Day 29 - January 29, 2012

Day started of nice with two bluebirds going in and out of one of the boxes we have here.  This also happened about this time last year and they never nested - haven't had nesting bluebirds in about 3 years.  Maybe this year things will be different.  This was at 8:22 am.

I decided to go up to the Whittemore Sanctuary which is part of Flanders Nature Center.  But before going there, I did what has becomes my quick stop - Trolley Bed Road.  When I arrived at Trolley Bed Road near the entrance to that trail I mentioned in a previous post, I heard a belted kingfisher - it may have been 2 since I heard the call coming from two different sides of the road.  I then walked down Trolley Bed Road and  on the way back saw that mocking bird in a shrub.  I was at Trolley Bed Road from 9:29 - 9:44 am; the temp was 39F with clear skies and gusty winds.

The it was on to Whittemore.  I got to Whittemore at 9:53 am and after looking at the trails map decided on the White Trail since it went past parts of Lake Quassapuag.  Of course, as luck would have it, it is also the longest trail at Whittemore - a 3.9 mile loop.  So I walked the loop in a counter clockwise direction.  Although it is still winter and many of the plants at Whittemore aren't growing yet, there seems to be lots of good places for birds to feed and hide like the clusters of mountain laurel, stands of evergreens, and lots of shrubs throughout the Sanctuary.  There are also bog area, streams, Lake Quassapaug, and wetlands there as well.  I finished the loop at 1:07 pm - much longer than I thought it would take but I did stop now and then for water, look for birds, take pictures, and talk to others on the trail.  So in those 3 hours or so, I saw junco and chickadees and heard a red bellied woodpecker.  Oh,  by the way, I tend to wear my hiking boots and keep a pair of sneakers in the car to change in and out of.  Usually I do this since the boots get muddied or wet but today I found out another reason, some places allows dogs to be on the trail.  Do I need to say more?

Finally on the way home, I went down Tuttle Road, slowed down and then stopped when  I got to that wetlands area.  I saw what I thought were mallards but there were other ducks too.  So I pulled off the road at a spot where a car can fit safely into, got out of the car with my binocs ands walked to the area.  They were mallards there - 6 of them - but also 8 Black Ducks - bird Number 30!  As I continued to scan the eare for any other bird, I also found a great blue heron.  This was at 1:25 pm with partly cloudy skies with gusts and 41F.

Then a little further down the road, on a tree limb over hanging the road, was a red tailed hawk.  What a neat way to end a 4 hour day of birding.


So, count is now:


30) Black Duck  8

Day 28 - January 28, 2012

Well, yesterday was a rainy day and today is a busy one, so no organized birding today.  But I did took a quick ride up to the Lake Quassapaug Sportsmen Club area to see if I can find any kind of duck there.  In December, during the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, I did see a ringed-neck duck and I was hoping for something like that today.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Woodbury does not have a lot of large open fresh water areas and the Sportsmen Club, although fresh, is not big.  So it was a chance to begin with.

I got to the LQSC at 11:03 am with clear skies and a temperature of 39F, and as luck would have it, the water was frozen over.  Oh well, maybe it will thaw in a few weeks and I can still get some waterfowl there.

Then on the way home, I decided  to drive down Trolley Bed Road and all I saw was the mockingbird that was there a few days ago.

Can't win them all....

Day 26 - January 26, 2012 (Getting Started)

A friend of mine who reads my posts, asked/suggested that I would explain things about birding, such as - what's needed, how do you pick a place, what do you look for, how do you know what will be where, etc.  So, I told her I will try to do my best.  But, I am not expert.  There are many out there who are, but I will give it my best shot.  As I tell my students, none of us is as smart as all of us.  So here goes it.

To begin with, all that is needed for birding, like anything else that is not a job, are time and passion.  Time is needed to get to a place and to look around once there as well as the time it will take to get better at identifying birds.  Passion is always needed because without it, there's no desire to look for birds or to identify them.

Some could argue that binoculars are needed too, but there are some birds that can be identified without binoculars if they are big enough and/or close enough.  However, I would have to add that a good field guide is needed.  There are many guides out there and it is really a personal preference which one you choose to use.  I started out using Roger Tory Peterson's Guide to Eastern United States (even used his Western Guide when I went to Colorado and San Francisco) but now I use David Sibley's Guide to Eastern United States more.  Why the change?  Sibley's pictures are next to the description of the bird as well as a map showing where and when the bird can most likely be seen  where as Peterson's, at least in the addition I have, has pictures, maps, and descriptions  are in different sections of the guide.

