Gay City State Park (10/4)

The beginning of Fall is always a bittersweet time for me. The weather here in New England is all but perfect with cool, crisp mornings and warm afternoons. The landscape is at its best with beautiful colors appearing out of nowhere. But it also signals the start of the long cold Winter.

A couple weeks ago I had a picture perfect Saturday morning so I forced myself out of bed, threw my hiking boots on, and headed to Gay City State Park. This place has become one of my favorite places to hike ever since I moved to Glastonbury. It has a wide variety of habitats, lots of trails, and is nearly empty anytime other than the hot Summer months.

I arrived at the park around 6:30 and started down the main road. The grass was covered with newly fallen leaves which looked stunning in the soft morning light. I walked down the road towards the pond and heard lots of birds all around me. They were all our common winter residents but were still lots of fun to watch. As I got closer to the pond I heard the distinct call of a Pileated Woodpecker. I tried to get a look at the bird but the foliage was still relatively thick. And every time that I thought I was getting close enough, he flew away.

After 15 minutes of searching I gave up and headed down to the water. It was a cool morning and a light fog clung to the pond. I paused on the bench to admire the view for a minute or two before heading down the trail. I wanted to follow the creek to the smaller pond a short distance downstream. I had found some nice waterfowl there last winter and I wanted to see if they were back.

As I got to the trail, I was surprised to see that it was lined with asters. Half had gone to seed but a few were still in the late stages of their bloom. The trail was still in the morning shadows so it was a bit cool. But the sound of the running water and flowers made it a great walk. As I got closer to where the river empties into the second pond, I started two ducks. As they flew away, I identified them as Wood Ducks.

As I came to the end of the trail I paused a moment to see if I could sneak up to anything that happened to be on the pond. The fall foliage was stunning from my vantage point in the shadows. I used the bushed for cover and slowly peered over the top. I was surprised to see 16 more Wood Ducks alongside a couple of Canada Geese. Wood Ducks are usually pretty skittish (probably from being shot at so much) so it was a real treat to see them feeding and interacting. After watching them for ten minutes or so, I decided to come out from the bushes and, as I expected, the small ducks all scattered.

I continued my walk a bit further. When I stopped to find a good way around a particularly wet portion of the trail I was struck by the fierce red leaves of the bushes that lined the water. They were covered with a morning dew which only enhanced the color. They were a macro photographer's dream.

Just before I turned around to head back, I decided to go off the path to see if I could get another look at the Wood Ducks. On a branch over the water was a Phoebe. I watched as it hawked insects off the water. Since it always returned to the same perch, I focused my camera there and got some nice photos.

At this point, I had to head back. But as I retraced my steps I was struck by the beauty of the sunlit path. Sometimes a simple change of perspective can reveal something great.

Birds: Catbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Canada Goose, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, American Robin, Pileated Woodpecker, American Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Wood Duck, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Towhee, Red-bellied Woodpecker

Uninvited Visitor (10/1)

The other day when I got home from work my wife yelled downstairs to me that we had a bird in the house. Apparently the little guy got into the house through some open window and couldn't get out. We searched the house but couldn't find him so I just figured that he found his way out.

Later that night as I was folding the laundry I looked down on the bed and there was a Carolina Wren staring back up at me. I thought that he may be hurt so I figured that it would be easy to catch him. I snuck out of the room and returned with a pillow case. Like my hunter ancestors, I through this onto him but surprisingly he quickly flew off.

The rest of the evening was spent chasing him from room to room. I opened all of the windows but do as I may, I couldn't entice him to fly out. Eventually I forced him into one of our guest rooms and shut the door. I thought that with fewer options he would eventually see the open window and get out. But Shannon, Chris, and I couldn't get this to happen. So, after about 30 minutes we just shut the door and left him overnight. the next morning he was gone.

Back in Time - Glastonbury Town Conservation Land (5/16)

Well, its been a long difficult year for me. One that I will never forget. It just seemed like a cursed year. I lost my Mom and Aunt. My wife got in two auto accidents and my sister got in three. This New Year's I'll be so glad to ring into the new year. It can't possibly be as bad as this one.

Anyhow, with everything going on I've gotten away from writing in this blog. I really missed it but I just didn't have the time. There was always wedding plans to work on or house improvements to make. But, that doesn't mean that I didn't get out and enjoy nature. My time outside was limited but I tried to make the best out of it. And, now that I have a little more free time, I'd like to go back in time and relive some of the great adventures that I had. I hope that you enjoy reading about them.

Back in May I tried to get out every morning to go birding. Since I was relatively new to the Glastonbury area, I spent a lot of time looking for new places to hike. I read a posting about Diamond Lake right here in town. Unfortunately there was no directions so I just headed in the general direction hoping to find someplace.

I ended up finding a dirt road that split some great hiking land. On the left was Connecticut state land and the other side of the road was Glastonbury Conservation Land. I did some birding from the road and saw lots of birds. Unsatisfied, I started into the forest and was surprised to see a large bird fly low across the trail in front of me. When it perched, I focused my binoculars on it and was thrilled to see a Barred Owl. I watched the owl for a few minutes before heading back to the road.

I crossed the road and headed into the state land. Again, not far from the road I had an astounding sighting. I witnessed a territorial squabble between two Worm-eating Warblers. At one point the two birds flew so close by my head that I actually felt the force of the air as they flew by. The best part is that they were so occupied fighting that they paid me absolutely no attention. So, I got great looks at this secretive bird.