Max, Sebastian, Sue, Jorge: the Storrs sector birding team
Our count team was Jorge, Sue, Sebastian and Max, who joined in halfway through the morning. Specifically our sector was bounded by four major roads: Route 44 on the north side, Route 195 on the east, Route 275 on the south and Route 32 on the west. Within this area lie several farm fields and marshes, most of the campus of the University of Connecticut, several wooded residential neighborhoods and a few Mansfield town preserves
The day was cloudy and cold, with temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees all day; the previous three days had also been very cold, so we anticipated no standing water. That said, we began birding at first light (6:50 am), counting ducks and geese on Mirror Lake right on campus, which always has at least some open water. All the waterfowl counted, we birded the trees and bushes around nearby buildings.
We then moved on to a local birding hotspot, W-lot, the large commuter parking area at the far north end of campus. Near W-lot is a small marsh (frozen), large cornfield and some lightly wooded areas. After this it was time for a Hot-Chocolate-and-Coffee Breakfast Break, with a few other stops on campus along the way.
At 10 am, with Max now on board, we chose to explore and count birds in the beaver marsh on Hunting Lodge Road where it intersects North Eagleville. A small stream flows fast enough to remain open here, so we stepped carefully in order to keep our feet dry. Counting done, we drove on to Mansfield's Shelter Falls Park off Birch Road, and hiked the trail well into the woods before turning and coming back. Photo: Shelter Falls
Next stop Depot Campus, where we drove meandering driveways amongst small buildings, counting juncos and sparrows. Finding a small stream with flowing water and open fields nearby, we spent a little extra time trying to scare up new species for our list. Now 2pm, with calls for food coming from the backseat, we made a quick plan to have Jorge walk Ravine Road alone, while Sue drove back to campus for lunch provisions.
Lunch in our bellies, we headed into the neighborhoods to count feeder birds. Then, with just an hour of good daylight left, took a pass through campus again, and headed for the Community Gardens north of the Mansfield Supply. It was important to check the manure piles here, the garden itself, and the surrounding fields and woods.
Anthus rubescens, American Pipit, at the manure piles behind the community gardens, Storrs CT, video by Jorge de Leon
With the sun setting at 4:30, we tried to call owls along Hunting Lodge Road, to no avail. Finally calling it a day at 4:40, we turned and headed to the home of our compiler, Steve Morytko, where warm food and the fun of compiling the day's results awaited. Other birding teams at the gathering were: Steve, Maura & Jack, who birded Ashford-Willington-Mansfield, Kathy and Chris who birded Willington, Sue and Tom who birded Mansfield-Windham, another Steve who birded Mansfield, and our team of four.
After mugs of hot cider, beer and wine, and bowls of delicious chili with cornbread, we gathered around the living room to report the day's numbers.
Our numbers for the day:
Canada Goose - 196
Mallard Duck - 85
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 4
Ring-billed Gull - 10
Herring Gull - 1
Rock Pigeon - 3
Mourning Dove - 16
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 10
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 6
Hairy Woodpecker - 2
Northern Flicker - 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 1
Blue Jay - 32
American Crow - 15
Horned Lark - 50
Black-capped Chickadee - 30
Tufted Titmouse - 38
White-breasted Nuthatch - 15
Brown Creeper - 1 (heard)
Carolina Wren - 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 6
Eastern Bluebird - 7
American Robin - 71
Northern Mockingbird - 1
European Starling - 42
American Pipit - 6
Cedar Waxwing - 46
American Tree Sparrow - 31
Savannah Sparrow - 2
Song Sparrow - 7
White-throated Sparrow - 40
Dark-eyed Junco - 262
Northen Cardinal - 8
Brown-headed Cowbird - 2
House Finch - 33
American Goldfinch - 37
Species total for our team: 38
Other teams got 37, 35, 32 and 27 for their totals - so we were very proud of a hard day's work on the part of all of our birders! And a big thank you to Carol Isakson, whose video of the Pileated Woodpecker, taken an hour before we arrived at her feeding station, put us out in front of the other teams.
Carol's video: http://www.youtube.com/user/knitterful1
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