As for binoculars, that's a tough question for me to answer.  I started out with a pair I got from my Aunt Alice.  They belonged to my Uncle Jim.  The binocs were normal ones meaning they were not able to 'super magnify' objects - I think they were 35X5?  But they were the type that you had to spin/turn a knob to focus.  The ones I have now have a lever that I can just touch on either the left or right side to focus making it easier and quicker to do so especially with cold fingers in the winter.   Which ones are best for you?  If you have a birding store near by, go there and the workers there will help you answer all your questions.  That's what I did when I bought my spotting scope (and that's another whole topic.)  Or maybe find a second hand pair at a Goodwill Store or a thrift shop.  Start small and then work up.

So let me finish this post by just summarizing how to get started:  Get a guide book, go to a spot, start looking, and then as you get more involved then you can start buying the binocs, spotting scope, camera, etc.

Day 25 - January 25, 2012

Ever think of why things happen the way they do?

Today was a hectic day and a little stressful.  I woke up knowing that I had to run off copies of my midterm exam for tomorrow while thinking  (maybe actually hoping) that the photocopiers would not be down and or used constantly.  Then I knew students would be a bit in panic mode over midterms - can't blame them for being that way (I still have problems trying to justify a 2 hour test that covers 16 weeks worth of material, skills, and knowledge.  But to paraphrase Tennyson, mine's not to question why - or is it?  That's a whole other issue - back to birding!)

Then after school, there was a building meeting that I attended so I did not get out of school until close to 3:45/4:00. 

I knew I needed down time, so I stopped at the new Panera Bread in Southbury for a coffee and blueberry.  But that still wasn't enough to let me wind down.  So, I knew I had to do some birding.

I needed to figure where I could go that would be short but potentially rewarding.  I decided to walk along Trolley Bed Road.

So at 4:20pm, I got out of my car and started walking along the pond to my left.  Then I crossed over to check out the shrubs that border the private house on the corner.  I quickly saw a bird and using the binocs I noticed wing bars and for some reason I thought American Goldfinch but something was not right.  The bird was too big and not olive drab enough even for a winter female.  So I looked at the head, bill, tail, and coloration and said to myself "duhhhhhhh, it's a Mockingbird!"

And now the data:  Time was 4:20 - 4:50pm; temp was 41F; cloudy skies; somewhat breezy at times.

29)  Mockingbird  1

With 6 more days left in January, maybe I can see 2 more birds so I can average 1 a day for the month.  Based on my past records, there are some possibilities and maybe, just maybe, that red breasted nuthatch will come back for a positive ID.

Day 24 - January 24, 2012

Have decided that in order to be efficient, after January I will only blog when I see a new bird or spend an hour or more out looking for birds.  Sometimes , too much blogging is for the birds (ok, you knew I had to get a bird joke in there some how).

Had to run some errands after school which only allowed only time to drive down South Pomperaug Road and up Park Road and over Bacon Pond Road.  Saw nothing.

So total is still 28.

Day 23 - January 23, 2012

Well, with drizzle and staying late at school today, there was no birding.  But, tomorrow is another day.

So my total stands at 28.

Day 22 - January 22, 2012

I figured today was going to be a slow day since I needed to stay indoors to get a quiz made up for tomorrow and put the final touches on the mid-term exam.  Instead of going out, I was just going to post pictures of some of the birds I have seen already and/or some interesting shots I took while birding.  I am still going to do that.

But as I have mentioned a few times in my posts, birding, and life, have minds of their own.  So while working on school things this morning, I got up to look at the feeders for a minute.  And guess what?!  On the suet feeder was a Hairy Woodpecker.  I was hoping for one since I have seen them here in the past, but it was nice for the bird to come to me instead having to go out looking for it.

So at 12:13pm with a temperature of 28F with overcast sky but calm winds:

28)  Hairy Woodpecker   1

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

Re Bellied Woodpecker

Red Bellied Woodpecker

House Finch

Water - Trolley  Trail

Water - Trolley Trail

Day 21 - January 21, 2012

Ok...it  snowed today but after clearing off the cars, I decided to walk over to Nonnewaug High School to see what might be there.

