THE Connecticljt WARBLER

THE CONNECTIClJT WARBLER

Volume I Number 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editorial ...... Carl J. Trichka 3

1980 Connecticut Hawk Watch ...... Carl J . Trichka 4

1981 Connecticut Bird Conference ...... 6

Review of the 80th Annual Christmas Bird Count in Connecticut ...... Dennis Varza 7 The Connecticut Warbler is a quarterly publication devoted to the promotion of bird study and conservation in the state of Connecticut. The Connecticut Warbler is published by the Natural History Services Department of the Connecticut Audubon Society, 314 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, Connecticut 06430. Subscription: Subscriptions to The Connecticut War bler are based on the calendar year, from January to December, at $6.00 per year. Back issues are available at $1.50 per issue. All correspondence should be sent to: The Connecticut Warbler Natural History Services Dept., C.A.S. 314 Unquowa Road Fairfield, Connecticut 06430 The Connecticut Audubon Society in vites your membership. Membership Categories Supporting ..... $50.00 Benefactor ..... $300.00 Sustaining ...... $25.00 Donor ...... $200.00 Family ...... $18.00 Contributing . .. $100.00 Adult ...... $12.00 Organizational .. $35.00 The Connecticut Audubon Society has been declared a non-profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service. Any gifts to the Connecticut Warbler will be greatly appreciated and are fully tax deductible. All Rights Reserved. Suggestions to Authors: The editors of the Connecticut Warbler invite you to submit articles, notes, black & white photographs, and line drawings. Manuscripts should be typewritten, dou ble spaced, and on one side of the sheet with ample margins. All material will be returned upon request.

The Connecticut Warbler Director & Tech. Editor: Milan G. Bull Managing Editor: Carl J . Trichka Editorial Board: Dr. George Clark Paul Desjardins Robert DeWire Frank Gardiner Art Ginger! Gordon Loery Dr. Noble S. Proctor Fred Sibley

2 EDITORIAL

Welcome to the first edition of the Connecticut Warbler. A few months ago we sent a questionnaire to all 37licensed banders in the state. To date, 21 banders responded, which represents 57%. The results were very encouraging and we thank all who responded. Of the 21 respondees, about 15 had considered themselves active banders and stated that they would like to contribute to this publication. I have every confidence that it will be successful. Originally, we considered limiting this publication to banding information and any other factual data on bird projects in this state that we could gather. Well, the idea has grown into an ornithological journal format that encompasses all Connecticut projects devoted to the conservation and study of birds including field notes and special studies. We feel the time has come to gather the wealth of data floating around the state in varivJS places and incorporate it into this publication. We will publish banding information as originally planned, but the greater need for a state-wide journal is long overdue. In the future, I will be calling on you to supply us with biographical sketches of yourselves and your banding operations. Also to be included will be special projects, foreign banding returns, Christmas Count information, etc. In this issue you will find a comprehensive tabulation of the 1980 Christmas Count for all 15 count circles in the state. This is long before it appears elsewhere and while the count days are still fresh in our minds. Hopefully, we will soon arrange field trips to various banding stations to observe operations and learn techniques. A picnic is also planned this summer to get together and discuss projects and goals. In order to begin gathering information for future issues, I would like to ask all banders to please submit a list of recent foreign returns you may have encountered. Please include band number, species, date and place of banding and recapture. If you have any late or early dates for any species, please send them along to us. We would also like to solicit black and white photographs or pen and ink sketches that we can use as filler pieces. They will be returned upon request. Join us to develop this bulletin promoting Connecticut ornithology. I'm sure you will all agree, it's something long overdue and sorely needed. Thank you.

Carl J. Trichka, Managing Editor

3 1980 HAWK WATCH by Carl. J. Trichka

Organized hawk watch efforts in this Hawk Watch-Larsen Sanctuary region were initiated in 1971 by Don Connecticut Audubon Society Hopkins and Gerry Mersereau, coordinated A hawk watch was conducted this fall at by the Connecticut Audubon Council. A Larsen Sanctuary, Fairfield, which covered coordinated effort involving some 150 vol the period of September 2nd to November unteers produced the first report on the 25th. The watch covered 52 days and totaled hawk migration in this region. Over the 190.5 hours of observation. The work was years, the project grew and vast amounts of done by Joe Wall of Bridgeport, Connecti data were gathered. cut and his efforts are greatly appreciated. It In 1974, the Hawk Migration Association was the first time that Larsen Sanctuary was of North America was born, to combine the manned on a daily basis throughout the efforts of all the hawkwatchers in a coordi migration period. The report is as follows: nated front to produce more effective data GOSHAWK 29 on this phenomena called hawk migration. SHARP SHIN 1685 Advances in this study were originated in COOPERS 14 this region. The use of a motor glider dis RED TAIL 514 covered the thermal effect used by Broad REDSHOULDER I~ Winged Hawks along with their sink rates BROAD-WING 1070 and pattern of movement. Many of these GOLDEN EAGLE 3 advances are now in use all over the United BALD EAGLE 3 States. The importance of this project has UNID EAGLE I now involved the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Dept. HARRIER 68 with funding to continue the glider studies. OSPREY 176 The use of ground radar was also originated PEREGRINE 2 by the New England Hawk Watch. MERUN I In the past, as with all or most of the KESTREL 232 research and published data, one had to wait UNID 225 many months before the data was distrib uted. We now hope to have at least the TOTAL 4187 preliminary figures available to us long It has been known that this site is a pro before the final product is printed. It is only ductive one and is in line with the string of meant to distribute this information to those sites chosen by Neil Currie to monitor the interested in the shortest possible time. Broad-Wing migration. Past coverage has been spotty, being confined to specific hawk watch dates and any other time someone had to man the site. Lack of volunteer help has been the other drawback. Hopefully, cover age can be expanded this coming fall. This site should be closely monitored due to its proximity to Long Island Sound and the general drift of birds towards the New York border. Neil Currie was ever so kind to send his preliminary figures to us for inclusion in this issue. Neil's figures covered the Broad Wing flight for the month of September and covered the sites in Massachusetts, Connec ticut and New York. Some of the more important hot spots had not completed their tallies at the time of our request but Neil sent us what he had. His efforts are greatly Broad-Winged Hawk appreciated.

