April 18, 2021 — You’re probably already a member of the Connecticut Audubon Society. If so, thank you! But if you’re not, give yourself an Earth Day gift and join!
Author Archive
10 Ways to Help Birds: Number 5 — Join!
Sunday, April 18th, 202110 Ways to Help Birds: Number 6 — Cut out the pesticides
Saturday, April 17th, 2021April 17, 2021 — Pesticides are poison, plain and simple. If you apply pesticides to your property to kill insects, you’re killing the food that Connecticut’s birds rely on. And while you might think you’re targeting mosquitoes or ticks, you’re also killing butterflies and bees of all sorts – Connecticut has over 300 species of native bees!
What to expect during the 2021 Earth Day Backyard Bioblitz? Hundreds of species of plants and animals
Friday, April 16th, 2021April 16, 2021 — If you’re thinking about participating in the 2021 Earth Day Backyard Bioblitz, take a look at what happened last year: Well over 200 people from throughout Connecticut submitted 2,619 observations of 663 species — 444 plants, 86 birds, 38 insects, and 31 fungi.
Daily Bird: April Migrants — Pine Warbler
Friday, April 16th, 2021April 16, 2021 — Of all the warblers that breed in Connecticut, the first to return in spring is the Pine Warbler, arriving in mid- to late March, just ahead of Louisiana Waterthrush.
10 Ways to Help Birds: Number 7 — volunteer for bird monitoring, habitat improvement work
Friday, April 16th, 2021April 16, 2021 — We have two state-wide projects that directly benefit birds and also rely on volunteers – Osprey Nation and the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. We also doing habitat improvement work throughout the state. It’s important and rewarding work — a chance to help birds directly near where you live.
10 Ways to Help Birds: Number 8 — Keep your cats indoors
Thursday, April 15th, 2021April 15, 2021 — Don’t let the cat out of the house. Outdoor cats kill an estimated 1.3 – 4 billion birds in North America every year (they also kill 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually).
Daily Bird: April Migrants — Palm Warbler
Wednesday, April 14th, 2021April 14, 2021 — If you wait until May to look for spring warblers in Connecticut, you might miss seeing this gem. At this time of year Palm Warblers have entirely bright yellow underparts with fine dark steaks on their breast sides. They have a rusty red cap that is most colorful in males, an eyebrow that is just as yellow as the breast, and olive-brown upper parts without wing bars.
10 Ways to Help Birds: Number 9 — shop sustainably
Wednesday, April 14th, 2021April 14, 2021 — Over the last 50 years, the population of birds in North America has falled by almost 30 percent. Shopping sustainably won’t solve the whole problem. But it’s one of a number of positive actions you can take. It’s a good Earth Day resolution.
Daily Bird: Osprey
Monday, April 12th, 2021by Joe Attwater
April 12, 2021 — There is perhaps no other bird along the coast of Connecticut that ushers in warm weather better than the Osprey. March into early April is when these magnificent birds make their way back to the state from wintering grounds on the west coast and South America, just as spring is starting to ramp up.
10 Ways to Help Birds: Number 10 — Make your windows safe
Tuesday, April 13th, 2021April 13, 2021 — If early January is for New Year’s resolutions, the coming of Earth Day is a good time to make your own environmental resolutions. As with many other issues, individuals can take meaningful action to protect birds from killing themselves on windows. But that’s just one idea. Today starts our list of 10 ways to help birds. We’ll be counting them down, one each day til Earth Day, Thursday, April 22.
Deer Pond Farm in Sherman is the place to be for a great Earth Week bird walk, Saturday, April 24
Monday, April 12th, 2021In the Sanctuaries …
April 12, 2021 — Spend the Saturday morning of Earth Week at Deer Pond Farm looking for (and no doubt finding) Red-shouldered Hawks, Pileated Woodpeckers, Louisiana Waterthrushes, Eastern Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and many more migratory and breeding birds.
This guided bird walk at the Coastal Center on April 23 is a great way to celebrate Earth Week
Sunday, April 11th, 2021In the Sanctuaries …
April 11, 2021 — Join Stefan Martin, our habitat steward, for an Earth Week walk along the marsh, beach, and upland areas of the Milford Point Coastal Center in search of migrating songbirds and shorebirds. Friday, April 23, 8 to 10 a.m.
Learn your spring migratory birds during this April 21 Earth Week walk in Groton
Saturday, April 10th, 2021April 10, 2021 — Spring is a great time to go birding in Connecticut. Dozens of species move into and through the state from wintering grounds further south. The diversity can be overwhelming, especially when identifying warblers high in the canopy or picking out songs in the dawn chorus. But we’re here to help. Join us for an Earth Week Spring Migration Bird Walk at the Avery Farm Nature Preserve in Groton.
Celebrate Earth Week with an April 20 morning walk at the Larsen Sanctuary in Fairfield
Friday, April 9th, 2021In the Sanctuaries
April 9, 2021 — Botanist and naturalist Jim Cortina, along with Connecticut Audubon volunteer Burt Boardman, will lead a nature walk for adults focused on learning about plants and animals in the Larsen Sanctuary. The destination is Deer Meadow. Along the way, there will be stops to examine the springtime signs and emergence of a great variety of wildlife.
Daily Bird: House Finch
Thursday, April 8th, 2021April 8, 2021 — Though year-round residents in Connecticut, House Finches become much more active in spring as they gear up for breeding season. They’re rarely alone, traveling in small, noisy flocks. Listen for the jumbled song of the males, who may sing throughout the year.
Volunteers of Friends of Larsen Sanctuary in Fairfield complete “one for the books”
Thursday, April 8th, 2021In the Sanctuaries
April 8, 2021 — The volunteers of the Friends of Larsen Sanctuary group could hardly contain their enthusiasm after spending a long day planting native trees and shrubs recently. Guided by Charlie Stebbins, Misty Beyer, Mary Hogue, and George Neamonitis, they planted 79 native trees and shrubs along the Fragrance Loop trail, near Farm Pond, in the pollinator garden, and along the entrance.
Daily Bird: Spring waterfowl — Green-winged Teal
Wednesday, April 7th, 2021April 7, 2021 — There were scores of Green-winged Teal on the marsh at Milford Point yesterday, and good numbers in recent days at Shell Beach in Guilford. They peak in abundance during March but there are still a number of Green-winged Teal scattered about the state in other locations as well.
Daily Bird: Eastern Phoebe
Tuesday, April 6th, 2021April 6, 2021— Eastern Phoebe is one of the first songbirds to arrive back in Connecticut during spring migration. They’re mainly insect eaters, particularly flying insects. They’re a common species that can be found around most homes and outbuildings, and readily build their nest on small ledges under overhangs in buildings, on outdoor lights and under bridges.
Earth Day Backyard Bioblitz 2021: A Great Family Activity
Monday, April 5th, 2021April 5, 2021 — Birds are returning, flowers are blooming, insects are buzzing. And no doubt you’re spending more time outdoors. That means it’s time for Connecticut Audubon’s second Earth Day Backyard Bioblitz. It takes place in one day — Earth Day, April 22, 2021. The Earth Day Backyard BioBlitz is free and it’s fun but you must register to participate.
Daily Bird: Spring waterfowl — Blue-winged Teal
Wednesday, March 31st, 2021March 31, 2021 — As spring takes hold, our marshes, both inland and coastal, will really begin to awaken. One of our most familiar and easily-observed groups of birds, the ducks, are in peak migration and can be seen readily in most wetlands. Keep an eye out for the dapper Blue-winged Teal among the flocks of familiar waterfowl.
