Millbury Bike Path (2/25)

I tried to get out on Saturday but the snow and wind made it difficult. The bike path in Millbury is always a good place for a quick walk so I tried there. The water was almost entirely clear but the only waterfowl were a large flock of Mallards and 2 or 3 Hooded Merganzers. On land there was a small mixed flock of American Goldfinches and Eastern Bluebirds. They looked like they were really tired of winter.

Moore State Park Bat Colony

I came across this article on the colony of bats that roost in a shed in Moore State Park in Paxton. If you have a chance to visit the park this spring, take the time to watch the bats emerge from the shed (it happens around 8:30). Its quite a sight to see.

Bald Eagle Recovery

Just to finish up on the subject, the federal government is preparing to remove our national symbol from the endangered species list. CNN.com has the story. Its great to see the species make such a strong recovery from its population low point in the days of DDT. Hopefully it can have continued success without protection.

Eagle Fest

I made the trip down to Essex, CT on Saturday for Eagle Fest. The weather was blustery and cold so I didn't spend a lot of time searching for the birds. But, I did see some (probably 5 or 6). The Deep River public dock was a particularly good site. I saw three eagles there interacting in flight.

Other than the wildlife, the festival had some nice booths from CT Audubon, local power companies, etc. I also attended a few of the presentations. The CT DEP put on a nice presentation on the eagles and their history in the region. Tom Ricardi told some tales of his experiences as a bird rehabilitor/captive breeder. He also had a few birds to show (Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, etc.). The last presentation that I tried to see was by John Himmelman, a CT resident and moth expert. I don't know if it was the topic, the cold, or poor planning but there were very few people in the tent when John's presentation time rolled around. So he just left. Its too bad since I was really looking forward to his slides.

Eagle Fest this weekend!

I promised you a second warning when Eagle Fest was getting near... Well, its this weekend. Did I mention that its sponsored by my company?

Plum Island 2/4

Another weekend, another trip to the coast. Lots of good birds this time including usual cast of characters (see my past posts). But, the highlights were: a large flock of Long-Tailed Ducks in the harbor, a couple of Snowy Owls, a Northern Shrike, a small group of Yellow Rump Warblers, the falcons (Peregrine, Kestrel, and possibly a Merlin), and of course... Northern Harriers.
I also stopped at Salsbury hoping to get a look at the Long-Eared Owl. I missed that bird but got to see 6 - 10 Common Loons. I've never seen so many in one place.