4 In general, the Broad-Wing flights are picked up at Quabbin Reservoir in Massa chusetts and are tracked down through Connecticut to the Bronx Botani~al Gardens in New York. As one peers over the tabulated data in geographical form, a picture of the migration unfolds. One can see the buildup of birds as they filtet down from upper New England into Massachusetts. A concen trated flight begins to appear in northern Massachusetts and continues down through southern New England. Weather plays an important part in the migration picture, which accounts for the peak concentrations observed at different lookouts during the month. It appeared that the flight began early with 2600 birds reported across the area on September 12th. By the 15th, a flight of 1600 birds appeared and 9000 were Osprey counted on the 16th. This includes the areas mentioned above. It should be noted that the figure of 9000 birds was reported mostly from the Massachusetts area. On that same date, the 16th, one lone bird was observed in the Bronx, New York. Birds were concen trated in the Connecticut area when weather Hawk Watch-New Haven County conditions were not favorable for move Lighthouse Point ment. On September 23rd, the last big push Arne Rosengren was gracious enough to was recorded. A total of 4600 birds were provide the following unofficial data from sighted, with 4000 of them recorded at the New Haven County, conducted by the New Bronx Botanical Gardens. The grand total Haven Bird Club. We thank him for his of Broad-Wings from the Massachusetts, efforts. The figures are taken from primarily Connecticut area on that date was 3. two permanently manned stations, one at As one reviews the data on hawk Lighthouse Point, the other at West Rock migration, certain pictures form. Waves of Park, both in New Haven, Connecticut. The birds can be seen progressing down the remaining figures are from various hawk ridges southward to the wintering grounds. watch sights in the county, held on the The data, at best, only serves as a barometer. specific dates set aside by the New England Caution must be used in trying to determine Hawk Watch Committee. population fluctuations. Only through the The totals are impressive and compare thousands of hours by dedicated hawk with Cape May, New Jersey and Hawk watchers all across the region can any kind Mountain, Pennsylvania. In fact, it may be of comprehensive data be established. No that Lighthouse Point is second only to Cape one has a solid hold on the mystery of migra May in their numbers of hawks excluding tion yet and only through continued efforts Broad-Wings. The Northern Harrier count by volunteers can the bank of knowledge be exceeded all previous years as did the Osprey increased. All hawk migration reports from count. The impressive Red Tailed Hawk across the United States are being sent and numbers resulted from increased coverage at stored at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in West Rock during the latter part of October Pennsylvania, where one day, researchers and November. The single Swainson's can begin to unfold this mystery of hawk Hawk was reported by Dr. Noble Proctor on migration. November 2nd in East Haven.

5 All Stations Species Light Point West Rock Total

GOSHAWK 5 9 18 COOPERS 87 41 !56 SHARP SHIN 9150 704 11,360 RED TAIL 121 1091 1372 RED SHOULDER 25 41 94 BROAD-WING 2163 254 2693 ROUGH-LEG 8 7 21 SWAINSONS 0 0 I BALD EAGLE 0 3 12 GOLDEN EAGLE 0 0 2 HARRIER 667 60 1006 OSPREY 836 56 1145 PEREGRINE 18 7 33 MERLIN 118 3 153 KESTREL 3584 141 4826 UNID 206 66 313

TOTALS 16,998 2,483 23,205

A meeting of the Connecticut Audubon er at the evening banquet will be William Council, Hawk Migration Committee, was Clarke of the Raptor Information Center. held on February I, 1981 at the Arcadia The dates for the Spring and Fall Hawk Sanctul)-ry in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Watch dates have been established. The A date of April 4, 1981 has been set by the Spring Watch will be held on Aprill8-19 and committee for a Conference to be held at the again on April 25-26. The Fall watch dates Holiday Inn in Holyoke, Massachusetts. An are September 12-13, September 19-20 and impressive lineup of speakers has been October 3-4, October 24-25. Anyone inter gathered. Topics to be covered during the ested in assisting on these weekends would conference are tentatively scheduled and be welcomed. You may contact Connecticut include a discussion of Accipiter Identifica Audubon Society, Department of Natural tion Problems, Nest Failure of Red Should History Services at 259-0416, or your local ered Hawks, Birds at the Wingtip of a bird club or Audubon chapter in your area. Glider, Peregrine Falcons, Radar Studies of You need not be a pro at identifying hawks, Hawk Migration and others. Feature speak- we need your eyes. * 1st ANNUAL CONNECTICUT BIRD CONFERENCE

LOCATION: Southern Connecticut State There will be other talks on birdbanding, College bluebird trails, the rare bird alert and more. DATE: Saturday, May 2, 1981 ... 8:00am to Speakers include Noble Proctor, Robert 5:10pm Arbib and Roger Tory Peterson. There will The National Audubon Society is spon also be field trips to East Rock Park and soring this conference to bring together the Long Wharf. For more details contact: birders in the state to discuss common Marshal T. Case interests and suggest some group projects. Northeast Regional Office The major topics of discussion will include National Audubon Society the Northeast Bird Atlasing Projects, and Sharon Audubon Center Connecticut's Nongame Research Program. Route 4 Sharon, CT 06069 6 REVIEW OF THE 80th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT IN CONNECTICUT by Dennis Varza

Christmas count aspirations were high in New Haven had a second grosbeak. Strat November with large flocks of winter finches ford-Milford and Old Lyme-Saybrook each in the state, mainly Evening Grosbeaks and had a King Rail, while Hartford and New Pine Siskins. Everyone was looking forward London each came up with an Osprey. to a big finch year. But, as it turned out they did not stay. Bob DeWire commented that Rare Birds (expected to be found when he was in the Chesapeake Bay area, he infrequently during the winter) saw siskins still moving south. As the count Two Red-Necked Grebes were reported, period approached, expectations diminished one in Greenwich-Stamford, the other in along with the finches, and we entered a Westport, Turkey Vultures were seen in period of unusual cold that did not break Greenwich-Stamford, Westport, and Wood until January. The early counts were spared bury-Roxbury. Bald Eagles were found most of the cold weather but by the time in Lakeville-Sharon, Woodbury-Roxbury, Christmas came birding was tough. Old Lyme-Saybrook, and Stratford-Mil ford. Two Peregrine Falcons were re Accidentals (winter range does not ported, one from Hartford, the other from include Connecticut) Old Lyme-Saybrook. A Merlin was reported Eight species of accidental birds were from Litchfield Hills. A Bam Owl was reported, five from the west and three from found in New Haven and a Snowy Owl in the north. The northern species were a Black Stratford-Milford. Once again only one Guillemot from New Haven, a Lesser shrike was counted, a Northern Shrike at Black-Backed Gull from Greenwich - Litchfield Hills. Of the sparrows, an Ipswich Stamford, and one from New Haven's count Sparrow was seen at Westport, a Vesper period, and a Boreal Chickadee for Sparrow at Hartford and one at Greenwich, Westport's count period. The Guillemot was a Grasshopper Sparrow at Salmon River only seen count day. The Greenwich-Stam and two Lincoln's Sparrows, one in West ford Lesser Black-backed Gull was the port and one in New Haven. resident that has been seen repeatedly for the past three years. The Boreal Chickadees Population Changes were seen before the count but eluded two The herons were down in number with no parties sent to record them count day. The straggler egrets reported. The American western birds included six Bohemian Wax Bittern however was more common. The wings and a Black-Headed Grosbeak reduction in open water may have increased from the New Haven count. Dickcissel and the likelyhood of them being found . Lark Sparrow were found in Greenwich Canada Goose populations were down Stamford, with a second Dickcissel from inland and up along the coast. On the shore Storrs. The Hartford count had a Varied mallards were lower in number and black Thrust during their count period. ducks higher than last year. Greater Scaup populations were also better than last year. Late Birds (normally found in this area All hawk species were up in number. Two at other times of year) Peregrine Falcons and a Merlin were There were six species of Late Birds found reported. Eleven counts reported I to 3 Red and except for two, all were observed during Shouldered Hawks each, while last year only the first weekend. There was a Short-Billed one was reported for each of six counts. Dowitcher and a Northern Oriole from Seven Cooper's Hawks were reported, com Greenwich -Stamford. Westport had a pared to four from last year. Phoebe and a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, All rails were down except for the two 7 King Rails. No Sora Rails or Common counts compared to three last year. Snow Gallinules were reported this year. Buntings turned up on thirteen counts com Blue Jays, Crows, Titmice, Chickadees, pared to six last year. and Red-breasted Nuthatches were all up Besides seeing the rarest birds it is inter this year. Wrens were down in number esting to note who has the most birds, except for the Carolina Wren. The cold particularly the "city birds". New Haven gets weather may have driven them to the feeders credit for having the largest populations of where they easily counted. Mockingbirds, Rock Doves and Herring Gulls, 938 and Catbirds, Thrashers, and Bluebirds may also 13,542 respectively. Stratford-Milford gets reflect the same situation as the Carolina top honor (?) for Starlings at 58,080. Green Wren. Waxwings were way up, with most wich-Stamford can boast of 1315 House compilers commenting on their abundance. Sparrows thanks to their 106 feeder observ Winter warblers were down in number. ers. Greenwich-Stamford put out a record Despite the bad weather, Cardinals con 217 observers which may be a national high. tinued to climb with some counts doubling They also counted 225i Blackcapped Chick their numbers over last year. The much adees which may be a national high. Another anticipated winter finches were present but possible record is 502 Purple Sandpipers not in large numbers. No Crossbills, Pine found on the New Haven Breakwaters by Grosbeak or Redpolls were reported last George Zepko. year. This year six counts had Crossbills, The above review and list of Connecticut's seven had Pine Grosbeaks, and thirteen had Christmas Bird Counts could not have been Redpolls. Siskins and Evening Grosbeaks possible without the cooperation of the were reported on three and nine counts many compilers which devoted their time respectively last year. This year they both and energy to provide the necessary infor were on fourteen counts. mation. The results were the efforts of the Juncos, Tree Sparrows, White-throated following organizations: Connecticut Audu Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, and Song Spar bon Society, Darien Audubon Society, rows were all up in numbers. Nineteen Greenwich Audubon Society, Hartford Au White-crowned Sparrows were reported this dubon Society, Housatonic Audubon Soci year compared to two last year. This year ety, Litchfield Hills Audubon Society, there were six Chipping Sparrows compared Matabeseck Audubon Society, Natchaug to fifteen last year, but one must note that Ornithological Society, Naugatuck Valley thirteen of them were in one count. Audubon Society, New Canaan Audubon Longspurs and Snow Buntings were up Society, New Haven Bird Club, Potopaug this year with most compilers reporting them Audubon Society, Quinnipiac Valley Audu as unusual. Longspurs were found on seven bon Society, Saugatuck Valley Audubon Society, and the Waterbury Naturalist Club.

Saw-Whet Owl Immature Bald Eagle 8 ..:.c ..., 'E 0 ~ ..., ..:: 'E ;:: ., c: ... E .,..., ;:: ..., 0 ~ -; ... ~ ... " ... ,;j'" c: a: ..c: ~ rJl 0 0 '" ~ c: '"0 ..., :c rJl u J:. ~ ...... "0 -; u ~ c: ~ "0 a: -c... E ~ Q; ~ '"c.. 'E ..., 0 c: "0 ., · c: "i 5 ::c'" ...l ...... :: ·:;: ·;: 0 c: ..:: ...l ... ..:: ~ ... fr, '; "0 ..:: ""0 ..c: c: E ...... ~ "0 ...~ :5! 0 ~ ..:.c ·s -; 0 ...... ,;j ~ ,;j ;z 0 ;z ::c 0" ~ :J ...l'" 0' rJl ::c'" 12/21" 12/21 1/3 12/20 12/28 12/27 12/20 12/21 12/20 12/28 12/21 12/20 12/21 12/27 12/20 Com Loon CP 2 I 4 13 RT Loon I I I 12 2 RN Grebe I I Ho Grebe 81 12 13 20 9 95 PB Grebe 3 6 6 27 5 15 4 Gt Cormt 76 I II I 6 326 DC Cormt I 56 Cormt Sp 2 GB Heron 7 23 5 5 CP CP I 2 BCN Hern 3 8 I 8 A Bittrn 2 I I '-0 Mut Swan 101 31 29 78 117 551 6 I I Ca Goose 4910 2035 616 1505 104 851 172 7 1341 5 2248 1289 476 859 Brant 230 CP 7 127 Sn Goose 5 2 3 6 Mallard 2139 2648 284 923 666 1058 265 462 402' 35 384 334 555 1730 859 Blk Duck 900 1476 1349 5165 571 772 28 34 58 4 126 14 13 90 62 MalxBik I Gadwall I 4 I 13 3 27 3 Pintail 3 2 I 3 8 2 GW Teal 5 7 9 2 BW Teal 2 A Wigeou 85 119 68 145 61 Shovler l I Wood Dk 12 3 2 3 5 I l l 4 Redhead l 2 2 RN Duck 9 22 6 3 6 3 CP Canvasbk 108 6 21 1122 8 234 Gr Scaup 1638 118 954 4486 Ill 1117 Ls Scaup 3 40 2 Scaup Sp C Goldye 315 254 555 1190 308 377 Bufflhed 295 160 82 67 157 911 Old Squw 333 246 212 115 14 10 C Eider I ~ ;.. .. Q ~ ""'Q a ;.. .s .. .. .J:l c .. E .J:l >< ., Q ~ ;.. ;.. Q .. ;; .. • c .. ;... .. cii riJ• .c• ... ~ c Q ;; ~;.. :t riJ ... 1: .. d. ~ ;...... ,:, ... c .. ~ • ~ ~ .i t: .. E Q ... ~ ·a .. Q • ;.. c ~ .J:l= c c Cl. .s ::c ...l .. .. 10:: ·;: Q .. ...l ~ '8 .c .. ·=c .s ..~ .. ... il: ~ .s ... E t: i .. ~ ~ ·:; Q .. .. >< ;; • ~ cii ;z 0 ;z :t 0 ~ :l- ...l""'• 0' riJ ::c cii "' 12/21 12/21 1/3 12/20 12/28 12/27 12/20 12/21 12/20 12/28 12/21 12/20 12/21 12/27 12/20 WW Scqtr 92 170 1108 45 5 Sf Scotr 4 87 61 Cm Scotr 3 4 7 I Scotr Sp 16 15 Ruddy Dk 2 CP CP Hd Merg 9 77 2 25 15 218 CP Cm Merg 36 49 33 90 774 I 21 7 33 8 8 76 81 RB Merg 428 18 49 59 165 563 3 Duck Sp 250 T Vultre I 12 16 Goshawk 4 I 2 3 I CP 2 0 ShS Hawk 7 I 6 4 I 3 3 5 2 3 2 Cop Hawk I CP I I 2 2 Accip Sp I I RT Hawk 55 29 II 47 23 15 17 10 38 19 56 28 19 77 9 RS Hawk 3 I 3 3 3 I 3 2 2 I RL Hawk 2 3 I 4 II 4 2 I 4 6 Buteo Sp 3 I Bid Eagl I 2 2 Harrier I 3 15 4 II 4 Osprey I P Falcon I Merlin I Kestrel 7 3 10 34 14 20 5 3 14 5 13 18 3 31 4 Rf Grse 50 32 22 14 3 9 18 20 37 7 26 20 13 Bobwhite 3 17 2 CP RN Pheas 68 15 I 8 I 9 3 5 6 I 7 36 5 Turkey CP Kng Rail I I Clp Rail I 2 2 I Vrg Rail 2 2 I 6 2 Am Coot 6 3 8 18 74 3 Killdeer 2 21 2 27 5 4 BB Plovr 3 21 18 Rdy Trst 4 I 2 45 33 A Wodcok I I CP 6 2 I Cm Snipe 3 I II 27 2 I 2 2 2 7 G Yelleg 6 2 Pur Sand 16 2 502 62 44 Dun lin 35 96 143 95 123 10 SB Dowch I Sandling 15 6 15 Glu Gull I I lei Gull I LBB Gull I CP GBB Gull 89 332 745 730 291 269 I I 485 14 29 Hrg Gull 6542 1026 3900 13542 2095 4690 177 278 296 38 1549 154 909 83 RBi Gull 1956 995 1510 3722 157 300 55 23 43 CP 485 35 51 Bon Gull 63 39 5 26 Gull Sp 52 8 Bl Guilm I Rck Dove 546 485 625 938 325 441 137 74 664 240 245 909 236 2057 75t Mor Dove 865 649 132 1006 593 394 56 238 1108 541 592 582 291 1316 358 Barn Owl I Scrh Owl 76 45 4 13 10 7 27 66 35 7 38 5 20 GrHo Owl 23 10 I 12 7 7 8 2 38 2 17 6 20 8 CP Snwy Owl I Bard Owl 2 2 3 2 3 2 5 I II I 5 I 2 LoEr Owl I 3 7 3 I I 4 ShEr Owl 3 I I SaWt Owl I 3 I I 3 7 I B Kingfh 22 5 9 17 32 20 2 7 10 9 5 I 8 18 2 C Ficker 15 4 6 32 16 15 7 5 25 13 7 17 9 30 I Pil Wdpk 14 9 I 2 I 3 3 3 I 2 6 RdB Wdpk 31 8 2 I 2 I 3 I CP RdH Wdpk I I YB Spsuk 4 I 2 2 I 2 I I I Hry Wdpk 66 35 5 44 29 16 5 17 34 44 40 20 20 82 35 Dwy Wdpk 416 174 48 221 149 68 29 69 182 184 131 47 54 335 91 E Phoebe I Hrn Lark 103 158 45 17 2 403 449 478 226 231 252 Blue Jay 613 395 157 823 980 618 180 467 1438 1140 684 304 483 904 602 Com Crow 1313 1940 298 1172 359 379 474 371 1721 720 388 642 175 12021 1255 Fsh Crow I 14 20 Crow Sp 6 BC Chcde 2251 1028 169 1176 926 699 222 399 1511 1379 827 322 557 1276 753 Br Chcde CP T Titmse 624 321 40 211 230 143 97 127 281 201 77 74 168 425 259 WB Nthth 322 168 26 108 113 37 32 100 208 240 138 25 85 206 92 RB Nthth 16 3 2 15 9 8 2 16 10 27 7 I 3 "CC .:0: ...... 0 .. 0 :::1 ...... s "CC.. .. ~ c E ~ .. 0 ..!! .. ~ ...... 0 .. "iii .. .. c ... "' .. ;;...... ~ 00 .c ... ~ c 0 ~ :c 00 ... .c!: ... d. "CC "iii ...... ;;... .. "CC .. Cia -o ... c "CC t: E :::1 0 .. .. 0 "ii ~ ·a. c .. "i ...... c "CC ~ ·:;: c c. .s ::c ... .. 10: ·= 0 .s .. ... ';; s "CC '8 .c ... .5 E t: .."' ... ~ "CC ~ .s .:0: 0 ...... :2 .. ~ .. :::1 "iii .. 1.!1 i ~ 2: 0 2: ::c 0 ~ ;::J ...... 0' 00 ::c ~ 12/21 12/21 1/3 12/20 12/28 12/27 12/20 12/21 12/20 12/28 12/21 12/20 12/21 12/27 12/20 Br Crepr 37 9 4 27 13 7 I 5 26 12 18 3 12 30 16 Hos Wren 2 I Wnt Wren 4 I 3 I 2 I I 4 Car Wren 5 8 I 10 29 26 5 I 2 4 2 Mar Wren 2 3 7 Mkngbird 258 112 77 225 229 134 25 55 165 103 69 47 74 286 75 Catbird 13 2 5 4 5 I I I 5 2 2 7 B Thrshr 5 2 3 7 5 9 4 I I 2 I Robin 775 88 3 242 101 51 24 411 214 650 1118 120 152 71 Var Thrh CP H Thrush 28 4 5 19 10 17 II 16 9 8 2 5 5 I IV B Blubrd 58 53 2 6 6 115 46 19 24 10 21 GC Knglt 26 I 33 I 5 4 I 12 15 26 4 3 10 CP RC Knglt 4 2 5 2 I 2 Wtrpipit 2 I C Waxwng 91 14 26 131 89 186 161 699 187 304 8 230 22 B Waxwng 6 N Shrike I Starling 13618 31911 58080 15200 4834 14737 472 4580 7350 1349 907 2572 1143 35499 1589 YR Warb 6 17 21 6 19 2 8 II I 50 15 3 I Pin Warb I Pal Warb I I Yelthrot I YB Chat 2 Hous Spw 1315 983 372 1134 669 527 162 263 493 850 723 385 600 1180 1029 E Medlrk 2 3 I 30 16 22 4 8 II 62 8 9 45 Rdw BIBd 15 16 269 8976 431 43 I 14 9 37 68 20 22 7 N Oriole I Rst Blbd 18 8 215 7 I I II 9 10 C Grckle 51 29 31 19222 48 120 2 5 52 2 I 37 12 29 4 BH Cowbd 62 8 117 894 170 89 3 335 172 518 4 60 109 Cardinal 566 366 66 326 241 157 46 148 368 265 171 137 122 457 167 RB Grsbk I I BH Grsbk I Dies iss I Ev Grrbk 114 101 294 177 157 105 17 157 637 767 34 255 53 428 Pur Finh 75 95 2 29 2 15 71 36 79 42 56 70 31 67 42 Hos Finh 782 527 131 549 512 448 112 175 706 362 158 193 132 1161 314 Pi Grsbk 3 I I CP 42 2 7 13 C Redpol 6 16 3 19 II I 34 16 66 17 18 41 25 Pi Siskn 85 19 3 50 10 13 8 19 9 7 8 4 19 24 A Gldfnh 359 184 46 244 64 73 24 29 125 104 250 98 141 442 95 R Crsbil I 19 I 4 CP 2 7 WW Crbil I 5 RS Towhe 13 5 4 12 20 25 4 3 I I 6 3 Ips Sprw I Sav Sprw 27 12 7 14 2 3 CP Ghp Sprw ShT Sprw 6 SeS Sprw Vsp Sprw I Lrk Sprw I DE Junco 1258 535 71 673 239 151 200 362 lOll 680 400 316 475 1128 817 Tre Sprw 167 160 333 237 168 112 91 176 494 361 28 104 610 150 Chp Sprw I ~ I 2 Fld Sprw 26 99 131 215 83 52 17 30 14 8 9 68 41 17 WhC Sprw 2 I 2 5 I 8 857 421 1236 339 156 164 552 165 160 165 274 514 268 ....., WhT Sprw 89 366 Fox Sprw 50 12 20 8 21 6 I 4 I I 8 2 8 3 Len Sprw I I Swp Sprw . 14 18 44 120 33 16 5 2 7 4 10 5 19 I Sng Sprw 484 357 262 780 333 227 76 190 202 184 43 80 155 588 54 Sprw Sp 26 Lpl Lgsp 37 31 5 I 2 2 I 3 Sno Btng 3 62 50 25 5 I CP 10 282 9 30 21 151 II

* TABLE OF CONTENTS THE 1

l~CONNECTIClJT ll EDITORIAL 14 Carl J. Trichka WARBLER

THE BLACK RAIL:MYSTERY BIRD OF THE MARSH 15 Devoted to the promotion of bird study. Dr. Noble S. Proctor

BANDING GULLS AT CHIMON ISLAND 17 Robert C. DeWire

COMMON TERNS IN CONNECTICUT 18 A PROGRESS REPORT Fred C. Sibley

NOTES AND NEWS 24

Volume I Number 2 Apri11981 Pages 14-26 The Connecticut Warbler is a quarterly publication devoted to the promotion of bird study and conservation in the state of Connecticut. The Connecticut Warbler is published by the Natural History Services Department of the Connecticut Audubon Society, 314 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, Connecticut 06430. TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUBSCRIPTION: Subscriptions to The Connecticut Warbler are based on the calendar year, from January to December, at $6.00 per year. Back issues are available at $1.50 per issue. All correspondence should be sent to: EDITORIAL 14 The Connecticut Warbler Carl J. Trichka Natural History Services Dept., C.A. S. 314 Unquowa Road Fairfield, Connecticut 06430 THE BLACK RAIL:MYSTERY BIRD OF THE MARSH 15 The Connecticut Audubon Society has been declared a non-profit organization Dr. Noble S. Proctor by the Internal Revenue..Service. Any gifts to the Connecticut Warbler will be greatly appreciated and are fully tax deductible. All Rights Reserved. Suggestions to Authors: BANDING GULLS AT CHIMON ISLAND 17 The editors of the Connecticut Warbler invite you to submit articles, notes, black & white photographs, and line drawings. Manuscripts should be type Robert C. DeWire written, double spaced, and on one side of the sheet with ample margins. All material will be returned upon request. COMMON TERNS IN CONNECTICUT 18 A PROGRESS REPORT Fred C. Sibley

24 The Connecticut Warbler NOTES AND NEWS

Director and Tech. Editor: Milaa G. Bull . .. Editor: ROiad C. Clein8at ;?; Manqina Editor: Carl J. Tricbb .;·, Editorial Board: Dr. Georp A. Clart, Jr. Ij Paul Desjardiua Robert C. DeWire ., Frank J. Gardner James Hammer Tbomu R. Hoehn H. James Mockalis Dr. Noble S. Proctor Fred C. Sibley Joseph D. Zeranski The Connecticut Warbler is a quarterly publication devoted to the promotion of bird study and conservation in the state of Connecticut. The Connecticut Warbler is published by the Natural History Services Department of the Connecticut Audubon Society, 314 Unquowa Road, Fairfield, Connecticut 06430. TABLE OF CONTENTS

24 The Connecticut Warbler NOTES AND NEWS

Carl J. Trichka

Anyone who seeks information about Connecticut's birds soon finds out that there is a large time gap between the early writings and those of the present. The" bible" on Connecticut's birdlife is the work of Sage, Bishop, and Bliss, The Birds of Connecticut (1913), the only work which covers the entire state. Little has been published since except for material dealing with particular areas within the state. With this issue, we begin the task of bringing into focus what is happening to Connecticut birds at present, and we will gradually seek to connect the past with the present. We begin with a coastal rarity. Dr. Noble Proctor's account of the Black Rail is a piece which will correct the record and inspire many a birder to try hard to get a glimpse of this elusive creature. Rather little is known about this bird' s habitat requirements, so this new information opens the door for others to seek out this shy denizen of the marshes in other parts of the state. Good luck! Fred Sibley provides an impressive status report of the Common Tern's principal nesting colony in Connecticut, the results of intensive study since 197 8. The banding staff of Connecticut Audubon Society spent a weekend assisting Fred and his staff last summer. And work it was, from dawn to dusk! In walking through a tern colony (we hope not too often) you quickly inure yourself to the noise and defensive tactics of the birds, adapting yourself to peckings and droppings, or you get no work done. We must conclude that the survival of terns depends on the protection of their nesting grounds. Development or disturbance by recreation seekers will set back nesting success or drive the birds out. Bob DeWire documents the wanderings of the large group of Herring Gulls that nest on Chimon Island. These data support previous reports about gull dispersal from nesting grounds during the first two years of their lives, when they wander southward prior to returning to their nesting island and producing young of their own. Charles Shafer reports on the second New England Regional Hawk Migration Conference, and includes new information on one of the puzzling aspects of hawk-watching, the identification of Sharp shinned and/or Cooper's Hawks. Peter Dunne of the Cape May Bird Observatory has interesting help for you in this regard. ,4 Finally, Miley Bull provides a glimpse of the busy sessions of the EBBA meeting in Ocean City, one this editor also enjoyed sharing.

14 success in finding the bird. Within Connecticut, we black rails running across footpaths at the marsh the marsh where it was heard calling a few nights THE BLACK RAIL: still have significant samples of this favored habitat edge." Many of these reports, I am sure, are later. Of particular note was the vegetation. In this in places like the Lordship Marshes, Stratford; sightings of young Clapper Rails that tend to be backwater area of Connecticut feeder marsh, the MYSTERY BIRD Nell's Island, Milford; Great Island, Saybrook; scampering about during the periods reported upon. dominant plants were river Bulrus ( Scirpus fluvia and the marshes of Barn Island in Stonington. L. MacKenzie (The Birds of Guilford, Connecticut tilis) and some Narro Leaved Cattail (Typha OF THE MARSH Dillon Ripley (Rails of the World 1977) shows a 1961) made reference to two such reports. No angustifolia). So the inland fresh water areas of by Noble S. Proctor map depicting the range of the east coast subspecies. reference is made to the birder who made the substantial size, overlooked unit! this point for the (Fig. I) It can be seen that this range extends well sightings. These reports are August4, 1945 when Black Rail in nesting season, now add a new Through the years, the Black Rail (Lateral/us out into the middle Atlantic states. Through this one was seen near the Guilford Beach and on promise for future investigations. jamaicensis), has been one ofthe most sought, yet area fresh water marshes, wet fields and at times dry May 25 , 194 7, when one was seen running across The scene switches back to Milford, and once enigmatic, bird species for the avid birder in the hay fields are used by this rail. This highlights a fact an open area at Great Harbor No other data are again it is Muller obtaining an adult bird in the Northeast. Its catalogued history in Connecticut that one often overlooks when trying to find the bird available concerning these sightings. Bulmer re Nell's Island marsh on September 15, 1980. This spans some I 00 years and during this time luck has in Connecticut. Most birders are attuned to looking ported the species twice from the Lordship area in time in predominantly Spartina grass. remained one of the key elements of encounter with for the species along the coast. But in migration and Stratford, first on August 14, 1953 and again on This is presently where the story of the elusive this species. Even its written history has an aura of during the breeding season a wide range of inland August 20, 1959. These dates fall within the Black Rail in Connecticut ends. June appears to be mystique. C. H. Merriam in A Review of Birds of wetland habitat may prove attractive for the species. movement period for this species, though, as yet, we the best month for calling birds anywhere on the Connecticut ( 1877) reports what could be the first This is a fact to note when we discuss recent are unable to say where the birds are moving from, East coast. They sing from just prior to sunset and state record for this species. A bird was reportedly occurrences later in this report. or whether they are products oflocal breeding. On stop calling usually an hour or so after midnight. captured by Brewer at Hazenville, Ct. (no date September 5, 1973, at last, an incontrovertible As for migrants, any time from late August through listed) . This record was reported in the 19 56 record was established when Muller collected a September appears to be the best time afield. A.O. U. Checklist as a Hazardville bird. John Bull young bird in the grass-goldenrod edge along the Perhaps once we were attuned to its habitat ( 1964) states that he is most hesitant to accept the Housatonic River, three miles above Milford Point. preferences and activities within the state, the first record. I also consider the record doubtful. With Was it a product of local nesting? A migrant? As twentieth century nest will be located. What a no date, no skin, and no outline of the habitat the always with this species, this is as yet an unanswer treasure awaits that field naturalist! Or will it be a bird was found in, I do not feel that the Hazardville able question. fluke, as the first nest find was? One thing for record is acceptable. Hence, the first state record certain: "lady luck'' will continue to play a major comes from Saybrook, where a neighbor of J.N. My first encounter with this species in Connecti role in encounters with the gem of Connecticut's Clark reportedly hit a nest of the Black Rail while cut occurred in 1980. Dave Titus and John May marshes - the Black Rail. cutting hay on July 10, 1876. All but four of the nard telephoned from Cromwell to report what they eggs were broken and the adult bird was decapi believed to be a Black Rail calling from Dead Man's tated. In the ensuing years the skin was lost. J.N. Swamp. On June 25 , Maury Covington and I went MAP Clark again reported a nest with nine eggs on June with Titus to the area and waited until twilight. Just 13 , 1884, also in Saybrook, but the adults went before dark the bird began to call. Equipped with a unseen. It is now believed that the area of this parabolic reflector and a tape recorder, we waded nesting is the Great Island region. Sage and Bishop out to record the bird. The call was the typical (The Birds of Connecticut 1913) report three distinct " kickyki do" or" dee dee do" with a drop on additional records. the end" do". After extended taping, I replayed the On July II , 1893 and on August 12, 1904, tape and instantly the bird was running about our Bishop flushed single birds in the Quinnipiac feet, calling and scolding in a loud and harsh Marshes of New Haven. On September 14, 1904, " whirrr, whirrr, whirr" sound. Was it defending a Whitney reported an immature bird at Essex. territory? It would seem so. Was a nest there? From that point to the present a long hiatus of Black Rail- Adult Male We will never know! After dark, Covington and I mainly unsubstantiated sightings and " calls" en Pholo by N. S. Proctor returned with the recorder and a poncho. Spreading shroud the bird. th poncho out I hoped we would see the rail cross it This may be a good point to review some of the Turning to more recent reports, one finds the to interact with the tape recorder. Turning on the information we have on habitat preferences that is a following: There are numerous word-of-mouth tape we had an immediate response. When the bird key to fmding this species. The classic preferred reports of birds calling from the Great Island area was very close we illuminated the poncho. I noticed habitat of East Coast birds is the upper limits of the through the early part of the 1900's. Indeed, when a stirring beneath the poncho and irnrnediately Salt Marsh Grass (Spartina patens), community afield talking to other birders, Great Island is dropped onto the poncho, surrounding the area with where Black Grass (Juncus Gerardi) , Marsh Alder invariably brought up when Black Rails are men my arms. Sliding one hand beneath, I picked up a Range of the Black Rail in the Northeast. (lvafrutescens) , and Goldenrod( Solidago semper tioned. All records seem to refer back to J.N. rail. At last this elusive species was within my virens) , intermix. This type of edge effect seems to Clark's two reports that have sustained an endless grasp. An adult male, it still showed some molt in Dr. Proctor is Associate Professor of Biology at attract this species consistently, especially south of retelling with no addition of substantial material. In the capital tract. Measurements and numerous Southern Connecticut State College in New Connecticut. In such areas I have had excellent addition, " sightings" have been reported of "tiny photos were taken. The bird was then returned to Haven.

15 16 success in finding the bird. Within Connecticut, we black rails running across footpaths at the marsh the marsh where it was heard calling a few nights THE BLACK RAIL: still have significant samples of this favored habitat edge." Many of these reports, I am sure, are later. Of particular note was the vegetation. In this in places like the Lordship Marshes, Stratford; sightings of young Clapper Rails that tend to be backwater area of Connecticut feeder marsh, the MYSTERY BIRD Nell's Island, Milford; Great Island, Saybrook; scampering about during the periods reported upon. dominant plants were river Bulrus ( Scirpus fluvia and the marshes of Barn Island in Stonington. L. MacKenzie (The Birds of Guilford, Connecticut tilis) and some Narro Leaved Cattail (Typha OF THE MARSH Dillon Ripley (Rails of the World 1977) shows a 1961) made reference to two such reports. No angustifolia). So the inland fresh water areas of by Noble S. Proctor map depicting the range of the east coast subspecies. reference is made to the birder who made the substantial size, overlooked unit! this point for the (Fig. I) It can be seen that this range extends well sightings. These reports are August4, 1945 when Black Rail in nesting season, now add a new Through the years, the Black Rail (Lateral/us out into the middle Atlantic states. Through this one was seen near the Guilford Beach and on promise for future investigations. jamaicensis), has been one ofthe most sought, yet area fresh water marshes, wet fields and at times dry May 25 , 194 7, when one was seen running across The scene switches back to Milford, and once enigmatic, bird species for the avid birder in the hay fields are used by this rail. This highlights a fact an open area at Great Harbor No other data are again it is Muller obtaining an adult bird in the Northeast. Its catalogued history in Connecticut that one often overlooks when trying to find the bird available concerning these sightings. Bulmer re Nell's Island marsh on September 15, 1980. This spans some I 00 years and during this time luck has in Connecticut. Most birders are attuned to looking ported the species twice from the Lordship area in time in predominantly Spartina grass. remained one of the key elements of encounter with for the species along the coast. But in migration and Stratford, first on August 14, 1953 and again on This is presently where the story of the elusive this species. Even its written history has an aura of during the breeding season a wide range of inland August 20, 1959. These dates fall within the Black Rail in Connecticut ends. June appears to be mystique. C. H. Merriam in A Review of Birds of wetland habitat may prove attractive for the species. movement period for this species, though, as yet, we the best month for calling birds anywhere on the Connecticut ( 1877) reports what could be the first This is a fact to note when we discuss recent are unable to say where the birds are moving from, East coast. They sing from just prior to sunset and state record for this species. A bird was reportedly occurrences later in this report. or whether they are products oflocal breeding. On stop calling usually an hour or so after midnight. captured by Brewer at Hazenville, Ct. (no date September 5, 1973, at last, an incontrovertible As for migrants, any time from late August through listed) . This record was reported in the 19 56 record was established when Muller collected a September appears to be the best time afield. A.O. U. Checklist as a Hazardville bird. John Bull young bird in the grass-goldenrod edge along the Perhaps once we were attuned to its habitat ( 1964) states that he is most hesitant to accept the Housatonic River, three miles above Milford Point. preferences and activities within the state, the first record. I also consider the record doubtful. With Was it a product of local nesting? A migrant? As twentieth century nest will be located. What a no date, no skin, and no outline of the habitat the always with this species, this is as yet an unanswer treasure awaits that field naturalist! Or will it be a bird was found in, I do not feel that the Hazardville able question. fluke, as the first nest find was? One thing for record is acceptable. Hence, the first state record certain: "lady luck'' will continue to play a major comes from Saybrook, where a neighbor of J.N. My first encounter with this species in Connecti role in encounters with the gem of Connecticut's Clark reportedly hit a nest of the Black Rail while cut occurred in 1980. Dave Titus and John May marshes - the Black Rail. cutting hay on July 10, 1876. All but four of the nard telephoned from Cromwell to report what they eggs were broken and the adult bird was decapi believed to be a Black Rail calling from Dead Man's tated. In the ensuing years the skin was lost. J.N. Swamp. On June 25 , Maury Covington and I went MAP Clark again reported a nest with nine eggs on June with Titus to the area and waited until twilight. Just 13 , 1884, also in Saybrook, but the adults went before dark the bird began to call. Equipped with a unseen. It is now believed that the area of this parabolic reflector and a tape recorder, we waded nesting is the Great Island region. Sage and Bishop out to record the bird. The call was the typical (The Birds of Connecticut 1913) report three distinct " kickyki do" or" dee dee do" with a drop on additional records. the end" do". After extended taping, I replayed the On July II , 1893 and on August 12, 1904, tape and instantly the bird was running about our Bishop flushed single birds in the Quinnipiac feet, calling and scolding in a loud and harsh Marshes of New Haven. On September 14, 1904, " whirrr, whirrr, whirr" sound. Was it defending a Whitney reported an immature bird at Essex. territory? It would seem so. Was a nest there? From that point to the present a long hiatus of Black Rail- Adult Male We will never know! After dark, Covington and I mainly unsubstantiated sightings and " calls" en Pholo by N. S. Proctor returned with the recorder and a poncho. Spreading shroud the bird. th poncho out I hoped we would see the rail cross it This may be a good point to review some of the Turning to more recent reports, one finds the to interact with the tape recorder. Turning on the information we have on habitat preferences that is a following: There are numerous word-of-mouth tape we had an immediate response. When the bird key to fmding this species. The classic preferred reports of birds calling from the Great Island area was very close we illuminated the poncho. I noticed habitat of East Coast birds is the upper limits of the through the early part of the 1900's. Indeed, when a stirring beneath the poncho and irnrnediately Salt Marsh Grass (Spartina patens), community afield talking to other birders, Great Island is dropped onto the poncho, surrounding the area with where Black Grass (Juncus Gerardi) , Marsh Alder invariably brought up when Black Rails are men my arms. Sliding one hand beneath, I picked up a Range of the Black Rail in the Northeast. (lvafrutescens) , and Goldenrod( Solidago semper tioned. All records seem to refer back to J.N. rail. At last this elusive species was within my virens) , intermix. This type of edge effect seems to Clark's two reports that have sustained an endless grasp. An adult male, it still showed some molt in Dr. Proctor is Associate Professor of Biology at attract this species consistently, especially south of retelling with no addition of substantial material. In the capital tract. Measurements and numerous Southern Connecticut State College in New Connecticut. In such areas I have had excellent addition, " sightings" have been reported of "tiny photos were taken. The bird was then returned to Haven.

