A Cold Connecticut Birding Day

On a cold day, make that a very cold day with winds causing discomfort for a former Floridian, I made efforts to observe a reported Barrow's Goldeneye near Tuxis Island in Connecticut to close my 2016 wildlife observations.

The Herring Gull above (image 1) was photographed at East Wharf Beach Park in December 2016.

I heard from wildlife blogger Hemant Kishan who told me that he has seen Barrow's Goldeneye on the Detroit River which is another out of bounds observation of the species with this species typically seen in the northwest corner of the United States. The Barrow's Goldeneye is readily identified in comparison to Common Goldeneye by a comma shaped white patch on its face.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 2) was photographed near East Wharf Beach Park in December 2016.

The Common Goldeneye above (image 3) was photographed near East Wharf Beach Park in December 2016.

Initial observations to find the Barrow's Goldeneye were made at noontime near Tuxis Island in Madison, Connecticut, on 30 December 2016 with four birders on the scene. As far as I could tell there were no good birds in the swells and heavy winds. From here I made my way to East Wharf Beach Park along Middle Beach Road as recommended by one of the birders.

The Mallard above (image 4) was photographed at Hammonasset Beach State Park in December 2016.

The Barrow's Goldeneye with Bufflehead above (image 5) was photographed near Tuxis Island in December 2016.

Without seeing the Barrow's Goldeneye in my 90 minutes of observations I continued further east toward Hammonasset Beach State Park. Driving along Middle Beach Road I caught sight of a pair of Red-breasted Merganser and a Bufflehead. They doubled their distance from the shoreline by the time I backed up the car to take a few photos.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 6) was photographed near Tuxis Island in December 2016.

The Common Goldeneye above (image 7) was photographed near Tuxis Island in December 2016.

My arrival at Hammonasset Beach State Park 30 January would be my first visit after reading many eBird reports from this Long Island Sound "hotspot" that has hosted 304 bird species as reported at eBird. I made a slow drive along all the primary roadways. Although the wind was wicked this day with my tripod being blown over before I could get the camera and lens secured west of the traffic circle I was excited by the sighting of a Great Black-backed Gull working the perimeter of the pond. There were Mallard in decent numbers, more than I had seen at any one time while making observations in Florida. A male Northern Harrier was seen perched across the pond.

The Herring Gull above (image 8) was photographed near Tuxis Island in December 2016.

The Ring-billed Gull above (image 9) was photographed near Tuxis Island in December 2016.

As I began to succumb to the cold conditions at Hammonasset I opted to return to Tuxis Island where the specialty bird had been reported. The winds were diminishing closer to sunset and the waves were not as high as earlier in the day. There were a good number of Common Goldeneye with a Bufflehead diving on the shoreside of Gull Rock. Too far for me to identify the Barrow's Goldeneye with my camera alone. I still hadn't unpacked my bins. Further inspection of images captured revealed a life bird for me.

The sunset above (image 10) was photographed near Tuxis Island in December 2016.

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Farewell Harns Marsh Preserve And SW Florida

My likely last visit to Harns Marsh Preserve in Lehigh Acres, Florida, occurred in late October when I met up with Canadian wildlife photographer Frank Constantin.

The primarily Boat-tailed Grackle above (image 1) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The weather was favorable with the grass well groomed and 39 species of bird observed in the ensuing two hours after sunrise during our stay. A good number of Purple Gallinule were present among a Gray-headed Swamphen continuing this day with a snipe an unexpected bonus.

The Sandhill Crane above (image 2) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The immature Black-crowned Night-Heron above (image 3) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Sandhill Crane above (image 4) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Purple Gallinule above (image 5) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The juvenile Purple Gallinule above (image 6) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The juvenile Purple Gallinule above (image 7) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The juvenile Purple Gallinule above (image 8) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

After a number of failed observations of Snail Kite at Harns, a male and female were observed in and over the marsh. A possible third individual of the species was seen perched while closely reviewing an image of a flock of grackles in flight.

The juvenile Purple Gallinule above (image 9) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Snail Kite above (image 10) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Snail Kite above (image 11) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Gray-headed Swamphen above (image 12) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Snail Kite above (image 13) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Snail Kite above (image 14) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Anhinga above (image 15) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Anhinga above (image 16) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The time at this extraordinary wildlife venue in southwest Florida passed much too quickly with a regrettable need to ready my departure from paradise. It was, however, especially good to see some of the venue's signature species.

The American Coot above (image 17) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Anhinga above (image 18) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Boat-tailed Grackle above (image 19) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Turkey Vulture above (image 20) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The juvenile Snowy Egret above (image 21) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 22) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Great Blue Heron above (image 23) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Limpkin above (image 24) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

Though under the weather at the moment, stay tuned for new adventures in Connecticut along the northern shores of Long Island Sound and beyond.

The Anhinga with prey above (image 25) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Purple Gallinule above (image 26) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

The Wilson's Snipe above (image 27) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

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The Double-crested Cormorant above (image 28) was photographed at Harns Marsh Preserve in October 2016.

13th Annual Sanibel Lighthouse Hawk Watch

The Sanibel Lighthouse Hawk Watch with Vince McGrath has been an anticipated event for a number of years prior to leaving the state of Florida for what you might not believe a move of mine to the great white north.

The Osprey above (image 1) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

As crazy as it may sound I have become acclimated to observing birds again in a northern clime where I would have to travel many miles in Florida to see these species, if at all.

The Northern Rough-winged Swallow above (image 2) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 3) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

Vince's Hawk Watch was a few days later this year than last with weather conditions that appeared favorable for observations. The wind was from the northeast as I recall with it ideally from the northwest to funnel the raptors over Sanibel.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk above (image 4) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk above (image 5) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

A Merlin was an early raptor seen during the 16 Oct 2016 Hawk Watch. It was much too quick for me to photograph as it flew from the west and over San Carlos Bay. Swallows were present as well throughout the morning, but did not appear to outnumber those seen last year.

The juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker above (image 6) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 7) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

While the 2016 Hawk Watch was in conflict with the Ding Darling Nation Wildlife Refuge's annual Ding Darling Days, there was still good participation at the hawk event where I met with friends and acquaintances for hopefully not the last time.

The American Kestrel above (image 8) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The dog above (image 9) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

A highlight for most at the Lighthouse was the observation of an immature Red-headed Woodpecker. Vince noted this species' presence on nearby Cape Coral with it a very rare sighting on Sanibel.

The Peregrine Falcon above (image 10) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Peregrine Falcon above (image 11) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The appearance of a Sharp-shinned Hawk, with the male of the species typically the smallest hawk seen in the United States, was the highlight for me while observing and photographing the species for the first time.

The Cliff Swallow above (image 12) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

The Chimney Swift above (image 13) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

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The Gopher Tortoise above (image 14) was photographed at the Sanibel Island Lighthouse in October 2016.

South to North

Thank you for your interest in this blog.

The juvenile Black Scoter above was photographed at Little Estero Lagoon in May 2016.

There will be a brief suspension of its publication during a long distance move with future reports from southern New England and beyond anticipated to be presented randomly. A pair of latent posts from Florida are expected as well.