Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary: Portland, CT (6/17)

On Sunday the 17th I spent the morning over in Portland at the Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary. This is quickly becoming my favorite spot for a quick hike since its relatively close to my house in Cromwell and it has some great habitat.

But during this particular visit there wasn't too much to see. There were lots of Catbirds, Red-wing Blackbirds, and Grackles flying around the bog but that was just about it for birds. I saw a few Painted Turtles sunning themselves but the Spotted Turtles were nowhere to be found.

I did hear what I think was the Worm-eating Warbler again. And it was in the same location (deep in the woods next to one of the trails) as the last time. But, like before, I couldn't ever find him. Next time I'm going to bring my call and see if I can get him to come in.

Other than that, my best sightings of the day were some plants. The first was a strange fungus that I found growing on a rotting log. I also found some of these fuzzy flowers growing deep in the woods. I didn't know what they were so I looked them up on the Connecticut Botanical Society's web site. I found that they were Patridgeberry. And, a cool fact about this plant is that the flowers always grow in pairs. Once fertilized, the two flowers fuse into a single berry.
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Birds: Gray Catbird, Red-wing Blackbird, Common Grackle, Mourning Dove, Veery, Eastern Wood Peewee, American Robin, Worm-eating Warbler (?), Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck

CT Audubon Sanctuaries (6/16)

On Saturday, June 16th, Shannon and I got together to visit a couple of the Connecticut Audubon Sanctuaries that I'd never been to before. We started by driving south from my house to the Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield.

This was actually a really nice facility. We started inside looking thru the simple displays. There were the obligatory stuffed specimens of several common birds but they had some live animals as well. The Red-eared Slider was nice but my favorite was the Blue-tongue Skink. He was so fun to watch.

The sanctuary also had a Bird of Prey compound on its ground. All the birds in the facility had been seriously hurt and couldn't be returned to the wild. All the common raptors were represented including Barn Owl, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Peregrin Falcon, Turkey Vulture, etc. It was so sad to see these beautiful birds cooped up in there cages but at least they are well fed and cared for.

Next we decided to take a nice hike thru the Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary that abuts the Connecticut Audubon property. We started by heading towards the largest pond on the map. Tree Swallows were swooping back and forth over the water and a Veery called to us from his perch on the fence. We walked down several trails stopping ever so often to admire a mushroom or watch the Water Striders "skate" back and forth over the water. The trails were very nice with several small ponds that supported turtles, Wood Ducks, and the ever-present Red-wing Blackbirds. There was even a special Fragrance Trail at the end of the walk. Unfortunately there wasn't much in bloom during our visit so we had to admire the view instead.

My plan for our next stop was to head over to Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point. But, as we made our way back the skies began to seriously darken. Just as we pulled up in the sanctuary's parking lot the rain started. We scampered in a small covered kiosk and watched the lightening in the distance. It really was incredible to watch the rain as it advanced over the bay.

After about a half hour of rain, the skies finally cleared enough for us to take a quick look around the area. The office was already closed but we did look over the bay from the observation platform before taking a walk along the beach. This is definitely a place that I'd like to try again but we probably won't ever have the place to ourselves again.

Decline of Common Birds

CNN.com has a great article on the decline of some "common" bird species in the United States over the last 40 years. Some of these bird populations have dropped over % over this time period (gallery). It would be tragic if these species become rarities in my lifetime.

In this same vein, the Connecticut Audubon Society also has posted its State of the Birds report for 2007. This year's report details the most pressing threats to birds in the state.

Cotton Hollow Preserve: Glastonbury, CT (6/10)

Back in Connecticut, Shannon took me to Cotton Hollow Preserve, a small conservation area near her house. The property is owned and maintained by the Glastonbury Parks and Recreation department. It boasts lot of nice trails most of which run parallel to Roaring Brook.

As we began our hike the skies became very overcast. It didn't rain on us but the threat was always there. But, even in the low light the view of the river was fantastic. We stopped several times to take photos of the river before continuing on.

Eventually we got to an area of the river where the water pooled up deep enough for swimming. One brave soul was waist deep in the cold water as we passed. We stopped for a while to admire the scenery before turning back for home. But, this is definitely a place that I'd like to hike again (preferably when its sunnier).

