Salt Meadow Birding

What is certainly notable in this post is that my intent to highlight Connecticut's Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge Salt Meadow Unit did not pan out as I had hoped.

The Glossy Ibis above (image 1) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

This presentation in part offers a chased after White-face Ibis from Hammonasset Beach State Park in April which was of course reported as a rare bird for its location and resulted in a life bird for me. This species can reliably be seen along the Texas Gulf Coast with it personally sought after unsuccessfully in the Florida Panhandle in past years. The WFIB lingered in the immediate area for weeks.

The White-faced Ibis above (image 2) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Brant above (image 3) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

Several birding trips were made to offer fodder for your reading interest. It was much fun watching the Brant in the heavy surf as seen in the image above. The tides at Hammonasset Beach State Park have been significantly different on all of my visits to this magnificent wildlife venue.

The Sanderling above (image 4) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Glossy Ibis above (image 5) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 6) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Bobcat above (image 7) was photographed at Casa Almeida in April 2018.

The Bobcat above at a private residence in Killingworth was remarkable to see. Only outdone by a Red Fox that was observed carrying off an Eastern Gray Squirrel from the bird sanctuary.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet above (image 8) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet above (image 9) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Northern Cardinal above (image 10) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet above (image 11) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet offered great photo opportunity and interest at Hammonasset Beach State Park. It slightly compares to the Golden-crowned Warbler reported in the American Birding Association blog as an extremely rare bird seen of late in Colorado, not to mention the ABA area itself.

The Chipping Sparrow above (image 12) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 13) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Purple Martin above (image 14) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Osprey above (image 15) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Snowy Egret above (image 16) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Light at Falkner Island above (image 17) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Greater Scaup above (image 18) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Killdeer above (image 19) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Northern Harrier above (image 20) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Tree Swallow above (image 21) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet above (image 22) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

Bird species like Yellow-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglet among warblers are most likely seen at Hammonasset at their appropriate migration periods.

The Greater Yellowlegs above (image 23) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Surf Scoter above (image 24) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 25) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The American Black Duck above (image 26) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

There was enjoyable interest in a band on one of the American Black Duck that lingered at the park at the time of my April visit. I was able to determine that the band was translucent which makes it especially unusual.

The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 27) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in April 2018.

The Chipping Sparrow above (image 28) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The mainly scenic images offered from the Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit were made with my phone. Bird activity was much more abundant on my first visit to the refuge.

The Eastern Towhee above (image 29) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The scene above (image 30) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The scene above (image 31) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The scene above (image 32) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The scene above (image 33) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The trails at the Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit should not be missed. It was interesting to meet a hiker from Westbrook outside of the venue that noted Chatfield Hollow Sate Park as preferred hiking grounds while unaware the sweet place in her relative backyard.

The scene above (image 34) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The scene above (image 35) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The scene above (image 36) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

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The scene above (image 37) was photographed at Stewart B. McKinney NWR Salt Meadow Unit in April 2018.

The bonus image immediately below is of a Red-bellied Woodpecker that struck a window of the house on Christmas Eve. It was stunned, but survived.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker above (image 38) was photographed at Casa Almeida in December 2017.

Two Winter Specialties At Stratford Point

Stratford Point just off I-95 above the Long Island Sound became host to a Short-eared Owl on 2 January according to
eBird data.

The American Black Duck above (image 1) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

I closely followed reports of the Short-eared Owl on eBird as I had not observed the species in the wild before. As the owl was seen with regularity I began to study weather forecasts to find a day with minimal wind which was 10 January.

The Greater Scaup above (image 2) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The American Tree Sparrow above (image 3) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Song Sparrow above (image 4) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Common Loon with prey above (image 5) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Short-eared Owl above (image 6) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

One of the first species seen upon my sunrise arrival that morning was American Tree Sparrow which was a life bird for me. The Short-eared Owl was observed flying from the Stratford Light about an hour after sunrise.

The Short-eared Owl above (image 7) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Short-eared Owl above (image 8) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Short-eared Owl above (image 9) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Short-eared Owl above (image 10) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Short-eared Owl above (image 11) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Short-eared Owl was more active in the morning than in the afternoon while favoring a branch of a tree adjacent to the Stratford Light when perched. A fellow birder informed me that the owl was feeding on Voles.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 12) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The American Black Duck above (image 13) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Common Goldeneye above (image 14) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 15) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Herring Gull above (image 16) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

In addition to the excitement of the Short-eared Owl there was another species of bird attracting attention as a rare bird for this time of year and location. A Grasshopper Sparrow had been reported in preceding days.

The Brant above (image 17) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Bufflehead above (image 18) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The European Starling above (image 19) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Brant above (image 20) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Bufflehead above (image 21) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Grasshopper Sparrow should be overwintering in the southern United States or in Central America. There were many birders at Stratford Point looking for the sparrow throughout the morning, but were unsuccessful in finding it.

The Common Goldeneye above (image 22) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 23) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Mute Swan above (image 24) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Great Black-backed Gull above (image 25) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Ring-billed Gull pursued by Herring Gull above (image 26) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

While on my third walk around the point I had the great fortune of inadvertently flushing the Grasshopper Sparrow close to where it was being seen. The rare presence of the sparrow was also first reported to eBird on 2 January.

The Gadwall above (image 27) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Black-bellied Plover above (image 28) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Herring Gull above (image 29) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Savannah Sparrow above (image 30) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Savannah Sparrow above (image 31) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Short-eared Owl continued to be seen at the point through 15 January although the Grasshopper Sparrow was last reported on 11 January. The variety and numbers of birds seen on the day of my visit were extremely rewarding.

The Song Sparrow above (image 32) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Grasshopper Sparrow above (image 33) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Grasshopper Sparrow above (image 34) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Grasshopper Sparrow above (image 35) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

The Grasshopper Sparrow above (image 36) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.

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The American Wigeon above (image 37) was photographed at Stratford Point in January 2018.