Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary: Portland, CT (4/21)

On Saturday I decided to spend the morning exploring this little sanctuary in Portland. The property is owned/managed by the Mattabeseck Audubon Society (a chapter of the National Audubon Society) and abuts the state owned ?????. I had never been to this sanctuary before so it took me some time to find it. I got to South Rd. with relatively little trouble but the sanctuary doesn't have a sign visible from the road or a parking lot so I ended up driving back and forth before parking on the street next to the water.

But when I finally found where the trails were, it was well worth all of the confusion. It was still relatively early in the morning so all the birds were active. A chorus of Red-wing Blackbird calls dominated the cool morning air. That was until I was spotted by a Canada Goose who proceeded to honk out a warning call to his mate who was asleep on top of a beaver dam. I also noticed Mallards and Hooded Mergansers swimming around near the center of the bog.

But the bird of the day was the Palm Warbler. These warblers were everywhere along the banks of the bog. They were singing, foraging for food, and competing in quick dogfights with rivals. I'm guessing that there were at least 10 individuals. And their bright spring plumage was absolutely beautiful in the morning light.

I didn't get too far before I got to a point where the water from the bog was overflowing the trail. I didn't want to stop so soon so I tried to fashion a bridge to get across the deepest parts. When I went to reposition a plank (which was obviously left there to help travelers like me) I was startled to see a Spotted Turtle at my feet. I was so surprised that I just enjoyed watching him swim away and didn't think to take any photos until it was almost too late. I got one really horrible one before he disappeared into the mud.

Excited from this fantastic find, I tightrope walked over the flooded portions of the trail and continued on. The trail kept close to the water but it was pretty dry for the remainder of its length. About halfway around the bog I spotted a Beaver in the water. I attempted to photograph it but it dove before I could squeeze off a shot.

As the trail headed deeper into the woods I came across a pair of Hermit Thrushes. They were hopping about in the leaf litter looking for food. After watching them for a few minutes I finished up the loop back on South Rd. It had warmed up significantly from the cool morning air and there were several turtles basking in the sun. I looked at each one hoping to find another Spotted Turtle but all I found were Painted Turtles.

It was still pretty early so I decided to retrace my steps and try some of the trails that lead away from the water. I'm guessing that these are owned by the state of Connecticut since I saw several markers. But its always good to see conservation areas next to each other. The different organizations can preserve a larger plot when they share the financial load. And it the result is more contiguous habitat for wildlife.

The trails thru the woods were much different than the ones around the bog and I was able to pick out some new species. A Pileated Woodpecker called from deep in the woods and I heard a Pine Warbler singing from high in a tree. The woods also supported a lot of Robins and Titmice.

I made my way up and down the trails until finally finding myself back near where I entered the bog. I retraced my steps over the flooded trail cautiously looking for good places to step. And I'm glad that I was since I almost stepped on a Northern Water Snake who had curled up on his own little piece of dry land. He was really brave (or really cold) and stayed put long enough for me to take a few nice pictures. I couldn't bear to force him into the water so I decided to walk all the way around the bog even though I was only a few yards from my car.

After completing another lap around the bog I stopped to investigate what appeared to be a gate to another portion of the state park. The road was pretty muddy and I found a couple of beetles floating in one of the larger puddles. Thinking that they were dead or dying, I tried to use a stick to help one of them out of the water. He quickly swam to the bottom of the puddle and hid in the mud. Pretty cool.

While I was watching the beetles, I was buzzed by my first butterfly of the day. After following its flight for a few seconds it landed and I was able to identify it as a Compton Tortoiseshell. It was pretty beat up (most of its aft wing was worn away) but it still flew incredibly well. Soon it was joined by another species, this one a Spring Azure. He sat in the dirt sucking up nutrients long enough for me to get a nice shot or two.

was almost back to my car when I noticed a turtle basking on the muddy banking. It was another Spotted Turtle. Further up I saw two more. But try as I may I couldn't sneak up slow enough to prevent them from escaping into the water. This is truly amazing. I had only seen three or four of these turtles in my life before this time. And I have actively sought them out for several years. So, this was quite an experience. I can't wait to go back.