Peepers and quackers: The early spring chorus

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 31 March 2011 13:15

Patrice Gillespie of Wilton knows how to prepare for spring.

“I begin keeping my good binoculars in the car at this time of year,” she writes.

“In my travels, I check the surface of Horseshoe Pond near Wilton Town Center for spring migrating ducks. Today [March 22] there were several pairs of Ring-necked Ducks frolicking on the pond, along with a few pairs of Hooded Mergansers.

“One male Merganser was quite close to the small road that follows the pond’s western edge and dead-ends near Wolfpit Road. He was really breathtaking, with his black-and-white striped back, chestnut sides and impressive headgear.

“I’ve been by that pond earlier this spring and saw (without my binoculars) what were probably the Wood Ducks that often frequent the southern end. A short detour into that little road is often more than worthwhile, birding-wise, especially during an otherwise dull excursion amid suburban traffic.”

Wild village life: The hungry hawk

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 24 March 2011 11:04

You never know when and where you’ll meet a magnificent raptor in action. At least four people in Ridgefield found that out a couple of Saturdays ago right in the heart of the village of Ridgefield — with stores on one side and the library on the other.

It seems that a Red-tailed Hawk had a hunger for a Gray Squirrel and didn’t mind either the vehicular or pedestrian traffic. It is not clear whether the squirrel was killed in the middle of the road by the hawk, or the hawk was just taking advantage of a roadkill.

Spring arrivals and winter departures

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 17 March 2011 13:50

Spring is nearing and the warm-weather birds are beginning to arrive.

“I was thrilled to hear, and then see, the first Red-winged Blackbirds of the season this week — the true harbinger of spring, although they come with the grackles, who, unfortunately, mob the feeders,” writes Ellen Burns of Ridgefield.

“Early in the week I saw a Red-tailed Hawk eyeing the feeders, and on Friday we were visited by six turkey vultures in the yard ...  Didn’t seem to be eating — fortunately  — just enjoying the first non-snow covered ground since Christmas.”

Woodpeckers in the yard, titmouse tales and eagles on the reservoir

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 10 March 2011 11:27

Last week’s report on the Great Backyard Bird Count inspired Frank McBrearity  to send along a report as “an amateur observer” from New Canaan.

“We have had three or four birdfeeders in our backyard since the late 1980’s, and have become quite familiar with the regular gang and the occasional interloper from other parts,” Frank writes. “We see many Downy Woodpeckers, but we also have regular visits by the larger Hairy Woodpeckers in our area. Both birds feed at the feeders (hulled sunflower kernels) and the suet cakes in the winter.

What the backyard bird count saw

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 03 March 2011 11:52

It’s always fun to look at the results of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Held over the Presidents’ Day weekend, the count allows ordinary people like us to contribute sightings from our back yards or neighborhoods to the scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

White hawks, young hawks and birding for youngsters

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 24 February 2011 13:50

Hawks continue to dominate the observations we receive, and Myra Kreiman of North Stamford offers a report of an unusual scene she witnessed Dec. 28.

Hawk eyes hawk for luncheon treat

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 17 February 2011 11:59

It’s been a tough winter. Recent columns have discussed how birds survive in harsh winters and, last week, we talked about hawks and their prey. This week, Jere Ross of Redding describes an incident that may show yet another way hawks seek food.

“As I sat down to lunch in my kitchen alcove yesterday, looking out at my ice-encrusted back yard, I found a sharpie standing on the ‘lawn’ with a small gray bird — probably a titmouse — pinned beneath its talons, about 30 feet from me and 20 feet from my feeder,” Jere writes.

Hawk pairs feed, sometimes with help

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 10 February 2011 12:01

The six feet or so of snow we’ve had this winter can be a game-changer for some of our raptors — depending on what the snow surface is like. Snow can offer opportunity — or trouble.

After the January “blizzard” that dropped nearly two feet of snow on much of our area, ground-feeding hawks like the Red-tailed and Red-shouldered with a taste for fresh meat could have had a bit of trouble. The snow was fairly fluffy and very deep, which meant a favorite winter prey, the Gray Squirrel, was not likely to be seen on the ground.

When snow is deep and lacking a hard surface, squirrels find it difficult to move across the ground, and pretty much stick to the trees, where they have their winter nests and the food they’ve stored in various cavities, and where they are hard for a hawk to grab. Squirrels are smart enough to know that trying to plod slowly through deep snow, they are easy targets.

How birds find food in a snowy winter

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 03 February 2011 11:52

“Please keep reminding people to feed the birds!” writes a concerned reader from Ridgefield. “With all the deep snow on the ground they are really having a hard time surviving and more is coming! I fear we will not see the ground until Easter this year!”

I share the discomfort about the snow and often wish I were in the land of flamingos, but I am not sure most of the local birds are as discouraged as the reader and I are.

Who’s hungry at this feeder?

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 27 January 2011 11:16

Susan Pszenitzki, who reads BirdNotes in The Redding Pilot, sent along the accompanying photo. “Recently, after one of the many snowstorms, the pair of hawks that live in the woods near my house began making more regular appearances. First, the male perched in the trees above my bird feeder. The next day, the female made her appearance in the yard. I caught this brief encounter between the hawk and a brave and hungry crow.”