Tag Archives: Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Here’s the grebe

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Horned Grebe swims in Long Island Sound off the coast of Darien, Conn., Jan. 2015.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Horned Grebe swims in Long Island Sound off the coast of Darien, Conn., Jan. 2015.

I mentioned in my last post about seeing a Horned Grebe on my quick trip to the beach the other day. Here’s a photo of the grebe I saw the other day in Long Island Sound from Weed Beach in Darien, Conn. Zoom in and check out its really cool red eye.

There are seven types of grebes in the U.S. and four are regularly seen in New England, although mostly only in the winter in their nonbreeding plumage _ so don’t expect to see a red neck on the Red-necked Grebe. The Pied-billed Grebe is the one most commonly seen in New England, while the Red-necked, Horned and Eared Grebes make occasional visits. The others _ Least, Western and Clark’s _ are not likely to be found in New England, but that doesn’t mean they never show up here.

The grebes we see here in the winter are in their much duller nonbreeding plumage, which can make identification tricky. Loons are another water bird that look much more dull in the winter. Loons are larger and stockier than grebes _ at least the grebes we see in New England.

I like talking about grebes because I get to say the word “grebe” over and over. It’s just one of those words that’s fun say out loud. Anyway, happy birding out there.

In full-hearted agreement

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Screen shot 2014-11-10 at 2.28.37 PM

The most recent newsletter of the Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary — a great spot not too far from my house — is not written by Dave Winston as it usually it, but rather a tribute to Dave and the hard work he does for the Sanctuary. Dave, along with many others, was instrumental in creating the Sanctuary in the first place and continues to maintain and nurture the grounds. I agree that a tribute was in order (not that anyone needed my approval), so here’s the link to the newsletter. Good job and thanks Dave.

Here’s the link.

Nice young buck

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Photo by Chris Bosak A young White-tailed Deer in Stamford, Oct. 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A young White-tailed Deer in Stamford, Oct. 2014.

I was looking for birds, of course, but this young buck (literally) was just off the trail and seemingly unfazed by my presence, so I grabbed a few shots of him. You never know what you’ll see out there. I found this guy at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary.

Feel free to share your bird and other wildlife sightings and/or photos. Send them to bozclark@earthlink.net

Yellow-headed Blackbird in Stamford, CT

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Yellow-headed Blackbird perches in a tree at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary in April 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Yellow-headed Blackbird perches in a tree at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary in April 2014.

By now you may have heard about a Yellow-headed Blackbird that has been hanging around Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Stamford, Conn. If not, don’t worry. I was a little late to the game, too.

But on Sunday morning I took a trip over there to see if the bird was still around. A birder from Rowayton was already there looking at the bird, which was at the main feeding station within the sanctuary. It remained only a few seconds before taking off to the top of a nearby tree. It returned after a few minutes and fed on the ground under the feeders for several minutes.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are rare sightings in New England. They are western and Midwestern birds. I love my New England Red-winged Blackbirds, but Yellow-headed Blackbirds are even more colorful and much larger. Having never seen on in New England before, I was very impressed with the bird’s color, size, yellow rump patch and white wing patches.

David Winston arrived and said the bird had been there for several days and it frequented the feeding station. Suddenly the birds all darted off into the woods and other safe areas. While the bird was elsewhere temporarily, David Winston took the opportunity to make sure the feeders were filled and the ground underneath had plenty to offer. David is tireless in his efforts to promote and maintain the sanctuary.

Photo by Chris Bosak David Winston fills the feeders at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary this weekend, hoping to keep a rare Yellow-headed Blackbird in the area.

Photo by Chris Bosak
David Winston fills the feeders at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary this weekend, hoping to keep a rare Yellow-headed Blackbird in the area.

See more photos of the bird (taken by David Winston) by clicking here.

David spotted a Cooper’s Hawk in a somewhat distant tree, hence the apprehension for the feeder birds to stay at the feeder. Eventually the hawk flew off and the blackbirds came back. By now a few more birders had arrived and the star of the show returned.

In the field guide “Birds of North America” Kenn Kaufman mentions something about the Yellow-headed Blackbird’s “awful attempts to sing.” I can now vouch for that as the Stamford bird vocalized several times while I was there.

I returned very briefly this afternoon (April 28, 2014), but did not see the bird. Truthfully, I didn’t look that hard today. Time was short. Hopefully it’s still around and many other birders will be able to see it.

Another great rarity spotted at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary.

Photo by Chris Bosak A Yellow-headed Blackbird eats seeds under a feeder station at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary in April 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Yellow-headed Blackbird eats seeds under a feeder station at Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary in April 2014.