[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.