Dauphainais Park: Grafton, MA (6/10)

Sunday we were off to Dauphainais Park for a Massachusetts Butterfly Club field trip led by my Mom's friend, Dolores Price. I went alone to the park a bit early hoping to do some birding. But, it was actually VERY quiet and I didn't turn up many birds at all.

So, after a while of searching I headed back to the parking lot to meet the rest of the group. The butterfly trip was very nice and we found a total of 31 species. But, my favorite was actually a moth that gave me ample time to take its photograph.

I didn't stay for the entire trip since I needed to get back to meet my friends Kate and Eric back in Auburn. But, I've posted the trip totals anyhow.

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Butterflies: 2 Black Swallowtail, 3 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail , 2 Cabbage White , 2 Clouded Sulphur , 2 Orange Sulphur, 5 American Copper , 1 Eastern Tailed-Blue , 1 Spring Azure (violacea), 66 Pearl Crescent , 3 Red Admiral , 3 American Lady, 1 Painted Lady, 5 Viceroy , 2 Red-spotted Admiral, 30 Common Ringlet , 85 Little Wood Satyr , 1 Common Wood Nymph , 1 Hoary Edge, 8 Silver-spotted Skipper, 3 Dreamy Duskywing , 21 Northern Cloudywing, 1 Juvenal's Duskywing , 6 Common Sootywing , 5 Least Skipper , 20 European Skipper, 22 Peck’s Skipper , 1 Tawny-edged Skipper , 1 Long Dash, 14 Hobomok Skipper , 3 Dusted Skipper, 1 Pepper and Salt Skipper

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Birds: Blue-wing Warbler, Gray Catbird, Prairie Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, American Robin, American Goldfinch, Eastern Phoebe, Northern Flicker, Song Sparrow, American Crow, Eastern Towhee, Blue Jay

Quabbin Reservoir (6/9)

It was another weird overcast day on Saturday June 9th. But this didn’t stop us from taking a trip out to Quabbin Reservoir. I hadn’t been out to the reservoir in some time and it was good to get back.

We started in the Gate ?? area. Even though it was later in the morning, the birds were all still singing loudly. Became really difficult to pick out individual songs but we did our best. As we hiked, we heard Wood Thrushes, Veerys, Black-throated Green Warblers, and Ovenbirds. In a small clearing my Mom thought that she could hear a Chestnut-sided Warbler so I decided to call it in. The second that I played the recording, the small male bird appeared. He looked at us inquisitively before disappearing again into the trees.

We continued up the road until we got to a small marshy area. Common Yellowthroats were calling from the bushes and we spotted a Great Blue Heron on the opposite shore from us. As we watched, a Cooper's Hawk dove down out of a tree and escaped into the woods.

In this area I came across a strange sight. It was a Red Eft who had climbed near the top what must appear to him to be a giant boulder. I can’t imagine why he would do this but it made for a really nice shot.

After a bit more, we turned around and headed back to the parking lot. As we walked we noticed Pink Ladyslippers in full bloom all around us. They were absolutely beautiful.

Once back at the car we decided to drive out to the boat launch area to have our lunch. The boat launch was also a pretty good site for birdwatching. There were Tree Swallows everywhere and one even perched on a piece of wood one a few feet from our picnic table. With all the boat activity, the water was relatively bare but my Dad did find one Loon.

After lunch we walked around the area a bit more and turned up some really nice birds. On the water was a family of Canada Geese. And, while we were admiring the goslings an adult Bald Eagle soared overhead.

Since we weren't dead tired yet, my Mom and I decided to walk along the road. From there we heard Cedar Waxwings, a Warbling Vireo, lots of Redstarts, and at least one Great Crested Flycatcher. But the best bird of the day was the Blackburnian Warbler that we spotted in the trees. That's such a handsome bird. It was a nice end to the day.
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Birds: Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Veery, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mallard, Eastern Phoebe, Chipping Sparrow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Great Blue Heron, Cooper's Hawk, Gray Catbird, Black and White Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Tufted Titmouse, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Crow, Red-eyed Vireo, Scarlet Tananger, Barred Owl, Blue Jay, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Wood Peewee, Pine Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Canada Goose, Eastern Kingbird, Red-tail Hawk, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Common Loon, Cedar Waxwing, Warbling Vireo, Great-crested Flycatcher, Bald Eagle, Blackburnian Warbler, Turkey Vulture

