Photo by Chris Bosak
Fall colors abound at a cemetery in Darien, CT, Nov. 2013.
Why we love New England …
With today’s gray, cold weather, I figured I’d lighten up things with a photo I took a mere few weeks ago when the New England landscape was alive with its famous autumn color. Now the trees are bare and the grass is brown. Things change fast in New England. That’s why we love it so much.
Send me your bird and wildlife photos and I’ll put them on my “reader submitted” page.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Great Blue Heron rests along the shoreline as Mallards eat in the water at a cemetery in Darien, CT, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013.
I checked out a pond at a local cemetery this morning on my way to work and was pleasantly surprised to see a Great Blue Heron along the shoreline. Sure, Great Blue Herons are not rare and I’ve seen plenty of them in my lifetime, but it’s one of those birds I always enjoy seeing.
I grabbed the camera to capture the moment and, just then, a group of mallards worked their way into the shot. Mallards, of course, are not uncommon either — quite the opposite — but the convergence of the species made for an interesting photograph.
A pair of Red-tailed Hawks, an American Robin, a few Song Sparrows and dozens of Canada Geese were the only other species around on this morning.
Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.
A quick walk at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien this morning yielded a few surprises, such as a Hermit Thrush, a few kinglets and this very vocal Eastern Towhee.
A Blue Jay mimicked a Red-shouldered Hawk and plenty of American Robins ate berries along the trail. White-throated Sparrows were in abundance, too.
Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.
This particular towhee was very vocal, which is how I found it in the first place. It didn’t sing its “drink your tea” song, of course, but gave itself up by constantly uttering its “chwink” or “tow-hee” call over and over.
Let me know what you’re seeing out there at bozclark@earthlink.net. Also submit a photo for my “reader submitted” photo page.
Photo by Chris Bosak
An Eastern Towhee at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods in Darien, Nov. 2013.
Snapping turtle
The birding was fairly slow on a quick walk I took this morning at a cemetery in Darien, CT.
Canada geese filled the pond. No wood ducks or hooded mergansers, which may also be found there on occasion. Lots of starlings and a few robins, but otherwise pretty scarce in terms of birds.
But the walk was made when I turned a corner to see a big, dark lump along the side of one of the roads that wind around the cemetery. The lump was moving and turned out to be a snapping turtle. I was surprised to see one this late in the year (Nov. 18.) Then again, late sightings are becoming less surprising.
I wish I had my boys with me for this walk. They have recently discovered “Call of the Wildman” on Animal Planet and love the “Turtle Man’s” antics. Wildman often catches and relocates snapping turtles so the boys would have loved this sighting — not they would have tried to catch it. Check out the claws on this turtle. No wonder they are such great diggers.
Turtles know where they are going and this snapper was safely off to the side of the road within the confines of the cemetery, so I didn’t interfere either.
This should be a great tool for birdwatchers planning a trip to Connecticut.
Green Heron in southern Connecticut, November 2013.
Welcome to the new http://www.birdsofnewengland.com. It will be similar to the former website with lots of bird photos and stories from my travels around New England. It will have a different look, however, and new features, such as a video page and “reader submitted” photos page. Feel free to submit photos you have taken of birds or other wildlife in New England (or beyond.)
So let’s just jump right into the first post.
November has been a great month for birdwatching so far, at least from my perspective in southern New England. On the first Sunday in November, I spotted a Green Heron at Selleck’s/Dunlap Woods, a Darien Land Trust property. I’ve seen plenty of Green Herons at this property before, but never in November _ or even October or late September for that matter. It was interesting to see the crow-sized wader surrounded by fall foliage.
Green Heron in Southern Connecticut, November 2013.
The Green Heron sighting followed an hour-long stretch whereby I sat in a dried-out swampy area and watched as Golden-crowned Kinglets, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers hopped along the ground among the weeds and grasses looking for seeds. Previous highlights that weekend included an Eastern Towhee, Brown Creeper and Winter Wrens.
Thanks for checking out the new http://www.BirdsofNewEngland.com. Check back often for updates and new stories and photos. Remember to send in your photos and I’ll add them to the “reader submitted” page. Send the photos or other suggestions to bozclark@earthlink.net
Birds of New England.com 