A game of "Cat and Mouse"

   Day 3, Tuesday (Nov 1)- So far the birding has been marginal, but a few "firsts of the season" species were seen. Since I still didn't have any power, which meant I couldn't work in my studio,  spending a few extra days birding was OK with me. With the pleasant post-storm weather and a nice variety of birds around, the days were quite enjoyable. Having missed the Brown Pelican again at Lighthouse Park on Monday, it made my wanting to see it again another passionate quest! I left East Haven before the Pelican flew over Lighthouse Park, making this the fourth "miss" of this bird within a few minutes time!

     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.

  

                Scoping the Eastern Wall revealed this Peregrine Falcon (digi-scoped)

As always in New Haven Harbor....Brant were abundant!





                   Walking back to my truck, I spotted this Palm Warbler in a pine tree

On my way out of the Park, I wanted to report the Peregrine and Merlin I saw to the Hawk watch crew that were set up on the crown of the Park which included Sara Zagorski, Julian Hough, Jerry Connelly, and a few others.

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..........

                             ..............hey, that was fun, I'll do that again.............

                                               ...........one more time...............
           

                                           ...............well, maybe once more!

     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.......

                   ........eventually crossing the road and disappearing into the trees.

Day 4, Wednesday, (Nov. 2) continues.....click on "Older Posts"

A Spectacular Sunrise, the Pelican Chase continues!

     Day 4, Wednesday, (Nov. 2)- Wednesday started at Hammonasset Park. The gate was open a bit early, so I drove in under a spectacular sunrise! The amber brown marsh  was glowing from the sun's offering as the swirling smoke from the cold creek water completed the eerie dynamic to the mornings canvas. It was a beautiful morning!

     In the Park, flocks of small passerines were flying everywhere; so many in fact it was hard to pick a group and sort through them! I decided to go to Meigs Point first for a bit of "Sound watching". At the end of the breakwater and on the two rocks just off the breakater, small groups of birds were roosting. At a distance it apperaed to me to be Sanderlings and a few Terns. When I set up my scope on the beginning of the wall, I immediately identified the two dozen Shorebirds as Sanderlings, Dunlins and a few Ruddy Turnstones. There were seven Terns present both on the rocks and the end of the breakwater: Forster's Terns. The birds were only slightly hidden by the swirling sea smoke.

                                         Forster's Terns with Laughing Gulls

                                            Five Bufflehead fly by the breakwater

    One of the three flocks of Brant flying by the outer breakwater. The exposed rock holds a single Double-crested Cormorant, and first cycle Herring Gull, a small flock of Sanderlings, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstones and two Forster's Terns (one landing on the left)



                                                     Another flock of Brant

Walking down the Moraine Trail.....a single Merlin watches from a small tree.

                  Canada Geese were flying over the end of the Trail flying towards Clinton Harbor

     At the beginning of the Morain Trail (on my return to my truck) I had the opportunity to photograph this Phoebe at close range; the bird was very cooperative.

Yellow-rumped Warblers were everywhere in the Park, these associating with House Finches.

     As I was photographing the Phoebe, Jim Carr walked over and we decided to go back to the western end of the Park to look for Sparrows along the hedgerow of the marsh. Along the road halfway to the entrance rotary, a female Harrier flew along the edge of the marsh. The bird was bathed in the soft ambient light from the early morning sun.

     We did find a few of the usual species, and this Swamp Sparrow..............

......and this curious and ever watchful Mockingbird

     My time for the early morning was over, having to return home for generator duty. I asked Jim if he wanted to go with me to Grove Beach in Westbrook for Shorebirds in an hour or so, after I ran the pumps cycle. He agreed and I left, I would pick him up at his house about 10:30 am. While I was home, I decided to go to East Shore Park instead, maybe the Pelican would show up!

     At East Shore Park, we found the usual passerines: Kinglets, Song Sparrows, Yellow-rumped and a few Palm Warblers, and this beautiful Northern Parula Warbler.

In the flocks of Black Ducks along the shore were these three Wigeon......

      .............and this startled Red Fox that may have been stalking the ducks along the shore.
     

     Well, the Pelican never showed up, and good news, the power was turned back on at home! In another bit of irony......When I got home, a report came over CT Birds that the Brown Pelican was seen off Grove Beach in Westbrook flying close to the sand bars at "Mungie" Island. The bird was reported at 11:30 am, we would have arrived around 10:45 am and would have made the sandbars in a fifteen to thirty minute walk; just in time to see the Pelican fly in front of us!! This story will continue!

Keith Mueller    Killingworth, CT