 This
White-Winged Crossbill,
a rarity in the state, had dozens of birders from all over
Connecticut flocking to Sherwood Island in January 2006. He, a
first year male, spent the winter feeding on the cones high in
the spruce tree near the entrance to the park.
Jan-06 |
 Willow Flycatcher can
be inconspicuous but if you learn its song, a buzzy
emphatic Fitz Bew, you should be able to find it.
Look in the area of the two little ponds by the old
Nature Center at the West end of the park, or in the
wooded areas bounding the creeks and marsh at the
East end. It will normally perch high in the trees,
darting out periodically catch an insect. Jun20-03
|
 The
Horned Lark is a rather unimpressive bird
from a distance, easily
mistaken for a sparrow, except that it walks instead
of hopping. Upon
close inspection its interesting black and yellow
facial details become more obvious. It is a winter
resident in the park, normally found feeding on
snow-free patches of ground near the beach, sometimes
in the company of Snow Buntings and American Pipits.
Its "horns" are actually black feather tufts
that form just above the yellow eyebrow. The horn
feathers on this particular bird are just beginning to
form and can be seen as the black spot above the rear
end of the yellow brow. Even when fully formed, these
feathers are often folded down and not visible
as
horns. 12/03 |
 The
winter of '03 was a particularly good year for Red-Breasted Nuthatch
in the park. "RB Nuts" are an
"irruptive" species, one that can be
difficult to find in here in Southern New England most
winters, but relatively common in others. Generally
they spend much of their time feeding on cones high in
evergreens, or picking over the bark of other trees
looking for insects. I was lucky to find this
one probing through
pine cones that had fallen to the ground near the
entrance to the park. The evergreen groves there are
their favorite spot when they do make an appearance at
Sherwood. Dec22-03 |
 Marsh Wrens are fairly
common in the park, but you have to go where they
are to find them. Where would that be? In the marshes,
of course. The marsh at the west end of the park is
most productive. Go on a low tide during spring and
early summer and enter the marsh next to the
viewing platform. Turn right and walk north. Within a
few minutes you should hear one singing its unusual
mechanical gurgling song from the phragmites reeds
along the edge of the marsh. This painful looking pose
is actually common behavior. From this position they
can glide up and down the reeds like little elevators.
Jun26-03
|
|
 Ruby
Crowned Kinglet.
Fall 2002 was
exceptional for large numbers of Ruby Crowned
Kinglets in the park. While common, this is a
difficult bird to
photograph. David Sibley describes kinglets as
"absurdly active" and that might be
something of an understatement. They rarely sit
still long enough to frame and focus, and when the
do, they are usually obscured by twigs and leaves.
Oct20-02 |
 Ruby
Crowned Kinglet. Fall
2005 saw a large number of
Ruby Crowns on the berm between the big parking lot and the
beach. For some reason, almost all of them were displaying their
ruby crowns. Ordinarily they rarely show off like this unless
agitated or trying to attract mates. |
|
 The
Golden Crowned Kinglet is a common spring and fall
migrant in the park. The best place to look for
these is in the evergreens to the right of
the entrance gate. Normally both the male and female
show a narrow strip of color down the
center of the crown, yellow for her, orange for him.
But if the male is agitated, he will display a broad
center patch of orange, bordered by
yellow on both sides, and stretching across the
entire width of the head. Oct31-02 |
 Brown Thrasher. There have been, as best I can
tell, three nesting pairs of Brown
Thrashers in the park the past few years. This is
one of the pair that nests within 100 feet of the
Nature Center. There is another pair in the woods
north of there, and a third out near the East end of
the park. Jun5-03
|
 Yellow Warbler is
quite common on Sherwood Island. It favors brushy
wooded edges near water. The two-pond area by the
Nature Center, and the trail that leads from there
to the viewing platform are the best places to look
for it. The song, a very quick Sweet, Sweet, Sweeter-than-Sweet, should help you find it.