So I got to NHS at 1:15pm and started to walk along the driveway to the left of the school that heads towards to road to the lower field.  When I got to the steps to go to the lower field, I decided to go and walk the lower field - never been down there before.- so why not do it today.  I went down the stairs, got to the lower field and started to walk in a clockwise direction.

Within a minute or so of walking the perimeter of the lower, a red tailed hawk flew out of the trees.  Seeing the hawk did not surprised me but what did surprise me was that I walked right by it when I was on the driveway on my way to the stairs - I got to remember to look into trees as well as towards the ground from now on.

Over all, my trip around the perimeter of the lower field was not eventful but I never realized how close the Pomperaug (?) River was to the field - should be interesting in the spring to see what birds are there with the river, food, and shrubs.

I did my usually birding thing - meander here to there, explore thickets, shrubby areas, etc.  I did not see any new birds to add to the list but I did see the red tailed hawk, crows, juncos, white throated sparrows, blue jays, red bellied woodpecker, cardinals, and cedar waxwings.  I was there from 1:15 to 2:30 pm, the temperature was about 21F,  the snow sometimes was almost horizontal because of the wind, and maybe there was 4 inches of snow on ground.

I found something interesting based on what I do when I bird a field like today or an area like Flanders Nature Center - I just take this path or this path.  If I reach a dead end or water, I turn around and back track to a new trail.  So I bird sort of like life.  I make this decision or that decision not knowing where it will lead me in the future - sometimes the future is good; sometimes not as good.

But because today I meandered here and there and back tracked once or twice, I ended up at the right place at the right time to see a flock of waxwing in a cedar tree.

Maybe life is for the birds....

Day 20 - January 20, 2012

I wanted to try and see if I could find those Savannah Sparrows from yesterday.  So today, I decided to first go up River Road in Southbury to see what might be on the Housatonic River even though I know those birds would not be counted toward my Big Year. 

ON the Housatonic were 2 Mute Swans, 1 female Common Merganser, and a Greater Black-Backed Gull.  I also saw 7 Bluebirds on the Mitchell Farm property.  This was all from 3:12-3:30pm with the  temperature at 28F under clear calm skies.

I arrived at the spot whee I saw the Savannah Sparrows the day before at 3:45pm.  However, after spending 9 minutes looking for them, I did not see them or for that matter, any bird at all.  The wind was gusty which might have been the reason.

Oh well, that's birding for you.

So, count still stays at 27 for year.

Day 19 - January 19, 2012

On the way home, I thought I would give the Upper Grassy Hill Road section a shot. In the spring/summer, I have seen bobolinks and kestrels here and today I was hoping for a sparrow or two.

Since I was coming from Southbury, I first stopped at a pond that is near a field but nothing was there.

I drove up to the big field - the one across the road from the 'airport' (airplane hangar)- parked the car near that small building, got out, and started to check out the shrubs.

As I started to walk along the shrubs, I saw some sparrows moving around. So I stepped further out into the street in order not to scare them away. I was able to see a few of them in the binocs and saw their streaked breasts with a central spot. Song Sparrows, I thought! But as I continued to look at them, I saw yellowish-green feathers on the sides of their heads - I have never seen this on a song sparrow before. So once I got back to the car, I looked through both my Sibley and Peterson guides trying to find pictures of sparrows with streaked breasts, central spot, and yellow/green on sides of heads. No luck!

So when I got home, the first thing I did was to send out an email on the CTBIRD list serve telling what I saw and asking if any more experienced birder had an ideas. It wasn't long before I received emails from Greg Hanisek and Ken Elkins - both well known birders in CT (Greg writes nature articles for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper and has a blog (http://blogs.rep-am.com/nature) of his own and Ken is the Education Program Manager at the Bent of River Audubon (http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org/)in Southbury, CT). Both Greg and Ken are saying they were Savannah Sparrows that I saw.

So, I am going back there tomorrow to see if I can find them again. If I do, what a nice find for my Big Year and it would be another life bird for me!

Weather: 3:25-3:35; 29F; overcast; breezy

Since Greg and Ken both were so sure they were Savannah Sparrows, I am going to count them as #27 towards my Big Year.

