[CT Birds] Coastal Center

[Beverly Propen via CTBirds]

4/29 Milford, Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center. 10am-1PM. sunny, high
tide, 50-58F.
Very busy at the coastal center today. Our Purple Martin colony is getting
quite active. Our ospreys are nesting and have at least 3 eggs, possibly
4. The male osprey is bringing in fish for the female. Female was on the
nest, then male brought in a fish around noon; female was eating, then
took a short flight and returned around 12:15PM.
On the marsh: 1 Great Egret, about 300 Brant scattered throughout the
marsh, 2 American Oystercatchers on the osprey island and 3 ospreys (one
intruder flying around).
On the grounds & feeders: 4 Cardinals (2 bathing in the water fountain), 7
Common grackles, 6 Robins, 3 Starlings, 1 Goldfinch, 4 House finches, 1
Cowbird, 10 Red winged blackbirds singing, White throated sparrows, song
sparrows and House sparrows, Mourning doves and about 20 Purple martins
flying around and inside the gourds.
Bev Propen, Orange

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[Beverly Propen via CTBirds]

5/6 Milford, Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center. 10am-1:20pm. overcast to
rainy, low tide-rising, around 60F.
Very busy with enthusiastic class visits and other visitors today.
Our ospreys are doing well-female was on the nest all morning, while the
male perched in the marsh and on his post and flew around the marsh. Our
Purple Martin colony is busy with some setting up nests in the gourds and
others flying around.
On the marsh: Many Brant throughout the marsh, 4 Osprey- our 2 and 2
others from other local nests, 4 Snowy Egrets, 2 Great Egrets, 5 D.C.
Cormorants further out, 2 mallards, about 10 Willets, 18 Semipalmated
Plovers, Least Sandpipers, 1 Yellow Crowned Night Heron.
On the grounds & feeders: 1 Eastern Towhee (female) at fountain, 1 Downy
woodpecker, about 20 Purple Martins, 1 Savannah Sparrow, 2 Song sparrows,
2 White throated sparrows, about 14 Red winged Blackbirds, 4 Northern
Cardinals 4 House finches, 1 Goldfinch, 3 Catbirds, many Common Grackles, 1
Yellow rumped warbler, Fish Crow and American Crow, 11 Cedar waxwings in
tree at end of private road and the highlight for me was
1 Eastern Whip-poor-will sleeping on a rock at the end of the private road
(seen with 7 other birders). Thank you to Johann and Duncan for sharing
the sighting !

[Beverly Propen via CTBirds]

5/13 Milford, Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center. 10am-1PM. overcast , a
bit rainy early, 57-60F, high tide-receding.
Busy as usual at the coastal center with class visits and other human
visitors.
On the marsh: Our ospreys are nesting-male on his perch and female on the
nest. Many Purple Martins at the gourds. 1 Mallard under the front bird
feeders, 1 Fish crow, 2 Catbirds feeding on the oranges on the deck, 5
Mourning doves, a Goldfinch, House finches, song sparrows, Cardinals and
several Common grackles.
On the marsh: 1 Great Egret, 2 Tree swallows, 1 Least tern, 2 mallards, 2
Oystercatchers and about 250 Brant spread out around the marsh/
A walk with one of our visitors on the LIS sound side had many Piping
Plovers (some scurrying about and others in nest enclosures), about 25
Ruddy Turnstones, Least sandpipers, Semipalmated plovers and sandpipers.
There were several large flocks (sandpipers & plovers) flying along the
shoreline.

