At any time of year, Hammonasset is a true gem. Enjoy a mid-week trip to explore this birding hotspot for fall migrants. The varied habitat attracts shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds. Meet at Hammonasset Beach State Park parking area on Boston Post Road, Madison, just left (east) of main entrance road. Leader: Jerry Connolly, 203-421-4128 (home), 203-710-2011 (cell), or birdshop@sbcglobal.net

We survey Area K the weekend prior to the Saturday, December 14 New Haven Christmas Bird Count. This highly productive area includes Ora Avenue / Proto Drive / Morris Creek Marshes, Cosey Beach, Lighthouse Point Park, Beacon Hill and the Trolley Line, Furnace Pond, and the lower Farm River. Area K typically produces 75–80 species on count day, including waterfowl,

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Join a midweek trip to this outstanding Long Island Sound birding spot. We check for loons, grebes, goldeneye, and other sea ducks. The fields are a good place to look for Snow Buntings, Horned Larks, and sparrows. Meet at Sherwood Island State Park: take Exit 18 off I-95 in Westport and head south on the Sherwood Island Connector. Drive into

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Come out for a walk at Lake Saltonstall to look for winter birds. We will search the lake for wintering eagles. We will also walk the woods roads and powerline cuts for other birds that over-winter in the area. Meet at the fishing parking lot nearest the fish shack, 100 Hosley Avenue, Branford. Leader: John Triana, jtriana1@sbcglobal.net

We’ll look for waterfowl, birds of prey, and winter passerines as we visit Milford hotspots that will likely include Milford Point, Mondo Ponds, and Caswell Cove. Dress warmly and plan to carpool. The trip ends by noon. Inclement weather will probably cancel the trip. Check with the leader if you have weather concerns. Meet at the commuter lot, Exit 35

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Enjoy a mid-week field trip to Hammonasset Beach State Park, one of the state’s best birding locations in any season of the year. We will look for sea ducks, grassland species, and rarities. Meet at Hammonasset Beach State Park parking area on Boston Post Road, Madison, just left (east) of main entrance road. Leader: Greg Hanisek, ctgregh@yahoo.com

This all-day trip includes stops at Sachuest Point NWR, Beavertail State Park, Moonstone Beach, Trustum Pond, and other great birding sites on the RI coast. We will see lots of sea ducks including all three scoter species, Common Eider, and Harlequin Duck. We’ll look for birds of prey, including Rough-legged Hawk and several owl species. We’ll also be on the

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White Memorial Foundation is a 4,000 acre nature preserve. The diverse mixture of habitats includes mature deciduous and evergreen forests, as well as fields of tall grass, weeds, and shrubs that are managed for various stages of succession. As one of the best birding sites in the state and an Important Bird Area, White Memorial Foundation has approximately 35 miles

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Join us on a visit to this excellent birding area. We’ll look for oceanic birds such as Long-tailed Duck and scoters, as well as raptors and shorebirds. Meet at the Dunkin Donuts parking lot at 60 Access Road, Stratford, near the intersection with Main Street (Rt. 113); we carpool from there. Leader: Frank Mantlik, 203-984-9410 or mantlik@sbcglobal.net

Due to the current situation, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Join Bill Batsford for a late winter walk at this urban park with varied habitat including woodlands, fields, streams, and ponds. Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Brown Creeper are all possible. We will make a side trip to Evergreen Cemetery if the Bald Eagles are again nesting

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Enjoy an early spring trip to one of the best local birding spots. We look out into the marsh and along the shore for waterfowl, shorebirds, waders, and raptors. Meet at the Coastal Center parking lot, 1 Milford Point Road, Milford. Leader: Jalna Jaeger, 203-246-0885 or jalnabird@gmail.com

Meet for a bird walk from 8–9:30 a.m., then join Park Ranger Dan Barvir to help with light trail maintenance along the river until noon. Bring work gloves and pruning shears if you have them. Meet at the Eli Whitney Museum parking lot, 915 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. Leader: Dan Barvir, 203-946-6086 or dbarvir@newhavenct.net

