Thursday, October 6, 2022

Awaiting fall migrants #1,030

Since moving to Connecticut from Florida early this year, my birding style has become much more passive. There, I commonly spent two or more hours seeking out varied habitats along the route we followed nearly every morning before sunrise. It was not unusual to encounter ten nocturnal and crepuscular species within the first 20 minutes. My expected total species count almost always included over 20 species, exceeding BirdChaser's  recommended Minimun Daily Requirement

Here in Connecticut, weather permitting. we enjoy a mid-morning walk of a little over mile. We follow a loop that includes several steep inclines, first  from our home at 800 feet down to 700 feet elevation at the end of our street. We then climb to 760 feet to a bluff which overlooks Diamond Lake, and down to a nice level quarter of a mile along the edge of the lake at 690 feet, before the final arduous trek back up to "The Castle on the Hill," as neighbors like to call it. 

On our walks I carry my iPhone but neither binoculars nor DSLR camera. Rather, we wait at home tor the birds to come to us. Fall migrants have buttressed the yard list by seven species since early September, to a total of 70. They have included---

Purple Finches, another female...


...and a colorful male:


A Common Raven is here seen flying with an American Crow, which has a squared-off tail, Note the the larger size and wedge-shaped tail of the raven:


Red-breasted Nuthatch:


Nashville Warbler:


Tennessee Warbler:


Interestingly, despite their names, neither the Nashville nor the Tennessee Warblers have ever been known to breed in Nashville or anywhere in the State of Tennessee. They both derive their names from specimens which were shot by Alexander Wilson during migration in 1811 along the Cumberland River in Tennessee.

A Palm Warbler put in a brief appearance, but I could not obtain a photo. 

Also seen this week, the First of Season (FOS) Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos. These little "Snow Birds" will become common during the next few weeks and stay here for the winter:

View down the peaceful lane along the lake shore:

The foliage is beginning to turn into autumn colors, hints of which were visible from our side yard on October 3rd:. 

Sunrise reflects against the clouds on the opposite horizon to the west:

Day by day, more and more  rich yellow, orange and red colors adorn the lakeside woodlands:



A neighbor is raising his dock above the anticipated ice and snow level before taking his little boat into shelter for the winter:

A glorious sunset on September 30:

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Linking to:



Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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12 comments:

  1. You live in a very beautiful area and it's sure to become even more beautiful in the coming weeks. I look forward to seeing more photos as the leaves change.

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  2. Beautiful photos and sky shots. I kind of like the idea of letting the birds come to you. MDR for birds made me laugh!

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  3. So that's where my juncos go! There is always a mob here before first snow, so they will be showing up any minute. Your sunset is spectacular. Have a great week!

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  4. Glad you still have a local walk to do.

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  5. Hello Ken,
    I did not know there was a daily requirement to be met, I am behind with my neighborhood birds. Your photos are beautiful. I love the pretty warbers, the Red-breasted Nuthatch and the Purple Finches. The Junco is a cutie. Lovely sky captures. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend.

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  6. I like the idea of the daily requirement of sightings!! All your bird photos this wee are masterpieces!! (I was walking with you!!)
    Thank you so much for this post and linking in!!

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  7. What a beautiful place to walk and helps you stay in shape. I love that colorful nuthatch. The woods were pretty quiet this morning but hopefully migrants will be here soon!

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  8. I love how you know all the birds. Great photos of the sky and surroundings.

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  9. It appears you are adjusting to New England birding just fine, Ken.

    Wonderful wandering territory! Hopefully, some of your "yard" birds will make an appearance down here soon.

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  10. What lovely photos it looks beautiful there wonderful bird captures

    Have a flitterflattertastic week 👍

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  11. Those are great considering you used a phone!

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  12. Gorgeous colors of autumn.
    I have SUCH trouble distinguishing some of the finches from others, especially the females. But I love them just the same.
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2022/10/tile-and-wood-work-at-sancar-turkish.html

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