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