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.