Please note: I did not get a chance to post this on Thursday but I wanted to write it as if I did)

Day 18 - January 18, 2012

I knew it would be a long shot on the way home to see anything but nothing ventured nothing gained.

So I drove down South Pomperaug Road and saw nothing - water is mostly frozen still and then headed up to Trolley Bed Road to check it out.

So, from 4:30 to 4:48pm, I walked both sides of Trolley Bed Road as well as the pond near it and checked out the area across the street but did not see anything at all - new or old.

So, total still stands at 26.

Day 17 - January 17, 2012

Well...the weather today - snow, rain, fog, etc - and work did not lend itself to much birding today. I drive down Trolley Bed Road very slowly in case something was there, but I did not see anything.

I also drove down Cat Swamp Road but the 'lake' there was iced over.

Oh well, can't win them all.

Number stands at 26 birds.

Day 16 - January 16, 2012

I have found out in my life that when I make plans, the best ones are 'skeleton' ones and I just let life fill in the 'muscle'. Such is what happened today. Originally I was going to go down to the shore, not Jersey's but CT's - Westport, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Stratford & Milford. But after yesterday's excursion to Flanders Nature Center, I could not do another long one today and besides, those birds would count for my yearly total but not for my Big Year. So I decided to bird the old trolley line behind what one the golf driving range.

So I got to the spot at 9:55am, clear skies, 17F (according to car thermometer) and no wind. And wouldn't you know it - the first bird I saw there was a Cedar Waxwing - the same ones I think I saw in yard yesterday but could not be positive due to sun being behind them. The other birds I saw were 'repeats' - 6 white throated sparrows, 1 crow, and 1 junco.

By the way, there were a few down trees/limbs blocking the trail which I hope the Town will take care of before spring since the area has everything birds will want when they return - water, shelter, and food.

On the way home, I got a pleasant surprise. While on Bacon Pond Road, I saw 6 Turkeys on the side of the road near the school bus depot. That was at 11:33am with the temp of 24F.

So my Big Year count is now:

25) Cedar Waxing 1
26) Turkey 6

Day 15 - January 15, 2012

Today I birded Flanders Nature Center. I was there from 9:20-11:55 am. The starting temp was 14F and when I finished the temp was 19F. Sky was clear and a brisk breeze was present now and then. Although I did not see any new birds to add to Big Year list, I did see a crow, 2 chickadees, a titmouse, 3 juncos, 5 blue birds, 3 white throated sparrows, and 1 male cardinal (the red against brown shrubs stood out like a sore thumb).

It has been a while since I really walked Flanders although I worked there as an instructor one summer and have attended a few of their Fall Festivals. The first thing that I noticed while walking were the new trail markers. The were newly painted colored rectangles on trees as well as painted arrows on posts with plastic colored trail maps near by to lead the way. I think I covered every colored trail and even went off trail when I found myself standing below the power line right of way. All along the trails, you can see what the two storms did. There are limbs down, trees snapped, and even an uprooted tree.

Besides looking for birds, I also checked out some stands of evergreens for signs of 'whitewash' - owl fecal matter, but did not find any. But while looking around, I did see spotted wintergreen, club moss (also known as ground pine or Lycopodium), and white birch (peeling white bark not like the non-peeling grey birch bark which is also white).

Although I did not see any new birds, I was able to find some good future spots to find birds when spring gets here - the marsh for ducks and other aquatic birds (an dthe bird blind is still there), the upper pond, shrubby areas for warblers and sparrows, open fields, as well as the Christmas Tree area. Of course, as the weather gets warmer, I'll have to worry about sticking insects, ticks, and plants with thorns.

So even though I did not see any new birds at Flanders, it was good to get out, explore and scope out the place for future dates.

And wouldn't you know! Once I got home, warmed up, ate, and sit down to start writing this, I see two new birds at home!

At 1:42pm with clear skies, a decent breeze, and 9F temps, I saw a Carolina wren at the feeder.

At 3:45pm with clear skies, still the breeze, and 10F temps, there were a male and female house finch at the feeder.

Also need to note: I saw at least 6 birds in our cedar tree hopping around feeding. I am thinking there were Cedar Waxwings - since I have had them here before in that tree acting the same way - but the sun was right behind them so I cold not any good looks with binoculars.

Go figure!