We first bird the harbor shore for gulls, loons, ducks, and early returning shorebirds. We then proceed to the Richard English Bird Sanctuary at the Deer Lake Scout Camp in Killingworth. We then proceed to Hammonasset Beach State Park. This is an all-day trip; bring lunch and dress warmly. This trip almost always has a high species count. Meet at

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We focus on just two breeding species for this trip to West Rock Ridge State Park: Peregrine Falcon and Common Raven. A pair of Peregrine Falcons selected West Rock as their home base in 1999, thereby becoming one of the first breeding pairs in Connecticut in the post-DDT era. Since then, seven different females and seven different males (tiercels) have

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Bird song can be wonderfully confusing and terrifyingly daunting for beginners. Join us for a seminar presentation in the Barn at the Audubon Connecticut’s Bent of the River to begin learning bird song. After the presentation we will practice our new skills with a bird walk through a prime birding location along the Pomperaug River. More than 100 species of

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Join Ranger Dan Barvir at this premier site for warblers and other spring migrants. Meet at the Rice Field (baseball field) end of East Rock Park on English Drive, New Haven. Leader: Dan Barvir, 203-946-6086 or dbarvir@newhavenct.net

Children with accompanying adults are invited to this walk by the park's Mill River, where we’ll look for warblers and other spring migrants. Other interested adults are also welcome to join us in this famous spring birding place.  Meet at 9:00 AM in the Eli Whitney Museum parking lot, 915 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, and bring binoculars and a field guide if

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Explore a prime birding location along the Pomperaug River in Southbury where more than 100 species of birds have been observed in a single day. This beautiful and highly diverse habitat is owned and maintained by Audubon Connecticut. The walk is open to birders of all levels; families are welcome. We will not only see and hear birds, but will

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East Rock Park in early May is one of the best places in the state to see migrant warblers. Fifteen to twenty species are possible on a good day. Meet at the Eli Whitney Museum parking lot, 915 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. Leaders: John Oshlick, 203-584-1955 or john.oshlic@gmail.com; Bill Batsford, 203-494-4325 or william.batsford@yale.edu

Take part in all or part of this event. We’ll focus on New Haven area hotspots, seeking 100-130 species. We start at East Rock and search several other local migrant traps, as well as the coast from Lordship to Hammonasset. Meet at the Eli Whitney Museum parking lot, 915 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. Leader: John Oshlick, 203-584-1955 or john.oshlic@gmail.com

Help the Eli Whitney Museum, Principal Gardener & Artist in Residence Alexis Brown, and the Mill River Watershed Association plant bird-friendly native plants for enhancing the landscape around the covered bridge and the trail along the river adjoining East Rock Park. The NHBC provides information about invasive plants inhibiting growth of native bird-friendly food-producing plants and trees. Work for 2

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Join us at the peak of spring migration on this moderately strenuous and long hike in a fine birding location. We’ll search for migrants and residents. We often see more than fifteen species of warblers on this trip, including resident Hooded, Chestnut-sided, Prairie, and Worm-eating Warbler. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Scarlet Tanagers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and many other birds are resident

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Hartman Park is known for its breeding population of Cerulean Warbler. There is also a power cut which may have Prairie, Blue-winged, Magnolia and other warblers. Both cuckoos have been seen here as well. Meet at the commuter parking lot, I-95 exit 57.  Note:  the yearbook indicated exit 55 which is closed. Leader: John Oshlick, 203-584-1955 or john.oshlic@gmail.com

Sleeping Giant looms large and dominates the landscape north of New Haven. The park hosts diverse habitats: riparian woods, rivers and streams, stands of white pines, mature deciduous forests, and cliffs and meadow edge. Although it is famous for its ankle-twisting and heart-pumping terrain, we will explore the gentle trail on the north side. We will first explore the Mill

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The New Haven Bird Club traveled to River Road in May 1991 and documented the first nesting of Yellow-throated Warbler in Connecticut. Subsequent NHBC trips to River Road have produced a nice variety of Northwestern Connecticut nesting species. We return this year to River Road at the peak of the spring migration. In his 1978 publication, 25 Birding Areas in

