Well, it's happening. In one week, I will be moving to northern Ohio and leaving Connecticut behind, probably forever. I was in Connecticut because of graduate school, and now that's done, and it's on to new professional endeavors in new places. Ohio is in fact a temporary location for us -- my job there is just a one-year position -- but the change is a good one. I'm very, very excited about all the new things we'll see, the place where we'll be living (much more on that later), and the job. But, of course, I'll miss many things about Connecticut, which has been my home for the past six years.
I'll be doing a few wrapping-up posts over the next week to properly say goodbye to Connecticut. (Don't worry, the blog is coming with me to Ohio.) One part of Connecticut that I will definitely miss is the shore. So during my final visits to Silver Sands State Park this morning and last Thursday, I was sure to thoroughly appreciate the creatures that I'm not likely to see again for quite a while.
It always feels special to see Clapper Rails in these marshes, and I was very happy to see one preening itself out in the open this morning. I don't know if I will ever again be in a place with Clapper Rails as bold and readily visible as those at Silver Sands State Park, and I will miss these birds for sure:
Snowy Egrets are very common here, and I took the time to admire these gorgeous birds this morning:
As a special shorebird bonus, a couple of American Oystercatchers lit up the shoreline this morning with their flamboyant beaks:
And a lovely Spotted Sandpiper scrambled over rocks at the water's edge last week:
The Piping Plover family has dispersed from their nesting area by now, and I was lucky enough to come across one of the juveniles in this park last week. I know it's one of the fledglings from the nest I was monitoring because of that distinctive injured leg:
This bird was moving and foraging well on just the one leg, and it flew away just fine. I have no idea what happened to this bird when it was a baby, but I'm heartened to know that it's made it this far. The more Piping Plovers surviving out there, the better. Fare well, lovely little bird, and best of luck!
A couple of Killdeer were running around on the beach this morning. I thought these birds might have also been this season's grown hatchlings, withthose brownish (rather than pristine white) bands on their breasts, but I don't know for sure:
A plump Groundhog was munching away in the flower-filled grass last week:
And this marvelous Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) posed for a picture:
This morning's insect highlight was a supremely blue damselfly (I'm not certain of the species):
I couldn't have asked for better sights on my final visits to the Connecticut shore!
Every week when I visit Silver Sands State Park, I get a little more attached to the place. I love getting to check in with familiar creatures, and there's always something new to see! Here are a few sights (mostly birds) from this morning's visit.
The Piping Plover chicks east of the park are getting even closer to adulthood (including the chick with the injured leg, who's still running around and foraging with its siblings as of this morning). It looks like they just need some longer wing and tail feathers, and then they should be good to go!
While the four chicks foraged in the sand, Dad kept careful watch; he even chased a House Sparrow away at one point. A folded mat makes a convenient lookout perch:
The plovers aren't the only bird family with growing babies around here, of course. I was very happy to see a gangly Clapper Rail chick wander out of the marsh grass; such a cute little dinosaur-like creature:
The Barn Swallows are nesting under the boardwalk, and this adult perched on the railing for a rest between hunting flights:
There were actually dozens of swallows hunting in the air over the marsh, more than I think I've ever seen here at once. The swirling (and chittering) cloud of birds was mostly made of Barn Swallows, but there were also several Tree Swallows in the mix, as well as a few Chimney Swifts, which I've definitely never seen hunting in this spot before. This picture may not look like much, but its quite a busy scene for this airspace:
On the beach, a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls made an imposing sight:
I'm surprised to notice that I've actually never posted about Great Black-backed Gulls before. They show up around here pretty frequently, and they have the distinction of being the largest gull in the world. These two were quite noisy, and they kept striking these odd tilted postures and tossing their heads; I can only think this is some sort of courtship display, but it seems kind of late in the season to be thinking about making a nest:
A Common Loon was floating close to shore. This bird was looking a little less than pristine (it was presumably molting out of its breeding plumage), but it was still such a handsome creature:
A Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was hunting at the water's edge (not quite as elegant as the Black-crowned Night-Heron I saw last week, and I always think that dark mask looks strange):
Although I often see many species of egrets and herons in this park, I don't usually see Great Blue Herons here. It was quite a treat, then, when this huge creature soared by:
I love those wings, and those big legs! This bird circled overhead a few times, so here's another view:
As I was leaving the park, I checked out some Common Milkweed plants to see what sorts of bugs might have been hanging out there. A few of the flower clusters were looking pretty well decimated.... Someone was hungry!
A closer inspection revealed that the orange pollen-like dusting on the plants' stems and leaves was actually tons of tiny bright aphids (probably the species Aphis nerii). These guys were everywhere and they were having a feast:
Fortunately, there were many more milkweed plants without aphids, so there's still plenty of this apparently delicious (for bugs) plant to go around.
Here's to another great day at the beach!
In just two weeks, the Piping Plover chicks near Silver Sands State Park have grown from the size of cotton balls to nearly the size of their parents. Here's a family portrait I took yesterday morning with Mom on the right and the four not-so-little babies on the left; I don't think these guys will fit under Mom's wings anymore!