Bent-of-the-River: Southbury, CT (6/8)

On Friday the 8th Shannon and I spent the afternoon at Bent-of-the-River in Southbury. It was a beautiful summer day and we had the entire sanctuary to ourselves. We got to the barn and were treated to some good sightings. I spotted my first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the year and the feeders were filled with all sorts of common birds (Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, Goldfinch, etc.). There were also Chipmunks everywhere. These guys were taking full advantage of the bounty of seed. They would pack their cheek pouches full of food and then scamper down their holes to fill up their winter food cache. After spending a while enjoying the display we decided to start our hike.

We hiked by the river, thru the meadows, and up the Zig-Zag Trail. The bird activity was relatively low but we did have a few nice sightings. We spotted a male Indigo Bunting in the field. I also was able to locate the Pileated Woodpecker nest hole and we got a glimpse of what I'm guessing was the (almost fledged) chick sticking its head out of the hole.

We headed back down the road before taking a quick side trip to the Cascades. On the way there we found some shiny red shelf mushrooms growing on a dying tree. They we very beautiful. When we finally got to the waterfall it was a bit disappointing. The waterfall has been reduced to a trickle. But there still was enough of a pool at the bottom for Shannon and I to take our shoes off and cool our feet off.

AS we were putting our shoes back on, Shannon spotted a Millipede in the leaf litter. It was amazing that something with so many legs fell down so often but this bug was really flopping around. I took some pictures before he disappeared under the leaves.

We hiked back to the barn and decided to spend a little time on the observation platform. This was actually the best birding of the day. We watched all the birds come in to the feeders for an evening snack. My favorite were the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. Shannon liked the Mourning Doves (which were everywhere). Other highlights were an Indigo Bunting, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Goldfinches, a Bluebird, and a pair of sparring hummingbirds.

Before leaving for the night we stopped at the wildflower garden and saw that the Columbine was in bloom. The Dogwood trees were also very pretty.

This was an incredible afternoon at a unique place with a special woman. I can't believe that no one else took the opportunity to get out for a hike.

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Birds: House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee, Eastern Phoebe, American Goldfinch, Blue Jay, Eastern Bluebird, Mourning Dove, Indigo Bunting, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Turkey Vulture, Wood Thrush, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Song Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Black and White Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Wild Turkey

Delaney WMA (6/3)

Trying to take advantage of the end of the migration season, my parents and I took a trip over to Delaney WMA. It was a dreary overcast day and the birds were pretty hard to find. But we tried our best anyhow.

We started the day at the "back" of the property. As we drove to the trail entrance we stopped a few times to look over the water. There were all the usual suspects present: Red-wing Blackbirds, Yellow Warblers, Orioles, Cedar Waxwings, etc. We also saw at least one occupied Great Blue Heron nest.

After this casual birding we decided to take a hike into the property. Right near the start of the trail we were lucky enough to see two Hairy Woodpeckers interacting. But, the main problem with the rest of our hike was that it was still very overcast and the mosquitoes were out in force. They swarmed around us for the entire time. Eventually it got so bad that we turned around and headed back to the car.

But, we weren't completely discouraged so we decided to try the "bowl" area. This part of the property is fairly open and doesn't have anywhere near the population of mosquitoes. But, there are a lot of dog walkers which can make things interesting (to say the least).

The highlight of this second part of our day were the swallows (both Tree and Barn). They were everywhere swooping over the water picking off bugs. For some reason a good portion of the activity was centered on the area where the lake drains into a stream. It was fun to watch the birds swoop, bank, and dive like little jet fighters.

We continued down into the "bowl" hoping to find a few Silvery Blues. But, it is the end of their normal season and the day wasn't exactly conducive to butterfly watching. Even given these shortcomings, my Mom was still able to spook up two Blues.
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Birds: Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Wood Duck, Eastern Wood Peewee, Great Blue Heron, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Hairy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Black and White Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Common Yellowthroat, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Chipping Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Mallard, Baltimore Oriole, Common Grackle, Mute Swan, Black-capped Chickadee, Chimney Swift, Canada Goose, Killdeer

Draper Park/Milford Power Lines (6/2)

On Saturday June 2nd there was another field trip for the Broad Meadow Brook butterfly institute. This one was led by two of my good friends, Tom and Cathy Dodd. The group was pretty small (Tom, Cathy, my parents, and Martha Gach from BMB) but we had a lot of fun.