Jun26-03
|
 Yellow breasted chat from the brushy area near the
two little
ponds behind the Nature Center. This is a very
difficult bird to find,
but it shows up in that area a few times a year and
may breed there. Jun1-01 |
|
 This leucistic
American Robin appeared just after Christmas 2006 at Sherwood Island, along
with a flock of "normal" robins. Leucism, roughly defined, means
a condition of partial albinism. The result is --most commonly
-- patches of plumage which have pigmentation, and are thus
white. The condition is fairly rare, but I see an example of it
every two years or so. Dec-06 |
 Eastern
Phoebe. After a cold snap
in early November, immobilized insects on the ground became easy
pickings for this Eastern Phoebe. Nov-06 |
 The
Vesper
Sparrow is uncommon in most of its range,
and declining in the east. But a few usually show up at Sherwood Island during
migration. Probably the best place to look for one
is around the snow-fenced dune area running parallel
to the beach at the west end of the
park. Richard Soffer and I have seen
them there two years running. Look for a sparrow
with a bright, bold eye ring and white outer tail
feathers, visible when the bird flies. Vespers feed
on the ground, but often fly up to a fairly low
perch like this snow fence when startled. Nov25-02
|
 Lincoln's Sparrow,
while not exactly rare,
is quite uncommon
in the park. This one was photographed in mid
September 2003, a very early fall sighting for this
species. Though quite similar to the abundant Song
Sparrow, The Lincoln's is smaller, has a buffy breast,
and fine, crisp streaking. The crest is raised here,
an agitated reaction to my close approach.
Sep14-03 |
 I could not believe this
Savannah Sparrow thought
it would be a good idea to perch on a thorn-studded
datura seedpod. Maybe he had been eating some of the
seeds. They don't call it loco weed for nothing.
Oct11-03 |
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White-crowned
Sparrows. Most people think all sparrows look alike,
dismissing them as LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs). But the
more you study them, the more you will see the obvious
differences among species, and the better you will
like them. There will even come a time when you
actually look forward to their fall arrival in the
park. One of the "best" is the White-crowned
Sparrow. Here are two of them photographed in mid
October of '03. At left is the adult, with its showy
black and white crown. The other is the much more
common immature. A good place to look for these birds
is the dirt pile near the big tree to the left of the
model airplane field. Oct13-03
|
|
 This male Belted
Kingfisher frequents the creek running
through the eastern end of the park, and I've been
working on his portrait nearly every day for three
weeks. He's fairly unwary, for a kingfisher, but
still difficult to capture on film. Too bad he's not
a female. Unlike most birds, the female kingfisher,
with her striking rusty belt, is more brightly
colored than the male. Jan16-03
|
 Finally
got a chance to capture a female Belted
Kingfisher. This one has been hanging out in the creek between Burial Hill
Beach and the east end of Sherwood. Most mornings she is sitting
on the osprey platform in the marsh to the right as you drive
into Burial Hill. Nov-06
See her
flapping herself dry after an unsuccessful dive into the
water for a minnow. |
|
 Northern Flicker.
Flickers are most common in the grassy areas toward
the Eastern end of the park. Unlike other
woodpeckers, they like to feed on the ground. This
one lacks a black mustache, so it's a female.
Apr2-02
|
 Before its name was changed to
Northern
Flicker, this
bird used to be known as the Yellow-Shafted Flicker.
This rear view clearly shows why. This bird also
clearly shows the prominent black mustache, which
identifies it as a male. Jul21-03 |
|
 How is it that the
Monk Parakeet, a bird
whose native habitat is
equatorial South America, has become so much at home
in the State of Connecticut? Well, these birds may
come from the tropics, but their habitat there is high
in the mountains, so they are accustomed to a certain
amount of cold. They are also clever enough to stay
near the coast where our climate is mildest, and
adaptable enough to eat just
about anything, including these bittersweet berries
high in a Sherwood Island maple tree. Dec1-03 |
 Green
Pheasant. Every now and then a few
Japanese Green Pheasants are released in the park.
This bird is considered a subspecies of the
Ring-Necked Pheasant by some experts,, while others
consider it a separate species. Either way,
it's a striking bird. Look for it near the viewing
platform, or anywhere along the paths that run
through the brushy growth to both sides of the
platform. He's often in the company of two females,
one very dark (probably a Green Pheasant), the other
quite light, and probably a ringneck. Mar13-03 |
 Wild
turkey. Wild turkeys seem to be more common in the
park this spring.
This was one of four I
found feeding at the far eastern end of the park in
early April. Apr-03 |
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