonstop survey work!

Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Photos © Scott Kruitbosch

CAS Annual Meeting 2011

Please join us on Thursday, September 15 from 7-9 pm for Connecticut Audubon Society’s 113th Annual Meeting, which will take place at The Pequot Library, located at 720 Pequot Avenue in Southport, Connecticut. Light refreshments will be provided.

Phil Donahue, media personality, writer, film producer, and creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show, will serve as our Keynote Speaker. Immediately following Mr. Donahue’s presentation, we will conduct our Annual Meeting.

Please RSVP by calling Irene Kiszkurno at 203-259-6305 ext. 106 or email her at ikiszkurno@ctaudubon.org.

Hope to see you there.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Irene birds #3 - Red-necked Phalarope, Black Tern, Clapper Rail

Here are a few more photos of Irene occurrences from the morning of the storm courtesy of Frank Mantlik. The most impressive photo is that of a group of approximately 52 Red-necked Phalaropes grounded by Irene. He spotted them flying around Great Meadows Marsh as seen from Oak Bluff Avenue in Stratford.

Also seen from Oak Bluff were these two of 15 Clapper Rails swimming for their lives in the rising waters in the marsh. Many birds like these were reported to have drowned in some areas where they could not escape, though I do not know of anyone who found any number of deceased birds here in our state, fortunately.

This Black Tern was one of four flying around Frash Pond off Access Road in Stratford. Black Terns are normally seen here at this time of year, though rarely, and they were seen all across Connecticut during Irene in higher than usual numbers.

Thanks again to Frank for his fantastic storm bird finds and photography.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician


Photos © Frank Mantlik

Irene birds #2 - Sooty Terns

The Sooty Tern was the defining bird of Hurricane then Tropical Storm Irene. They are frequently carried north by tropical cyclones. Other even more rare species may have been the headline, but the spread of the Sooty Tern was magnificent. Check out this eBird map of reported sightings from during and shortly after the storm.

Our friend Charlie Barnard found a group of probably 8 Sooty Terns Sunday morning as Irene was right on top of us. They were with Black, Forster's, Common Tern and more at the Washington Bridge that connects Stratford and Milford on the Housatonic River. Several others were able to make it there as the Sooty Terns literally flew feet over our heads, battling the ferocious wind and turbulent river. It was spectacular, though the photography conditions were as atrocious as could be. Frank Mantlik somehow took these great photos.

 

When it was not raining too hard and I was not staring in shock, I shot the following very rough HD video. It gives you a sense of what we and the birds were dealing with.






Sooty Terns - Hurricane Irene from Connecticut Audubon Society.


You can see several Sooty Tern flying about, sometimes way too close to me to focus on, especially when I was being blown over. Also note two Sooty Tern perching on a piece of floating debris in the river, something they are noted to do only rarely in many publications. One has to think that rule applies to more calm conditions and these birds needed a momentary break. As conditions eased a bit, as can be seen at the end of the video, they moved south down the river as fast as they could.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician


Photos © Frank Mantlik; video © Scott Kruitbosch

Dickcissel at H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve and Christmas Tree Farm

Below is a contributed photo from A.J. Hand who spotted this Dickcissel at Connecticut Audubon Society's H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve and Christmas Tree Farm.

 
You may be able to find it again in the Christmas Tree Farm portion of the preserve on Sasco Creek Road in Westport. There are also many migrant Bobolinks stopping over across the street in the long grasses of our field habitat. The Christmas Tree Farm is known to be an excellent fall and winter birding site with many rarities seen over the years. Help us add to that list and submit your sightings and photos to us. Our thanks to A.J. for the find and the photo.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician


Photo ©  A.J. Hand

Lark Sparrow - Stratford Point

Twan and I came upon a lone sparrow in the driveway in front of us while walking back from the perimeter of Stratford Point today. I knew it was something odd looking at it naked eye, and when I raised my bins I knew we had a Lark Sparrow. Twan had seen a strange sparrow with the House Sparrows earlier in the morning but hadn't gotten a look at it as he ran to see the Brown Pelican. He took these fantastic photos of the Lark Sparrow.

In between these sightings I had yet another Sooty Tern come down the Housatonic and head west over Stratford Point as fast as it could. Unbelievable! The Lark Sparrow may be the exception to the Irene rule but it is surprising to still see a species like Sooty Tern five days after she made landfall. One would have to guess it was coming to the coast from a far inland area, perhaps another state to our north. And one would guess we are far from done.


Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician

Photos ©  Twan Leenders

Irene birds #1 - Gull-billed Tern, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet

We are here! The blog has been quiet as Irene took over our lives, from tracking the storm, finding birds, and taking care of power and internet problems. We will have much more to come on it and the amazingly spectacular birds it left, but for now, check out these mega Milford Point rarities at our Coastal Center:

 

Gull-billed Tern in the center discovered a few hours ago by Tina Green. I was with her when she initially found it. She and I discussed it, examined it, walked out to re-find it and get a better look on the bar. I snapped this shot through a scope with my BlackBerry, the only we have as of now. What a find by her yet again!

And this beauty, what more needs to be said - Nick Bonomo found it early Monday morning at the Coastal Center. You really need to check it out yourself, that poor shot does not do the Black-necked Stilt justice.

Mike Warner first reported this American Avocet today. At one point you could see them both this and the Black-necked Stilt in the same view. It may not be quite as good as the White-tailed Kite and Brown Pelican pairing, but it was close! We also had Baird's Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, "western" Willet and more just today.

UPDATE! STUNNING!
Not five minutes after I wrote this blog entry and mentioned the Brown Pelican above this did I get a call that a Brown Pelican was spotted at Milford Point! Those four birds are possibly as good as any four species in one place in one day in Connecticut could ever be. Here are a couple poor record shots from my BlackBerry/scope once again. The first is on a bar in the middle of the mouth of the Housatonic and the second is near sunset with the pelican off Stratford Point.

This is only a taste of the most incredible week of Connecticut birds...perhaps ever! More to come in the next few days when we are not in the field or on post-storm work.

Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician