Bent-of-the-River: Southbury, CT (4/6)
My company is one of the odd ones that gives its employees Good Friday off so I decided to spend the day at one of my favorite places in Connecticut: Bent-of-the-River in Southbury. The property is owned and managed by the National Audubon Society. What makes it special, in my opinion, is the variety of habitat. In addition to the river area, the property also has several large meadows, deep woods, rocky mountains, and even swampy areas. This really promotes wildlife diversity.
I've only been to the Bent once before but I had a very memorable visit. The property was filled with all sorts of animals: birds, snakes, butterflies, spiders, etc. I had lots of great finds but two stick out in my recollection. First were the large numbers of Indigo Buntings. They were everywhere in the lower fields. I'd never seen so many in one place. The other standout sighting was a single Worm-eating Warbler, the first one that I'd ever seen.
With good memories from this last visit, I decided that the Bent would be the perfect place for an early spring hike. I got there early at around 7:30. I immediately spotted some Eastern Bluebirds in the field and Juncos and Goldfinches patronizing a large feeder next to the information booth. I walked along the trail that runs parallel to the river and saw a pair of Common Mergansers in the water. When the saw me they left the shelter of the cove and allowed the force of the river to bring them downstream.
I continued up the path and was surprised to see two Turkeys picking through the leaf litter looking for something to eat. They didn't seem startled so I watched them until they both flew off. The early morning sunlight poked through the trees and it added a touch of gold to the landscape. I used the opportunity to take some photos of the ice covered leaves and a small stream that runs by the farmhouse.
The trail exited the woods in the field just below the farmhouse. There are multiple feeders in this area and they had attracted the normal mix of birds: Titmice, Blue Jays, Chickadees, and Mourning Doves. White-throated and Song Sparrows called from the bushes. I followed their song thru the lower fields and up the hill. At the upper fields I found lots of Eastern Phoebes and Robins. It was still very cold and I was surprised to see thick icicles all along one of the small streams that flowed thru the field. On the outskirts of the field I spotted a small flock of Cedar Waxwings. One individual left the flock and watched inquisitively from his perch as I took some photos.
At this point I decided to start up the Zig-Zag Trail which runs up the hill. As I got deeper in the woods, the birdsong tailed off but I did hear lots of Golden-crowned Kinglets. Almost everywhere that I went on the property I could hear Kinglets. I wish that I had started counting them from the start of my hike but I estimate that I heard/saw at least 50 birds.
I continued up the Collier Trail where I heard the distinctive call of a Pileated Woodpecker. I followed the calls to the intersection with Pootatuck Rd and there on a large tree I spotted the bird. Pileated Woodpeckers are almost always referred to as "shy" birds but in at least one other occasion I have had the pleasure of long looks at them. This was one of those occasions.
The woodpecker was a male and he was hard at work carving up the tree. I'm guessing that he was making what may be a nest hole. As he worked, large pieces of excavated wood fell to the ground. I did my best to silently observe the bird while at the same time take some pictures. Unfortunately the bird was working on the west side of the tree and most of it was in the shadows. After about 15 minutes a second Pileated (this one a female) flew into view and landed on the same tree. This spooked the male which flew up to a higher branch.
There I was able to get some better photos as he made his way onto a sunny branch. It hopped up the branch looking for something to eat. Then, out of nowhere a Gray Squirrel jumped out of a nearby hole and made a mad rush toward the much larger woodpecker. The startled bird flew away and the squirrel retreated back into her nest.
With the Pileated Woodpeckers gone, I started off again. I walked down the road a bit before taking a side trip on the Weasel Swamp Trail. I have to admit that I was really drawn in by the name. After a short walk, I found the swamp.... but no weasels. I hiked over to Tulip Tree Trail before making my way towards Eagle Overlook. On the way, I spotted another Pileated Woodpecker. I'm not sure if this was one of the original pair but it was still great to see.
As I got closer to the overlook the landscape got rockier and rockier. This would have been the perfect place to find a snake had it been a bit warmer. Finally I got to the top and spent a few minutes enjoying the view before retracing my steps back to the road.
When I got back to the road, I couldn't resist one more look at the Pileated pair. As I hiked up the road, I heard a rustling in the forest floor. I looked over and found two large sparrows. Seeing me, they both flew away but one lighted on a nearby branch. After only a few seconds, I identified it as a Fox Sparrow. This was a great find, especially since this was a life bird for me.
I trudged on up the road until I got to the intersection where I had seen the woodpeckers and I was totally shocked to see the male was on the same tree again. By this time it was the early afternoon and the light was not great. I still tried taking some photos just for practice. Unfortunately I got a bit too close and he flew off into the woods. Soon after, I heard two woodpecker calls from the same general direction that the male flew off to and I just had to investigate. Both woodpeckers were at the base of a large tree and it appeared to me that the male was feeding this mate. It was really cool to see. I looked up the behavior and it matches pretty closely the published information on courtship of these birds.
I've only been to the Bent once before but I had a very memorable visit. The property was filled with all sorts of animals: birds, snakes, butterflies, spiders, etc. I had lots of great finds but two stick out in my recollection. First were the large numbers of Indigo Buntings. They were everywhere in the lower fields. I'd never seen so many in one place. The other standout sighting was a single Worm-eating Warbler, the first one that I'd ever seen.
With good memories from this last visit, I decided that the Bent would be the perfect place for an early spring hike. I got there early at around 7:30. I immediately spotted some Eastern Bluebirds in the field and Juncos and Goldfinches patronizing a large feeder next to the information booth. I walked along the trail that runs parallel to the river and saw a pair of Common Mergansers in the water. When the saw me they left the shelter of the cove and allowed the force of the river to bring them downstream.
I continued up the path and was surprised to see two Turkeys picking through the leaf litter looking for something to eat. They didn't seem startled so I watched them until they both flew off. The early morning sunlight poked through the trees and it added a touch of gold to the landscape. I used the opportunity to take some photos of the ice covered leaves and a small stream that runs by the farmhouse.
The trail exited the woods in the field just below the farmhouse. There are multiple feeders in this area and they had attracted the normal mix of birds: Titmice, Blue Jays, Chickadees, and Mourning Doves. White-throated and Song Sparrows called from the bushes. I followed their song thru the lower fields and up the hill. At the upper fields I found lots of Eastern Phoebes and Robins. It was still very cold and I was surprised to see thick icicles all along one of the small streams that flowed thru the field. On the outskirts of the field I spotted a small flock of Cedar Waxwings. One individual left the flock and watched inquisitively from his perch as I took some photos.
At this point I decided to start up the Zig-Zag Trail which runs up the hill. As I got deeper in the woods, the birdsong tailed off but I did hear lots of Golden-crowned Kinglets. Almost everywhere that I went on the property I could hear Kinglets. I wish that I had started counting them from the start of my hike but I estimate that I heard/saw at least 50 birds.
I continued up the Collier Trail where I heard the distinctive call of a Pileated Woodpecker. I followed the calls to the intersection with Pootatuck Rd and there on a large tree I spotted the bird. Pileated Woodpeckers are almost always referred to as "shy" birds but in at least one other occasion I have had the pleasure of long looks at them. This was one of those occasions.
The woodpecker was a male and he was hard at work carving up the tree. I'm guessing that he was making what may be a nest hole. As he worked, large pieces of excavated wood fell to the ground. I did my best to silently observe the bird while at the same time take some pictures. Unfortunately the bird was working on the west side of the tree and most of it was in the shadows. After about 15 minutes a second Pileated (this one a female) flew into view and landed on the same tree. This spooked the male which flew up to a higher branch.
There I was able to get some better photos as he made his way onto a sunny branch. It hopped up the branch looking for something to eat. Then, out of nowhere a Gray Squirrel jumped out of a nearby hole and made a mad rush toward the much larger woodpecker. The startled bird flew away and the squirrel retreated back into her nest.
With the Pileated Woodpeckers gone, I started off again. I walked down the road a bit before taking a side trip on the Weasel Swamp Trail. I have to admit that I was really drawn in by the name. After a short walk, I found the swamp.... but no weasels. I hiked over to Tulip Tree Trail before making my way towards Eagle Overlook. On the way, I spotted another Pileated Woodpecker. I'm not sure if this was one of the original pair but it was still great to see.
As I got closer to the overlook the landscape got rockier and rockier. This would have been the perfect place to find a snake had it been a bit warmer. Finally I got to the top and spent a few minutes enjoying the view before retracing my steps back to the road.
When I got back to the road, I couldn't resist one more look at the Pileated pair. As I hiked up the road, I heard a rustling in the forest floor. I looked over and found two large sparrows. Seeing me, they both flew away but one lighted on a nearby branch. After only a few seconds, I identified it as a Fox Sparrow. This was a great find, especially since this was a life bird for me.
I trudged on up the road until I got to the intersection where I had seen the woodpeckers and I was totally shocked to see the male was on the same tree again. By this time it was the early afternoon and the light was not great. I still tried taking some photos just for practice. Unfortunately I got a bit too close and he flew off into the woods. Soon after, I heard two woodpecker calls from the same general direction that the male flew off to and I just had to investigate. Both woodpeckers were at the base of a large tree and it appeared to me that the male was feeding this mate. It was really cool to see. I looked up the behavior and it matches pretty closely the published information on courtship of these birds.
Incredibly happy to have witnessed this behavior I made my way back towards the parking lot. But, I couldn't resist one last side trip to see the Cascade. This was a good sized waterfall and it was really flowing. It was a great ending to the morning.
Birds: Eastern Bluebird, Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, Red Wing Blackbird, Common Merganser, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Song Sparrow, Wild Turkey, Black-capped Chickadee, Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tree Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Crow, Eastern Phoebe, Cedar Waxwing, American Robin, Pileated Woodpecker, Turkey Vulture, Fox Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker
posted by Mike @ 11:02 AM
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