We started at Draper Park. My parents and I had explored this area a few times before and its always good for butterflies. This trip was no exception. We had some really nice butterflies including Red Spotted Admiral, Spicebush Swallowtail, and Pepper and Salt Skipper. We also found a Ringneck Snake hiding out under some sheet metal. This was only my second sighting of this species in Massachusetts so it was a great find. We also found an Eight Spotted Forrester Moth and one of the strangest black wasps that I've ever seen.

After finishing up at the park we headed over to the power lines in Milford. By this time it had gotten pretty hot but we decided to take a short hike anyhow. We adding a couple more butterfly species including Harris' Checkerspot and Spring Azure to our list. We also stumbled across a Red-tail Hawk nest one top of one of the poles. Both adults spent a lot of time trying to distract us from their chick. The little guy was still al fuzz but he was getting to be pretty big.

The only disappointment of the day was that I didn't find any Spotted Turtles. I've found them at one site along the power lines on two separate occasions. But, as hard as I looked I didn't spot them this year.

Butterflies (Draper Park/Milford Power Lines): 1/1 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, 1/0 Spicebush Swallowtail, 1/0 Cabbage White, 1/2 Clouded Sulphur, 2/0 Red Spotted Purple, 1/3 American Copper, 1/1 Eastern Tailed Blue, 0/1 Spring Azure , 12/5 Pearl Crescent, 0/3 Harris Checkerspot, 1/1 American Lady, 8/0 Little Wood Satyr, 1/2 Viceroy, 11/0 Ringlet, 2/0 Juvenal's Duskywing, 0/1 Wild Indigo Duskywing, 0/2 Duskywing species, 1/0 Northern Cloudywing, 1/1 Pepper and Salt , 1/0 Hobomok skipper, 5/4 Peck's skipper, 5/3 Dusted skipper, 1/1 Long Dash, 2/0 Tawny-edged skipper

Broad Meadow Brook MAS: Worcester, MA (5/27)

Well, I'm really far behind with my posting again but I'm trying my best to catch up. Spring and summer are always the toughest times to do this because there are some many places to see. And the more pictures I take the longer it takes to get them all posted.

Anyhow, on Sunday May, 27th I spent the morning over at Broad Meadow Brook. My Mom was leading a field trip there as part of the Butterfly Institute classes that she is organizing for the sanctuary. The trip wasn't until the late morning but I got up early and headed over there to see what I could find.

I parked at the Dunkirk entrance and headed down the stretch. I had a few nice birds but nothing too spectacular. Right at the parking lot I found a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. At the other end of the stretch I spooked a Green Heron which took off for a "safer" part of the brook.

From the stretch I headed over the stone bridge and up the hill towards the power lines. Both sides of the trail were covered with False Solomon's-seal. The flowers were nice but the mosquitoes were vicious so I continued on.

When I got to the power lines I stopped to take a few pictures for my gallery. Looking though a year of photos it is interesting to see how the area has changed since the cut. I've been noticing more bushy plants starting to take over. Before we know it, it will be time for another cut.

It was still early morning but the butterflies were already out. I found a Tiger Swallowtail some Pearl Crescents, and various Duskywing species on my trip. I hiked most of the road before heading towards Granite St to meet up with my parents. When I finally found them, they were admiring an Eastern Bluebird who was perched on the power line. I hope that he was using the nesting boxes that John Shea put out last year.

Instead of heading back into the sanctuary proper we decided to go back to Granite St and head up the hill. We saw a few nice butterflies including an American Lady and some Wild Indigo Duskywings. At the top of the hill near the soccer field I turned over some trash and found some salamanders, Leadbacks and Redbacks. After taking some photos I carefully replaced the debris and headed on. A little further up we heard a Prairie Warbler and were lucky to get real good looks at it. By this time we needed to start back to meet the rest of the trip attendees.

