Our trip to Lake Chamberlain and the Cooper farm was a splendid fall day. 25 People, including a number of new birders, gathered by the marshy field to watch robins, cedar waxwings and white throated sparrows. Our trip across the dam was rewarded with a flock of 5 bluebirds posing on a bush so that we all got a great look at this beautiful bird. To top off our walk across the dam a mature bald eagle spent several minutes circling above the lake and took a couple of attempts at having duck for lunch! There were mallards and buffleheads on the lake. There is also a large flock of ringneck ducks in the area but not visible this morning. The hike up to the top of the Cooper farm was a little quieter than usual but a red shouldered hawk and red tailed hawk gave us good views. We found several woodpeckers including a pair of Yellow bellied sapsuckers. We did review some of the new material covered in Tom Wessels’ presentation at the indoor meeting. We were looking for evidence of the history of the farm lands as Tom had explained. The views from the upper fields of the west river valley and Long Island sound are breathtaking. The wind had picked up on the way back across the dam to speed up the pace. We had a total of 29 species
Lake Chamberlain, New Haven, Connecticut, US
Nov 14, 2015 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: New Haven Bird Club field trip led by Pat Leahy.
28 species
Mallard 50
Bufflehead 12
Turkey Vulture 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 5
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 12
Black-capped Chickadee 12
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Eastern Bluebird 6
American Robin 30
Gray Catbird 1
Cedar Waxwing 12
Dark-eyed Junco 6
White-throated Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 1
Common Grackle 6
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 6