Again I started my day at Lighthouse Park in the morning. Since I only had time windows of three hour intervals (had to keep going home to start the generator to keep the sump pump going) my birding had to be located within a short drive from home. Lighthouse Park is approx twenty-five minutes from my home depending on th traffic. I left East Haven on Monday about a half an hour before the Pelican made it appearance at 10:30. So I decided to start about an hour earlier on Tuesday planning my three hour window around that time. Of course the Pelican didn't show, but I did have a nice sighting to start my day that made me smile: a small flock of five Bonaparte's Gulls which are my absolute favorite Gull species. This made me hope that a few small fall flights would be heading our way.
As always in New Haven Harbor....Brant were abundant!
Walking back to my truck, I spotted this Palm Warbler in a pine tree
East Shore Park- Walking to the shoreline of the Park along the walkway by the treatment plant, the usual Sparrows, Kinglets and late Warblers were present. I ran into a couple of birders from the Northwestern part of the State who decided to escape the damage and destruction of their corner of the State to hopefully spot the Pelican. They described the damage as "complete destruction-far worse than Irene"!
The harbor waters were calm with the usual numbers of Brant, Black Ducks, Mallards, Cormorants and Gulls in the usual places. The small gathering of Gulls were present on the "rip" outside the channel off UI, including the five Bonaparte's Gulls which flew by Lighthouse Point a few hours earlier that morning.
Leaving the Park, a single Meadowlark flew up out of the marshy area in the Park and flew into the last pine tree near the walkway.
After a "generator run" home, I drove to Hammonasset Park-
Western end of the Park- a flock of nine Kildeer were flying down the Park when they suddenly scattered........
......when a Cooper's Hawk made an unsuccessful pass at the Kildeer. The Coops was driven off by a Peregrine Falcon.
A few Greater Yellowlegs remain in the Park, this one near the Nature Center
Plenty of Yellow-rumped Warblers in the Park, just about everywhere you look. These near the road to Willard's Island
On the road to Willard's near the small opening in the trees ovelooking the marsh to the northeast, I spotted a deer in the diatant marsh sprinting in my direction.........
As the deer gets closer, I recognized it as the same "fork-horn" buck I saw at the Swan Pond the day before.......
The deer moves broadside to me as it heads for Willard's Island.......
The buck approaches a Great Egret.........
.........and it flushes.............
............and lands again..........
I suspected the deer would emerge from the marsh and seek out the protection of the woods on the Island. As I was standing on the road on the right path on Willard's, the deer came out of the scrub a few yards away from me.......