So, total is now:

23) Carolina Wren 1
24) House Finch 2

Day 14 - January 14, 2012

Grand kids are coming over to visit, so I will not be birding today - this is not a complaint! But I will be able to check our the oak tree to see if the red breasted nuthatch comes back for a positive ID.

Also, I will be gearing up to explore Flanders Nature Center tomorrow (which will make up for today).

But in the world of birding (and to paraphrase Forrest Gump) - you just never know what you're gonna get. And I did restock the hopper feeder and put out a suet cake.

Day 13 - January 13, 2012

Today was an early dismissal day at school for teacher professional development. So not getting out of school until 3:45ish after finishing and packing up and having to stop at Stop & Shop, I knew today was not going to be another birding day. Of course, the strong winds and brief flurries didn't help either. Well, like they say, tomorrow is another day.

Day 12 - January 12, 2012

Did not expect to see/do much today with the rainy weather and what I had to do after school. But between errands and a dentist visit, I did walk down both sides of Trolley Bed Road. All I was able to see was 1 LBJ (Little Brown Job) aka a sparrow. I tried looking for it in the brush but could not see enough of it for me to ID it.

Conditions: 3:30-3:40pm; 41F; overcast; misting; slight breeze

So count still stands at 22.

Day 11 - January 11, 2010

Between giving extra help after school today and a doctor's appointment, there really wasn't any time for me to get out of the car and do a little birding. I was hoping maybe something new would be down South Pomperaug Road but , alas, nothing.

So, total so far still stands at 22.

Thinking of birding Flanders on Sunday and then doing Westport/Fairfield/Stratford/Milford on Monday(MLK Jr Day)for my yearly totals but of course not for Big Year.

Day 10 - Januarry 10 , 2012

I discovered the Hollow here in Woodbury today! Sure I knew it was there for as long as I have lived here in Woodbury - at least 15 years. I have been there for the LIONS Club's Car Shows, brought my grand kids there to play on the swings and fire truck and even saw the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra perform there as well as Mark Dalton. But I never knew the Hollow has trails, a decent stream flowing through it, and areas where animals would enjoy! Is Woodbury trying to keep the Hollow a secret?! Will definitely be back in spring for warblers!

Anyways. I got to the Hollow at 3:00 and parked in the overflow lot. I quickly saw a trail and started to follow it which took me along side the stream. I soon began to hear a bird call coming from the trees across the stream. At first I thought it might be a hairy woodpecker since the sound was similar to a rattle. The more I heard the call and the more I looked for the bird, the more I began to think Belted Kingfisher. And sure enough, I saw the bird - a belted kingfisher! I could not follow it long enough as it flew around to tell if it was a male or female - oh well.

Oh, I almost forgot to play weatherman ( as a friend told me):
3:00 - 3:45pm; 46F; overcast ; breezy (flag was flying quite well - rippling)

After the Hollow, I drove by the Transfer Station (3:50 pm) to see if anything was there. When I got closer, I saw vultures on the roof of a structure so I pulled off to side near Murry Brothers. I know immature turkey vultures can look like black vultures so I waited awhile. Eventually, 2 of them flew down to ground and I was able to see white at their wing tips which indicates they were indeed black vultures and not turkey vultures.

So today's adventure brings the total of my Big Year to:

21) Belted Kingfisher 1
22) Black Vulture 4

Day 9 - January 9, 2012

Since today is the first working Monday of the month, it was Faculty Meeting Day! So by the time the meeting was over and I entered today's attendance, got organized and packed to go, it was already 3:45 when I left school. Knowing that is would be getting dark soon, I also knew there was no way I could stop anywhere on the way home to bird.

So I decided to drive down South Pomperaug Road and up Park Road on my way home since both roads have some water near them. And as I expected - NOTHING!

So my Big Year count stay at 20!

Day 8 - January 8, 2012

Decided to bird at Three Rivers Park today.So I arrived at three Rivers and the first thing I noticed was CORN! Not sure who planted it - maybe it was Frank - and why - feed wildlife, cattle feed, corn maze, LIONS Club's Haunted Hayride? - but it was neat to see it. There was a good amount of corn planted and it made me keep thinking when Shoeless Joe Jackson or James Earl Jones were going to walk out from between the plants!

Anyways, back to birding. I was there from 11:00am to 12:13. Skies were partly cloudy with a mix of cirrus and cumulostratus clouds and it was breezy. Temp was around 48F (according to car thermometer when I finished).

