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This week is the start of the 2010-2011 Christmas Bird Counts. If you are not already participating in one (or more!) you should sign up as soon as possible. You can find the list of Connecticut count dates here. These counts are a great way to learn more about birds, explore habitats you may not […]

Yes, another western rarity has made its way to Connecticut! A Calliope Hummingbird, the third state record, has been coming to a feeder at 120 Indian Cove Road in Guilford for about a couple of weeks. Director of the CAS Coastal Center at Milford Point, Frank Gallo, was able to visit the home of Hank […]

Tuesday’s second big western rarity was a Mountain Bluebird. This one was discovered by Rollin Tebbetts at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. Rollin is a birder who works at the airport, and therefore has access to areas the public does not. Nick Bonomo received photos from Rollin that he posted on his blog here: […]

The Connecticut hits continued on Tuesday! The state has been unstoppable when it comes to very rare birds since the White-tailed Kite showed up on August 1. The first bird was a Black-throated Gray Warbler, endemic to the west coast from just into British Columbia through California and east to Colorado during the breeding season. […]

As always I want to remind everyone to keep track of Connecticut Audubon Society events on our calendar page. You will find a diverse list to choose from, for children and adults, all across the state. Many are also free of charge. Here is a list of what is going on during the upcoming week. […]

I was planning to post something else about eBird tonight. That entry will have to wait. Earlier this afternoon I noticed the eBird team had posted the long-awaited first large set of occurrence maps on the site. Working from 42 million records and counting, the eBird team at the Cornell Lab has produced animated maps […]

At around 9AM today I re-found the rare Barnacle Goose that Frank Mantlik had discovered yesterday at Wooster Park in Stratford. I was unaware that he had seen it fly out of the pond there about 20 minutes earlier until I called and told him the news. I found it on the baseball field behind […]

This has been a big year for the Barnacle Goose in Connecticut and the northeast as a whole. Europe has been seeing some very rough weather that may be to blame for it, as well as two Northern Lapwing sightings including Connecticut’s first record. As someone who follows the weather, I have been watching it […]

An announcement by NASA earlier this afternoon changed biology, our understanding of the Earth, and our knowledge of the universe forever. A microorganism was discovered in California that reproduces and thrives off arsenic, even using it for cell components. This is a new building block of life. Suffice it to say, I think the article […]

Sometimes you lose track of who you tell what when it comes to birds. I talk to friends, family, colleagues, visitors, interested non-birders, even reporters at times, and it becomes a jumble in my head. Somehow, I did not realize that I had not posted about what was very likely “our” White-tailed Kite that showed […]

The following is a short list of Connecticut Audubon Society special events in the next couple months. Your participation would be greatly appreciated. If you click on the links at the end of each bullet point you can find more information on the main CAS website. • Aug. 5 at 8 PM, “Bird Songs”: Concert […]

If you’re looking for a Christmas tree why not combine that trip with some birding while helping out the Connecticut Audubon Society? Our H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve and Christmas Tree Farm allows you to do just that. The information that follows is from the sanctuaries page of our website. You can see the days […]

If you enjoy following us on the blog you should definitely follow us on Twitter! The Connecticut Audubon Society can be found at: twitter.com/CTAudubon Twitter is a perfect place for us to provide you with quick updates on bird sightings in Connecticut, migration conditions, how the weather will affect birding, upcoming event dates, and more […]

I stopped by Stratford Point today to do a standard survey and found a few notable birds. As I drove up, I saw a small group of Canada Geese fly by. This in itself is a bit odd for the site. A few more followed during the hour I was there, and one of them […]

All of us at the Connecticut Audubon Society wish you a happy Thanksgiving! Photo © Scott Kruitbosch