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