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Join us for a walk on Regional Water Authority properties in Woodbridge and Bethany, some of which are off-limits to the public. Pat Leahy has been maintaining a bluebird trail on several of the properties surrounding the reservoirs. Please be prompt! It will be difficult to join the group on route. We will carpool and proceed to trails on Lake

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This will be our 15th annual trip to this excellent birding spot. We’ll meet at the commuter lot at Exit 57 off I-95 and carpool to Barn Island. The area consists of large expanses of salt marsh, tidal pools, wetlands, woodlands, and open fields. We should see wading birds, shorebirds, and area residents such as Saltmarsh Sparrow, Marsh Wren, White-eyed

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With its rich meadows and fields, forested wetlands, traprock ridge, and riparian woods this park holds promise of becoming a prominent birding destination for the Club. We will meet at the parking lot on Patten Road. From exit 12 off Interstate 91, turn left onto Blakeslee Avenue and follow it until it ends at Bassett Road. Take a right at

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Note: this walk was listed as Mohawk Mountain State Park in the Yearbook.  It has been changed to White Memorial Foundation. The White Memorial Foundation is a 4,000 – acre nature preserve with extensive woodlands, conifer plantations, wetlands, thickets, and fields. The preserve is home to more than 115 breeding species and is visited by many migrants. Notable breeding species

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Jack Swatt, New Haven Bird Club member and DEEP volunteer Whip-poor-will monitor, will lead a walk to listen and look for Whip-poor-will at the Naugatuck State Forest. Jack will give a short talk on the status of Whip-poor-wills in the northeast and Connecticut. We will then wait for dusk to fall while we listen for the distinctive call. A sighting?

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Find a trail and hike it this weekend! Connecticut Trails Day is organized and produced by Connecticut Forest & Park Association. NHBC sponsors hikes along the West River in New Haven on both days (Pond Lily Preserve, Edgewood Park, and West River Memorial Park), in cooperation with the West River Watershed Coalition and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment. Details

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The West River Memorial Park is a designated IBA (Important Bird Area) and is part of the New Haven Harbor Urban Refuge Partnership. The Urban Oasis here improves annually, and the Osprey platform has been active with the same male-female pair for many years. By this time in June, the chicks will have hatched and be visible on the nest,

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This will be our fourth trip to this evolving and ever-improving site in the heart of downtown New Haven. An environmentally-focused family-friendly late afternoon walk on a falling tide as the shorebird migration gets under way. We’ll begin with a one-mile walk along the trail to the urban oasis and circle to the harbor, traveling through three separate ecosystems as

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Edgewood Park and West River Memorial Park make up an Important Bird Area and include a two mile section of the West River. These parks look particularly “hot” on the radar maps for New Haven that show which areas are most used by birds in fall migration. The walking is easy and flat and includes one dirt path through a

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Cheshire Land Trust’s Fresh Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary includes a variety of habitats that appeal to a wide variety of bird species looking for a place to rest and refuel on their southbound migration. With conifer groves, deciduous woodlands, and meadows, all located along the Mill River, it’s worth a visit. Expect a 1–2 mile walk on mostly level ground. Do

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The golf course is located on more than 700 acres, with woods and ponds surrounding the course. It’s a great place to see birds year-round. We’ll be visiting the course when there are no golfers, so we’ll be able to walk the cart paths and wooded trails without being disturbed or disturbing others. We’ll be looking for fall migrants such

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Join us on a visit to this premier local birding location, renowned for its migrating raptors and passerines. If the weather conditions are favorable, we may see hundreds of hawks in flight over the park. Meet at the Hawk Watch parking lot, Lighthouse Point Park, 2 Lighthouse Road, New Haven. Leader: Frank Gallo, 203-644-2163 or peeplo@aol.com Follow all Covid precautions. Preregistration capped

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THE BIG SIT!®, established by the NHBC, has become an international event, with birders from all over the world participating. The object is to record as many species of birds as possible in one day from one 17-foot diameter circle. Local circles are at a number of birding hot spots throughout Connecticut. Join other birders in one of the established

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