The field trip was pretty good. We found a good number of butterflies including Spicebush Swallowtail, Red Admiral, Dusted Skipper, and two Cobweb Skippers mating. We even found a few dozen Harris' Checkerspot caterpillars happily munching on Flat-top White Aster.

As we headed back down the stretch at the end of the trip we noticed that the beaver dams showed signs of being repaired. The sanctuary employees told me that there were signs of beavers moving into the vacated lodge. That is certainly great news.

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Birds: Brown-headed Cowbird, American Robin, Tree Swallow, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Red-winged Blackbird, Prairie Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Blue Wing Warbler, Eastern Bluebird, Gray Catbird, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Wood Peewee, Green Heron, Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon, Chimney Swift, Baltimore Oriole, Willow Flycatcher, Downy Woodpecker, Common Grackle, Red-tail Hawk, Mallard, Wood Thrush, Blue Jay, Turkey Vulture

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Herps: Garter Snake, Bullfrog, Redback Salamander

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Butterflies: 3 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, 2 Spicebush Swallowtail, 2 Black Swallowtail, 12 Cabbage White, 4 Clouded Sulphur, 2 American Copper, 1 Eastern Tailed Blue, 6 Azure sp., 23 Pearl Crescent, 1 American Lady, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Viceroy, 2 Silver-spotted Skipper, 1 Dreamy Duskywing, 4 Juvenal's Duskywing, 1 Wild Indigo Duskywing, 15 Duskywing sp., 2 Cobweb skipper, 1 Peck's skipper, 1 Dusted skipper

Horseneck Beach Area (5/26)

On Saturday it was back to the shore again. This time it was Horseneck Beach for a butterfly field trip to Allen's Pond MAS. My parents and I decided to explore Gooseberry Neck before meeting the rest of the group at Allen's Pond. It was nice morning and there were lots of animals out and active. We heard lots of Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers plus at least one Willow Flycatcher. On the water were a group of Common Eider and a Double-crested Cormorant.

We even found a few butterflies (mostly American Coppers and Pearl Crescents). I also found this cool looking beetle while sitting at the edge of one of the tide pools. But, the animal of day was the Fowler's Toads. There seemed to be two or three every time you looked down. I find it really amazing that these toads can live in such a sandy and salty habitat.

We don't usually come out to this area in the early summer so we were treated to a totally different group of flowers. A lot of the bushes were in bloom and there was lots of Rugosa Rose flowers everywhere. I also found some Yellow Stargrass plus this one that I haven't been able to figure out.

After spending the morning at Gooseberry Neck we headed over to Allen's Pond for the field trip. Our leader, Lauren, brought us over to Barney's Joy where we searched the fields for butterflies. We found a good amount for early summer but nothing too spectacular. We were, however, able to find some great birds including Brown Thrashers, Savannah Sparrows, and a field full of singing Bobolinks. We also spotted this Tree Swallow perched on top of a medium sized stump. He was very cooperative because his mate was sitting on the next close by.

We also found some cool flowers including Blue-eyed Grass, Mouse-ear Chickweed, and Bird's-eye Speedwell.
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Birds: Northern Harrier, Yellow Warbler, Mourning Dove, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow, Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, Common Eider, Gray Catbird, Eastern Towhee, Willow Flycatcher, Prairie Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Willet, Greater Black Back Gull, Brown-headed Cowbird, Savannah Sparrow, American Robin, Barn Swallow, Brown Thrasher, Tree Swallow

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Butterflies: Black Swallowtail 8, Monarch 1, American Copper 20, Pearl Crescent 9, Clouded Sulfur 11, Cabbage White 12, Eastern-tailed Blue 3, Red Admiral 1, American Lady 1, unknown Ladies 3

Herps: Fowler's Toad

Hammonasset Beach State Park: Madison, CT (5/25)

Shannon had the day off on Friday so I decided to take one too. We got up early and headed down to Hammonasset Beach State Park. We were surprised how short the drive was and we were out of the car walking along the beach before we knew it. It was a beautiful morning and everyone was happy to be at the shore.

After spending a few minutes on the beach we decided to head over to the trails while it was still relatively cool. First we stopped at the butterfly garden at the Meigs Point Nature Center. Unfortunately there weren't too many flowers in bloom so the garden was devoid of butterflies. We sat for a few minutes watching the Grackles and Robins bathe in the running water before starting our walk.

