How to see 148 kinds of birds in one day

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 02 June 2011 11:14

Ben Oko, Ridgefield’s Conservation Commission chairman and avid birder, recently participated in a bird-a-thon that saw and heard a lot of birds.

“A bird-a-thon is a daylong birding trip whose goal is to see how many species of birds one can find,” Ben said. “They have become a common form of fund raiser for birding and conservation organizations — this one was for the benefit of Audubon Connecticut and the Bent of the River Audubon Sanctuary.

“It was led by Partick Comins and Ken Elkins, both of whom are birders extraordinaire. Patrick is the head of conservation and science for Audubon Connecticut and Ken is director of education for the Bent.

“The day started at 4 a.m.. so Ken could find the owls. I joined in at the leisurely hour of 6 a.m.

“Despite intermittent downpours, we had a most productive day finding 148 species until we quit at about 7 p.m.

“We went at a slow pace, meaning we stopped to look at the birds after they were identified as opposed to competitive bird-a-thons and big days when, as soon as a bird is identified, one goes after the next bird. About 50% of the ID’s were by sound, not sight.

“We traveled from Southbury’s Bent of the River south going along the shore to Hammonasset Beach and then up to Rentschler Field above Hartford and finally back to Southbury.

“Peregrine falcons were seen perched on billboards as we traveled at 60 miles an hour down the highway; Upland Sandpipers were the brown specks on the far side of a giant field; a Canada Warbler flitted through the foliage for two seconds and was gone; the Virginia Rail repeated is call twice so was easy to get; the Red-necked Phalaropes were nowhere to be seen, despite the 10-mile detour to follow the internet rare bird alert posting; and a Hairy Woodpecker was nowhere to be found.”

The Hairy Woodpecker, of course, is a pretty common backyard bird that you’d expect to see on a day when you saw 148 other kinds.

Blessed

Jacquie Littlejohn of Weston reports, “I am blessed to have so much wonderful activity on my property again this spring.

“Earlier in the season I watched in fascination as a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks mated and built a nest behind my house. But after a while they abandoned it for more peaceful territory. Evidently the crows who live nearby hassled them too much.

“It’s been a treat watching the Baltimore Orioles cavorting high and low. The missus came right down to my window this morning to fetch sphagnum moss out of a pot for her nest. She and her mate are very vocal and fabulous to watch.

“Today, a Scarlet Tanager joined them briefly in the same tree. Their bright colors were bedazzling in the late afternoon sunshine.

“At about the same time an Eastern Phoebe did the most extraordinary mid-air dance that I wish I could have gotten on video! He did a slow motion acrobatic tumble. If my neighbor hadn’t seen it, too, I would have questioned my vision. And as if this all this weren’t enough, I listen regularly to my absolutely favorite songs being sung by a pair of Wood Thrushes who I’m thrilled to have nesting in the wooded side of the house.”

A first

Megan Ferrell of Darien recently had a visit from a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. “This beautiful bird appeared one day at my suet feeder. I have never seen this bird in the time I’ve lived in Connecticut, so I looked it up in my bird book, and discovered it is a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. It came back to the suet feeder for several days, usually in the company of a woodpecker. Then it disappeared.”

Coming up

Field trips to various locations, all day, Thursday, June 9 (Sterling Forest), Thursday, June 16 (Bashakill Marsh and the Shawangunk Grasslands), and Tuesday, June 28 (Clough Preserve), Bedford Audubon, register with Jeanne Pollock at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 914-519-7801, bedfordaudubon.org .

Summer Bird  Count, volunteers needed,  all ages, Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and 12, starts at 5:30 a.m., then all day, Audubon Greenwich, 613 Riversville Road, 203-869-5272  x230, greenwich.audubon.org

eBird Workshop, about online bird checklist program launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, Saturday, June 11, 1:00-3:00 pm, Bedford Audubon, at Westmoreland Sanctuary, 260 Chestnut Ridge Road, Bedford Corners, N.Y.  to register, call at 914-666-8448 or email Adam Zorn at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Copyright 2011 by Jack Sanders. Send sightings or comments to: jackfsanders [at sign] yahoo.com, or to Bird Notes, Box 1019, Ridgefield, CT 06877; or call 203-438-1183, extension BIRD (2473), and leave a message with your report, spelling your first and last names and telling us your town. If you need help identifying a bird, try your local nature center. If you find an injured bird, call wildlife rehabilitator Darlene Wimbrow of Redding, 203-438-0618, Wildlife in Crisis of Weston, 203-544-9913, or Wild Wings of Greenwich, 203-637-9822. The columnist’s website is www. sandersbooks. com.