Essex Eagles and Rocky Neck State Park

In the middle of February we always think of Bald Eagles on the Connecticut River in Essex. The official Connecticut Audubon Society Eagle Festival has been cancelled for several years now, but of course, the eagles are still there to be seen.

By 7:30 this morning we were loaded into the van with birding gear, photography equipment, breakfast and a picnic lunch. Temperature 25 degrees F, with a pale sky, occasionally blue behind thick hazy clouds - a New Delhi sky. The driveway was slick - a thin layer of ice dusted with snow, and the snowbanks are still two feet of hard, though porous ice.

We started counting species as soon as we rolled out of bed - with Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers topping the list. Today's birders: Jorge, Sue, Max and Sebastian.
Along the highways between Willington and Essex, we had an impressive count of fourteen Red-tailed Hawks and a surprise flock of Wild Turkeys. Six other species rounded out the highway list: Rock Pigeon, American Crow, Ring-billed Gull, Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove and European Starling.


Sebastian and Papa watching a Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, which was actually singing
We arrived in Essex just as other birders were beginning to gather for the 9 am eagle cruise. The Connecticut River was fairly calm, with a light wind just ruffling the water's surface. Sub-zero temps kept a thin layer of ice on the near-shore waters, and thick ice still filled the quieter coves.

We finished our list of gulls here, adding Herring and Great Black-backed. Small numbers of Canada Geese, Mallards and Common Mergansers were milling about, feeding, preening. One male Bufflehead was seen behind boats in a marina, another Red-tailed Hawk and two Turkey Vultures were well out over the river.

Then, slowly soaring up over a distant hill came two immature Bald Eagles. Massive birds, they are impressive even at a distance. This was the only glimpse we would have of the eagles. Meanwhile the eagle cruise had headed out into the river - perhaps they'll have better luck, but our eagles were free!

Exploring small waterfront streets of Essex, we added a few passerines to our growing list. Pairs of House Finches sang from treetops, Common Grackles creaked in the bare maples, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches called from backyards. A Song Sparrow, two Northern Mockingbirds, House Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds and a female Cowbird finished the new additions to our list.

Back to the van for coffee, hot chocolate, a second donut - and now it's time to guess at a species total for the day. With twenty seven already listed, Max guesses a high of 43, Sue 39 and Jorge and Sebastian fill in the gap, with 40 and 41 respectively.

View of Long Island Sound from Rocky Neck

Now we're off to Rocky Neck State Park to see what we can see at the coast. Temperature's up to 35 degrees now, in many places the roadside woods are free of snow, and skunk cabbages are showing in the low wetlands.

Near the parking areas we add American Robin, Red-bellied Woodpecker and Dark-eyed Junco. In the quiet wetlands of Bride Brook were American Black Duck and Hooded Merganser - with the males of the latter species displaying their showy crests.

Max watching geese on the quiet stream

Out on Long Island Sound the wind is cold and strong, with the flying gulls making no headway, and dry weed stalks rattling on the shore. We explore the high granite headland, which we assumed was the namesake for the park, put the telescope on a Common Loon in the mouth of Four Mile River and found a distant Surf Scoter hugging the rocky coastline.

Heading back along the woodland trails towards the parking lot, the first mumblings of "I'm hungry" were heard. Otherwise the woods were fairly quiet, but we were treated to the sight of a titmouse pausing to drink at a pool of meltwater.


Max's very nice photo of a Canada Goose, Branta canadensis

Chicken milanesa sandwiches in our bellies, with goldfish crackers and strawberries filling in the edges, we head out of the park for home. We're up to thirty four species now - and catch a glimpse of a Cedar Waxwing as we pull onto the highway - thirty five.

The boys are engrossed in an Indiana Jones movie during the drive home until we make an undisclosed stop at Mansfield Hollow to see if we can find more birds. Two Eastern Bluebirds fly off from roadside wires and two mergansers (common) fly off from the small patch of open water on the reservoir.

One last stop, the manure piles behind Horsebarn Hill on the UConn campus, adds White-throated Sparrow and Blue Jay to the list. Now we're at thirty nine species for the day. That's my number! Wait, now there's a call for one more stop - I can see that somebody's trying to beat me!

The hill itself was still entirely snow-covered, so there was no chance for the hoped-for flock of snow buntings. W-Lot will be the final stop. Just as we pull into the far corner of W-Lot, the birder's corner, Jorge sees the flock. Both Snow Buntings and Horned Larks are feeding amongst the rubble of old snow piles, mud and churned-up corn field.

Forty one species. We're done... unless we see a toucan fly across the road before we arrive home. It was great to be out on a bright winter Saturday, enjoying the first glimmers of the spring season to come.