Before we even made it to the trail, we found lots of great birds. The nature center has several colony nesting boxes for Purple Martins and we saw dozens of the birds. Tree and Barn Swallows were also swooping about looking for insects. While we were watching the swallows, a small flock of Glossy Ibises flew over. They are really cool to watch.

The trail itself was short but very nice. We walked out to the most extreme point where there was a very nice viewing platform. From the platform we saw an Osprey on the nest and heard several Willets along the water's edge. I even spotted a Ruddy Turnstone as it flew past.

We started back and on the return trip for a great spot for warblers. We spent several minutes watching and listening and identified several species: Black and White Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula. As we left the path, Shannon spotted a Northern Oriole singing proudly from the trees.

Next we spent some time near one of the brackish pools by the nature center. Several Common Terns were diving into the pool and a few even came up with small fish. By this time the nature center was open so we took a quick walk thru. It had several displays including stuffed specimens and natural history displays. There was also a touch pool and several live reptiles upstairs (Copperhead, Garter Snake, Painted Turtle, Snapping Turtle, Box Turtle, Milk Snake, etc.).

After a busy morning we spent the afternoon relaxing. We had our lunch on the covered deck and then laid on the beach for a while. After a nice walk along the beach we played an original game of stacking Pocketbook Shells.

Before heading for home we decided to do a little more birding. We found a Least Sandpiper searching for food in the muddy banks of one of the pools. In the same pool, I spotted a small heron which I later identified as a Little Blue. We watched him hunt, head bobbing back and forth, for a long time. Every so often he would stab at the water and come up with a fish. Then he would fly off to the next fishing spot. While we watched the heron, we also got great looks at a Yellow Warbler happily defending his favorite tree.

On the way out, we made one final stop to take some pictures of the Rugosa Rose. These flowers were everywhere and most were in perfect bloom. When I looked up the plant's name I was surprised to learn that it isn't native to North America.

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Birds: Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Mourning Dove, American Robin, Common Yellowthroat, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, Common Grackle, American Goldfinch, Glossy Ibis, Ruddy Turnstone, Common Tern, Herring Gull, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Black Duck, Osprey, American Restart, Yellow Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, Black and White Warbler, Northern Parula, Scarlet Tananger, Baltimore Oriole, Brown-headed Cowbird, Least Sandpiper, Fish Crow, Little Blue Heron, Mallard, Yellowlegs species, Chimney Swift, Turkey Vulture.

Maj. Michael Donnelly Land Preserve: South Windsor, CT

Next we headed over to a place that I'd discovered a few years back, Maj. Michael Donnelly Land Preserve. Its a nice property in South Windsor jointly owned by the Town of South Windsor and the State of Connecticut which has been dedicated to Maj. Donnelly. Donnelly, a resident of the town, contracted ALS during the first Gulf War and dedicated his life to exposing the truth about Gulf War Syndrome before succumbing to the disease in 2005.

The reserve is a very nice place for a hike. There is ample parking at the Sullivan Ave entrance. The trail slopes down from the parking lot to a small pond filled with cattails and reeds. A boardwalk brings you around the pond and into a brushy habitat. I've never come to the property specifically for birds but its probably a great site for spring migration. I wasn't paying too much attention to the calls but I did hear the common warblers, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow Warbler, throughout the hike. We also spotted a Red Admiral patrolling his territory in one of the woodier sections of the trail. As we looped back to the parking lot, we came across a Green Frog sunning itself on the boardwalk. We also found a few flowers that I have been unable to identify.

Oak Grove Nature Center: Manchester, CT (5/20)

I headed back to Connecticut in the late morning and by the time I got to Shannon's house the clouds all cleared and it was a beautiful day. We decided to take an afternoon hike at one of her favorite places, the Oak Grove Nature Center in Manchester. I lived in Manchester for around 5 years but I'd never been to this property.

It was a really nice place for a walk. The centerpiece of the property is a large pond which is rimmed by a nice trail. The trail even goes over a picturesque covered bridge. We did the loop and were amazed by the number of Painted Turtles that were out basking in the sun. But, I guess they needed some solar energy after the cold damp weekend.