These chicks have still got some growing to do before they can set off on their own, but it's cool to see them getting closer to adulthood. Such big babies:
Unfortunately, one of the four hatchlings now has an injured leg.... I'm not sure how or when this happened, but at least the poor little guy seemed to be getting around pretty well (foraging and running nearly as fast as its siblings). I reported the injury, but apparently there isn't much people can do at this point, and based on other reports the bird actually seems to be improving. So I'll just continue to keep my fingers crossed for the hurt bird and its so-far-healthy siblings!
I've posted many pictures of the father plover already, but I can't resist sharing one more of this handsome fellow amongst colorful reflections from man-made structures:
While the Piping Plover family was foraging on one part of the beach, this Black-crowned Night-Heron was hunting for creatures buried in the sand a little ways away:
I often see Black-crowned Night-Herons at Silver Sands State Park, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've gotten to watch one of these creatures fairly close up. This is such a fancy bird, with those bright red eyes and flowing tassels (for lack of a better word to describe the crazy feathers sticking out of the back of its head). Herons and egrets tend to get into some weird postures while they're hunting, and this guy was no exception; heron necks sure are extendable!
I'm not sure what this bird was finding in the sand (some sort of mollusc, perhaps?), but it was getting a good meal. Yum:
Here's a brief video of the heron in action (with a bonus Ring-billed Gull shuffling through the scene at one point):
The park was filled with activity, despite the heat and humidity. I'll close with a lovely dragonfly (some sort of Meadowhawk, I think, genus Sympetrum) who posed so nicely at the edge of a green and flowering field:
What a fun and interesting beach day!
Thursday afternoon's visit to Silver Sands State Park featured a special sight indeed. When I checked on the Piping Plover pair and their nest just east of the park, I was excited to see that their eggs have successfully hatched! So along with the two adults, there were four tiny baby plovers running around on the beach! Here's Dad, looking handsome as usual, with one of the new arrivals in the foreground:
I loooooove these little guys! It was such a treat to watch them scuttle around across the sand:
Hello baby plover, with your little cotton-ball body and tooth-pick legs:
Adorable as these guys are from the front, I think they might be even cuter from behind! Look at that little tail!
Plover chicks are precocial -- isn't that just the coolest word? -- which means that (like baby chickens, ducks, geese, etc., but unlike, say, robins) they're up walking and foraging for themselves almost as soon as they hatch. (I also just love how much "precocial" sounds like "precocious," which is absolutely a fitting description for these little guys.) These four babies were certainly handling themselves well, motoring around from spot to spot:
And snatching up food from the sand, just like Mom and Dad:
But even though these chicks were running around and feeding themselves, they still ran back to Mom every few minutes for some cuddle time:
Oof, four babies is a lot to fit under you!
There we go, all tucked in (more or less):
I read recently that only about 50 Piping Plover pairs are currently nesting in all of Connecticut (roughly the same number as in recent years). I'm so happy this plover family has made it to the hatching stage, and I just hope all four of these chicks grow up safely. Stay close to your parents, guys, and hopefully you'll be fine!
Here are a few other sights from my visit to the beach. The Killdeer pair is still tending eggs, but these babies should also be along soon:
A Fish Crow sat long enough for a quick portrait:
And some Glossy Ibises looked spectacularly rusty in the very last light from the setting sun:
What a great beach day!
During my visit to Silver Sands State Park yesterday, I took a bit of a detour to check on a pair of Piping Plovers that have set up a nest on the beach just east of the park. I've never walked out of the park's boundaries in this direction before, and the shoreline's definitely beautiful. I can see why people would want to have houses here:
The Piping Plovers (perhaps the same pair I saw at Silver Sands a few weeks ago?) were nicely settled on their sandy nest essentially in someone's back yard. The nest is surrounded by protective fencing that the plovers can wander freely through but which keeps predators and people away. (I don't have any pictures of the nest because I kept my distance.) The two plovers took turns incubating the eggs while the other bird went foraging. It was a little strange to see the plovers running past furniture as they hunted around their home:
After I'd finished watching the nest, as I was heading back along the shoreline, the male Piping Plover flew down to the water's edge and landed right in front of me to hunt. I avoid approaching these birds so as not to disturb them (especially now that they've got a nest), but if they come to me, then OK!
I settled down to hang out with this guy as he darted around, snatching up food every few steps:
Apparently there are tasty creatures hiding in the sand:
He really does have a handsome outfit; classy, even:
The hunting must've been good at this patch of beach, because he wandered around me but stayed close:
Open plover mouth!
I know, this is a lot of pictures, but who knows when I'll next get the chance to see these creatures so close:
Best of luck with your hunting, little guy, and take good care of your family. Here's hoping there'll be tiny plover chicks on this beach before too long!
A few flocks of Semipalmated Sandpipers were also foraging along the water's edge:
And the Horseshoe Crabs are appearing on the beach again for this year's breeding season. I saw several of these creatures half-buried in the sand (waiting for the approaching high tide, I assume). This individual was crawling around in the shallow water with part of its sand-burrow still on its head:
You never know what will show up at the shore!