April 10, 2024—At only 14 inches long, the Green-winged Teal is the smallest North American duck. It might also be the most beautiful (the competition for that honor is tough).
Author Archive
Daily Bird 2024: Green-winged Teal
Wednesday, April 10th, 2024Daily Bird 2024: Northern Gannet
Monday, April 8th, 2024April 8, 2024—The reports of Northern Gannets flying over Long Island Sound last week were enough to make a desk-bound birder envious. Frank Mantlik, a member of the regional board of Connecticut Audubon’s Milford Point Coastal Center, and Stefan Martin, conservation manager, were among the many birders who knew enough to look for them from the state’s beaches following the mid-week storm. Here’s a report.
Flaco’s death underscores the importance of rodenticide controls in Connecticut; a new bill would regulate the rat poisons found in the eagle-owl’s body
Tuesday, March 26th, 2024March 26, 2024—Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo a year ago and died in February, had been poisoned with four different rodenticides. The news underscores the critical importance in Connecticut of passing a new state law to strictly regulate the kind of rat poisons that contributed to Flaco’s death—second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides.
Homegrown Habitat, March 2024: Spicebush
Wednesday, March 20th, 2024March 20, 2024—The tiny, lemon-yellow flowers of spicebush (Lindera benzoin) brighten the landscape just when we need them the most—when wintry weather lingers, and the warmth of spring seems a distant memory from last year.
Thank you, Harry Garafalo, for helping to make the Coastal Center a better place for visitors — avian and human!
Friday, June 21st, 2024June 21, 2024—We are delighted to share that CT Audubon’s Coastal Center has received a generous donation of over $26,000 from Harry Garafalo, the philanthropic owner and president of Garafalo Markets LLC. This gift will be instrumental in making much-needed improvements to the center’s buildings and grounds, leading to an even better experience for you […]
Look what landed on the Milford Point Osprey Platform!
Thursday, March 14th, 2024Connecticut Audubon Board member George Amato was birding at the Milford Point Coastal Center on Wednesday afternoon, March 13, witnessed this, and let Stefan Martin, our conservation manager know. Stefan quickly pressed record on the Osprey Cam — here it is: 2 minutes of an immature Bald Eagle, in beautiful close-up.
“In Conversation with Christian Cooper: Observing the Observer”
Friday, March 15th, 2024Join the Connecticut Audubon Society and other organizations for a free special event featuring author, birder, and naturalist Christian Cooper. This engaging conversation, moderated by Connecticut Audubon Board member Robert Lamothe, will feature Christian Cooper discussing his lifelong passion for birding, the beauty of the natural world, and the experiences chronicled in his new memoir, Better Living Through Birding—Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World.
“In Conversation with Christian Cooper: Observing the Observer”
Thursday, March 14th, 2024Join the Connecticut Audubon Society and other organizations for a special event featuring author, birder, and naturalist Christian Cooper. Date: Thursday, April 4, 2024 Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Location: Sterling Sheffield Strathcona Hall 1 Prospect Street, New Haven Free and Open to the Public. Registration is required. This engaging conversation, moderated […]
Monitoring air quality at the Coastal Center
Friday, February 16th, 2024We’ve installed a PurpleAir monitor at the Coastal Center as part of our ongoing commitment to environmental conservation. The monitor allows us to track local air quality and add to a community database, which can be used by weather tracking organizations, climate scientists, and the general public to learn more about the air around them. […]
“Find (and Photograph) More Birds” — Heather Wolf and the Young, Gifted & Wild About Birds season finale
Tuesday, March 12th, 2024Join Heather Wolf as she talks about her latest book Find More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are. Heather will share tips on bird-finding close to home and beyond, as well as ways to witness more of the fascinating bird behaviors and drama we all want to see! Thursday, March 28, 2024, 7-8 p.m. via Zoom.
Testimony of The Connecticut Audubon Society regarding “An Act Concerning the Use of Neonicotinoids,” S.B. 190
Friday, March 8th, 2024Friday, March 8, 2024 — Connecticut Audubon Executive Director Joyce Leiz is testifying in Hartford today on a proposal to regulate a dangerous class of pesticides called neonicotinoids.
Migration Magic 2024 at Milford Point
Monday, April 15th, 2024Migration Magic is a month-long family-friendly celebration of Connecticut’s birds—May 1-31, 2024. It features more than three dozen bird walks at 28 preserves and parks in 20 communities around the state, plus an array of webinars, presentations, talks and even a concert. One highlight is the month-long Birdathon, for people of all ages and all […]
Volunteer for habitat improvement work at Milford Point
Thursday, August 18th, 2022The last several years have seen great improvements at the Milford Point Coastal Center. But there’s more to be done — and you can help. We are recruiting volunteers to help remove invasive plants and replace them with native plants, which have much higher conservation value. It is the kind of hands-on work that makes […]
“Trouble on the Beach: Intruders at Nature Preserves are Driving Away Vulnerable Birds” — Young, Gifted & Wild About Birds
Friday, March 1st, 2024March 1, 2024 — The 2023 season was a good one for Connecticut’s most vulnerable beach-nesting birds, American Oystercatchers and Least Terns. Or it least it looked to be so at the start. Coastal rangers were diligent in their patrols, and a streak of good luck kept coastal storms away. Yet one persistent problem counter-acted the success. Throughout the season human visitors and their pets intruded on the roped-off beach areas where these species nest.
Observing an owl? Here’s what to do to keep you and the owl safe.
Thursday, February 22nd, 2024Follow these three basic rules no matter which owl — Barred, Snowy, Northern Saw-whet, etc. (borrowed from Project SNOWStorm)
Keep your distance
Respect private property
Don’t feed an owl, ever.
Bird Finder Revisited: Greater White-fronted Goose
Thursday, February 22nd, 2024February 22, 2024 — Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) is a rare but regular visitor to Connecticut in winter. Over the last month or so, birders have been observing one at Crosby Pond in Orange and 9th District Road in Somers.
Thank you for advocating for better bird-protection!
Wednesday, February 21st, 2024When you clicked the email link, we added your name to a list of advocates we can call on to reach out to individual state senators and state representatives on important bills and other proposals in Hartford. If you have any questions, please email Tom Andersen. tandersen@ctaudubon.org.
“Pesticides in Connecticut—Protecting our Birds and Bees,” a free program February 27 in New Milford
Tuesday, February 20th, 2024February 20, 2024 — The risks that pesticides and rodenticides pose to birds, pollinators and people will be the topic of a program at the New Milford Public Library on Tuesday, February 27, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Joyce Leiz, executive director of the Connecticut Audubon Society, will be among the program’s speakers.
Homegrown Habitat, February 2024: Sweet Birch
Friday, February 16th, 2024February 16, 2024 — A simple pleasure in winter is to take note of unusual bark on trees and shrubs. Many examples exist; bark might be peeling, flaking, or striped, and red, green, white, or a beautiful smooth gray, etc. Sweet birch (Betula lenta), also known as black and cherry birch, exhibits shiny, black bark in its youth, with horizontal lines called lenticels. As the tree ages the bark will develop scaly plates. The bark and twigs emit an aroma of wintergreen when scratched.
Here’s what you need to know about feeding birds in winter
Thursday, February 15th, 2024Movement. Color, drama and song — see it all at your backyard bird feeder! Choosing the right seeds and feeder location (and providing water) will make viewing winter birds much easier. Here’s your guide!