So, I walked on the trails, off trials onto the sand/gravel 'beaches', around the corn, and back on the beaches AND.....

... did not find a single new bird UNTIL I was almost back at my car and at the entrance was a Red-Bellied Woodpecker at 12:13 pm!

As I looked at the woodpecker (I took some pics and will have them up asap), I saw the field across the street, shrubs, and river so I thought - give it a try!

I crossed the street and headed for the start of the shrubs on the right side os the field. As I got closer, I saw birds - cardinals, blue jays - but then saw a brown small bird - SPARROW! Turned out to be White Throated Sparrows. I continued to walk up the right side towards the back of the field and also found a Song Sparrow. That was at 12:19pm and 12:23 pm respectfully.

So I left Three Rivers at 12:45pm and headed home. On the way, I figured to stop at Nonnewaug and see what might be there. I arrived at NHS at 1:00pm, parked the car in the lot and started to walk the property but not by staying on the pavement but instead by getting up close to the shrubs. I did see 6 white throated sparrows feeding on some kind of tree with fruit but have no idea to identity of tree/fruit.

I began to walk back on the driveway at the back of the school as it curves around near the gym wing (I started my walk over by the horses/cows.) As I walked pass the gym area, I decided to investigate the wetland area that is to the left of the road that takes you to the lower field. I would not do this in the summer because of all the rose bushes and other plants with thorns as well as the chance of getting Lyme disease (once was enough for me.)

As I was walking in the wetlands area, I noticed that skunk cabbage was already coming up. I always thought it came up more in February so I was surprised. I also found myself having to jump from one side of stream to the other and dodge rose bushes.

Then it struck me! Since I started my Big year, I have been going here and there looking for birds but also noticing things that I used to teach about or was interested in - clouds, plants, moon phases, etc. I realized that the 'inner child' - 'the explorer' in me is coming out after all these years.

So maybe the phrase 'Big year' means a big year in birding for an individual but I also think it means a big year of discovery for the person doing it - for birding for a big year is an individual activity, giving the person lots of time to think about the past , present, and future and in how many ways will this year be a BIG year!

OOPS! Forgot to put in totals for Big Year:

18) Red Bellied Woodpecker 1
19) White Throated Sparrow 6
20) Song Sparrow 1

Day 7 - January 7, 2012

While getting trash and recyclables ready to take to the Transfer Station 1t 10:20am, I took a few minutes to look at the birds at my feeder and on the trees. I noticed a small cylindrical looking birds moving up, down, and around a limb of our oak tree - displaying typical nuthatch behavior. So I grabbed binocs out of car and observed bird some more. It was moving around very quickly but I did happen to catch a black line going from bill to back of head where the eye would be. So I am hoping this might be a red-breasted nuthatch. I have seen them at feeders before so I will continue to keep an eyes out to get positive ID.

While I was at the Transfer Station, I decided to drive up to the upper area where I saw the Kingfisher while doing the Woodbury Christmas Bird Count in December. But when I got to the area and looked down at the water, the water was frozen and since a kingfisher cannot catch fish through ice, I will have to go back when we get a few days of warmer temps and try again.

Day 6 - January 6, 2012

Decided to check out South Pomperaug Road on the way home. So I parked the car in the lot of some businesses, grabbed binocs, and walked down to the wetlands.

As I got closer to the edge of the wetlands, I startled 3 mallards into flight. I stood for a few minutes and scanned the rest of the wetlands for anything but saw and heard nothing.

So I began to walk back to my car but decided to walk from South Pomperaug Road towards the Ken's Hardware complex on a asphalt sidewalk (which is still covered in places by down limbs from the 2 storms we had in August and October.)

As I got closer to Ken's, I noticed on the left a small 'pond' and began to scan it with my binocs and saw a great blue heron.

As I began to walk back to my car again (for the second time), a red-tailed hawk flew over the wetlands after being chased by a few crows.

I also stopped at the Public Library to look at a topo map of Woodbury and found what I already knew that Woodbury does not have many sources of open water. So, finding 'shore birds' will not be easy. But then again, I did see a solitary sandpiper and a cormorant last year in Woodbury, so you never know.