[Beverly Propen via CTBirds]

5/20 Milford, Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center. 10am-1PM. sunny, 85F,
low tide rising.
Very busy at the center today with class visitors and our human visitors.
We had a visitor from India the other day and today visitors from Paris.
Our Purple Martin colony is busy with many birds carrying in nesting
materials.
On the marsh:
3 Ospreys, (our male on his perch & flying around, female on the nest) and
another osprey from a local nest, 2 Canada Geese, about 87 Brant, 2
mallards, 2 Mute Swans, 1 Semipalmated Plover on the mudflat, 6 D.C.
Cormorants, 1 Yellow crowned night heron, 4 Great Egrets, a flock of
Willets and a flock of Least Sandpipers flew over.
On the grounds & feeders: 4 Mourning doves, 3 Song sparrows, several
grackles, 4 House finches, 1 Magnolia warbler and 1 Blackpoll warbler,
Blue jays, Robins, House sparrows, Cardinals, many Red winged blackbirds 2
Cedar waxwings, Catbirds and 1 Mockingbird.
Full report on Ebird.

[Beverly Propen via CTBirds]

5/27 Milford, Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center. 9:20am-1PM. overcast,
75-80F, high tide-receding.
Very busy at the center today with class visits as well as many human
visitors and people for a bird walk. Our ospreys are a hit. Two chicks
have hatched. The male brought in a fish around 11:40am- female ate some
and then proceeded to feed the two chicks. She fed them again around
12:15pm. Then she settled back on the nest.
On the marsh: 13 Brant, 5 flyover Canada Geese, 10 D.C. Cormorants far
out, 3 Least terns fishing, a flock of Semipalmated sandpipers flew by and
1 Great Egret. (viewed with scope and bins).
On the grounds & feeders: Our Purple martin colony has many flying around
and going in and out of the gourds, 6 Catbirds, 2 Blue jays, 4 Cardinals,
many House sparrows, 6 House finches, 8 Mourning doves, 3 Song sparrows, 2
Tree swallows flying over, 1 Goldfinch, 4 Robins, 2 Redstarts, 1 House
wren, a Fish Crow, an Eastern Kingbird, 2 Chickadees and a pair of mallards
that have been hanging out together in the marsh and walking around the
grounds.

[Beverly Propen via CTBirds]

6/3 Milford, Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center. 10am-1PM. sunny, 75-80F
, low tide rising.
Very busy as usual with class visits and other visitors.
Our ospreys have 4 chicks! 4th chick must have hatched recently because it
is noticeably smaller than the other 3. Male brought in a fish at
12:20PM. Female was feeding the chicks, and male was feeding the female as
well as the chicks.
Our Purple martin colony is active with several nests started and one nest
has 5 eggs already.
On the marsh: 4 Great Egrets, 2 Snowy Egrets, 4 mallards, 2 Least terns,
1 Yellow crowned night heron. At one point, the YC night heron immersed
itself in the marsh up to its neck and sat there for a while. Then it came
out and was sunning and drying off on the marsh edge.
On the grounds & feeders: 6 Catbirds, 2 Mockingbirds, many Red winged
blackbirds and Common grackles, House sparrows, 2 Song sparrows, 1 House
wren, 1 Goldfinch, 2 House finches, Northern Cardinals, Blue jays and
Starlings.

[Beverly Propen via CTBirds]

Milford, 6/10/2026. Overcast, 73-78F, high tide-receding.
Busy as usual with class visits and other visitors.
Many Purple Martins flying around and several in gourds. Many have nests
and some have eggs.
4 Rabbits hopping around.
On the marsh: 3 D.C. Cormorants, 2 Least terns, 2 Snowy egrets, 3 Great
egrets, 3 Herring gulls, 1 Great blue heron, 2 yellow crowned night
herons. Our osprey pair have 4 chicks (last one hatched is noticeably
smaller than the first 3.) Male brings in a fish around 11:45am and female
proceeds to feed all chicks. Two other ospreys from nest across the marsh
, flying around.
On the grounds & feeders: 4 Catbirds, 4 Mourning doves, 1 mockingbird, 3
Cardinals, 2 Blue Jays, 1 House wren, 5 Robins, 2 Cowbirds, 5 Common
grackles, Starlings, House sparrows, House finches, 2 Song sparrows, 2
Fish crows, 3 American crows and a pair of mallards walking around the
property, and then at the water fountain.
Camp starts next week, so the building will be closed to visitors during
the week. Grounds will be open.