Therefore, today's totals and information are"

3:15-3:25pm; 52F; pcloudy; slight breeze

15) mallards 3 2f; 1 m
16) great blue heron 1
17) red-tailed hawk 1

Day 5 - January 5, 2012

On my way home from school today, I stopped at the entrance of O&G on Bacon Pond Road to see if I could get a white throated sparrow in the brush - no luck. So I started to head home.

Also go to see the gibbous moon.

But while on Bacon Pond Road in front of the Transfer Station and Murry Brothers, I saw 3 turkey vultures circling over head (I have seen black vultures at the Transfer Station in the past as well) and also 10 starlings in a tree.

4:02 pm; 33F; partial clouds; calm

13) turkey vulture 3
14) starlings 10

Day 4 - January 4, 2012

Air was quite cold today - 26F or so with a decent wind - so I knew the chances of seeing anything on the way home (also the time being 3:45pm did not help) were quite small. But I did drive down South Pomperaug Road, over to the Hollow, and past O&G and the Transfer Station.

I figure I will need to check out these places on a regular basis on foot or bike - car is too noisy and no place to park and walk.

I did see a Kingfisher at the Transfer Station for the 2011 CBC, so I know there are good things to see at these places and a Hermit Thrush and Solitary Sandpiper on South Pomperaug Rd last year.

So - no new birds today.

Day 3 - January 3, 2012

Back to school today so most of the birding I was able to do was while driving home from school.

At 2:46pm, while pulling into LaBonnes' parking lot, I saw 6 crows flying over LaBonnes. Temp was 24F (according to thermometer in car), skies were clear, and it was breezy.

While driving to an appointment, I decided to see what was on the pond at the intersection of Old Sherman Road and Trolley Bed Road. Did not see anything there, but at the pond behind a house on Old Sherman Road there were 8 Canada geese. The time was 3:22pm, temp was 21F, again clear skies but breezy.

I decided afterwards to park the car and walk down Trolley Bed Road to see if there was anything stirring. I was not expecting anything since I started my walk at 4:30pm and the sky was getting darker. But I did notice that there was moving water and some bushes with berries on it. Will stop by again this weekend with camera so I can take pictures of these berries to see what they might be - one type was a very bright red. Also saw cattails on the other side of the road. So I am hoping this will be a good spot for wintering sparrows and other berry loving birds.

As I was walking back to my car, I noticed a trail leading to what I believe is Woodbury Reservoir (according to my Hagstrom Western CT Atlas). So I decided to walk the trail a bit and while doing so I got the idea that part of my winter birding could be to find places to go throughout the year. This trail looks promising because of the water and what looks to be a beaver lodge. While walking back to the car I saw 9 Canada geese which I am assuming were the same ones (meaning I originally miscounted) on the pond behind the house. It was also nice to see the moon out - looks a bit past first quarter. Also realized that I might want to make a 'birding bin' and keep it in the car containing my boots, ear muffs, hat and warmer gloves so in case I stop and explore, I will be a bit warmer.

So, today's count then is:

11) Crow
12) Canada goose

Day 2 - January 2, 2012

While doing lesson plans, I looked up out the window and saw a goldfinch at the niger feeder. I then decided to get out of chair and check hopper feeder and there I saw a bluebird. So for now:

10:30am; 37F; mostly sunny; windy

9) American goldfinch male 1
10) Eastern bluebird male 1

3:39pm 55 Canada geese (assuming) flew overhead but I am sure I will see them this year and so I will count them then with positive ID.

Day 1 - January 1, 2012

Since I just thought of doing a Big Year, I decided just to see what came to the feeders at the house.

Not sure how I am going to report what I see, that is, with what detail and in what format, but I am sure that will evolve over the course of the year. So here goes.

8:12-11:00 am; 29-45F; foggy-sunny; calm

1) titmouse 3
2) downy woodpecker 1 female
3) white breasted nuthatch 1
4) cardinal 2 male and female
5) mourning dove 6
6) slate colored junco 6
7) black capped chickadee 5
8) blue jay 4

Introduction

Based on the 2011 movie, The Big Year, and the fact that other birders do Big Years in their hometowns, I have decided to do one here in Woodbury, CT.

So I figured the best way to keep track of what I see and to share my progress is to make a Blog - so here it is!

[added 1/2/12]By the way, since I am a teacher, and therefore have a full-time job, my observations will be from home, on the way to/from work, and on days off/snow days/weekends.