15 16 Of the gulls banded in 1973, there have been22 distance covered appears to be during the first two COMMON TERNS IN Banding gulls recoveries to date, more than half of them being of years of the gull's life, when they are immature birds found by people within a year of banding, and unattached. Birds five years old, or older, CONNECTICUT at Chimon Island mostly in 1974. At the other extreme, four of the have been taken no farther away than the New by Robert C. DeWire recoveries were made in 19 80, two of them in the York City area. This is to be expected because all New York City area (South Brother Island, and the birds banded in the 197 3-7 5 period are now of © 1981 Pat Lynch Chimon Island, in the Norwalk Islands chain off Palisades), one at Southport Beach in Fairfield, ,, breeding age and would tend to "home." The Norwalk, is one of the most ornithologically and one on Chimon Island itself. Herring Gulls ' 1981 nesting adults will be observed carefully to significant areas in Connecticut. Its large heronry are notably long-lived birds, so these 7-year-old determine what proportion of them are already includes nesting representatives of almost every birds are by no means exceptional. Records banded. It may be assumed that the majority of .. species of heron that occurs in the Northeast. On exist of Herring Gulls recovered after 29 and 34 those already banded will be birds we banded here the south shore of the island there is a large colony years. since 1973. of Herring Gulls, (Larus argentatus) with small The birds banded in 197 3 and recovered in their Let me stress the importance of checking any numbers of Great Black-backed Gulls, (Larus first winter ranged widely: from nearby Calf dead gull you may find on the beaches. If the bird marinus) as well. The colony numbers in the t. ,.;'( Pasture Beach in Norwalk, to the New York City has a band, you may remove it and save it for 1/ thousands and spills over to neighboring Grassy '1· area (4 birds); to southern New Jersey (2); and reference. It is not necessary to remove the band, \ Island. to as far away as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina however, so long as the entire number can be In 197 3 I began to study the dispersal of gulls read. The number is long and it is important to be (2). All recoveries but one have been of birds \\";.. ' T..<{;, from Chimon Island. Two banding trips were sure that every digit is correctly recorded. Banded y~·~~, found south of their nesting island. The one . A: made, in June and in early July. In June some of exception was recovered at Plum Island, New gulls may be reported directly to the Bird-Banding ' the young were still so small that the band size buryport, Mass., in August of 1975. The long Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland 20811, or you required for fully-grown Herring Gulls would slip ~ distance traveller of the group was found at may contact me at the Denison Pequotsepos off their legs. The second trip was made to band •/'""~·,":.ro\. Harkers Island, North Carolina, in April of1975. Nature Center, P.O. Box 122, Mystic, Conn. ''./ ~:1-t,. these young, by then grown enough to hold the 06355. I .. ',, band. The process is the simple one of picking up The birds banded in 197 4 travelled even more . : the young birds, banding them, and setting them widely, but once again the movement was south ROBERT C. DeWIRE obtained a bachelor of down again. The adult gulls scream and dive at erly, with no birds recovered north of Stratford, science degree in wildlife management at you in defense of their young, but few actually Conn. A total of29 of these birds have so far been the University of Massachusetts in 1967. strike. Hard hats were worn as a precaution, recovered, ten of them that first winter. Eight From 1967 to 1970 he was Naturalist and however, and since the adults are rather accurate were found locally, and the two that wandered Acting Director at the Thames Science with their droppings, one always wears the oldest beyond the limits of our 1973 birds went to Center in New London. He was then of clothes when banding. Staff members of the Sullivan Island, South Carolina, and Sapelo Chief Naturalist at the Nature Center for A PROGRESS REPORT Nature Center for Environmental Activities of Island, Georgia. The following year(1975), this Environmental Activities, in Westport, Westport assisted me. Transportation to the cohort showed up in the New York City area, from 1970 to 1976. Since 1976 he has by Fred C. Sibley island was kindly provided by the Saugatuck Sandy Hook, N.J., North Carolina (two birds), been Director of the Denison Pequotsepos Valley Audubon Society on its catamaran, CON Florida ( 3), and - our current record - a bird Nature Center in Mystic. The Common Tem(Stema hirundo) is alive and SERVATOR. was picked up near Vera Cruz, Mexico in June. He received his federal banding permit in 1963. doing well in Connecticut. A 1977 survey of the In 1973 we banded 1,042 gulls, and the next In 1975 fewer birds were banded and, conse He has been compiler of the New London state's tern colonies (Erwin and Korschgen, 1979), year, 1,185. In 1975 a problem interfered. quently, there have been fewer recoveries - only Christmas Count since 1962. He is on the and a 1980 survey by the Connecticut Dept of After the initial June trip, when 654 gulls were 15 as of April 1 , 1981. Except for those found Editorial Board of North American Bird Environmental Protection (Rozsa, 1980)found between Norwalk and New York, birds were Bander (the joint publication of the Eastern 1600 pairs nesting on 1 7 islands (Table II). banded, the owner of Chimon Island suddenly I! prohibited use of the island, and we were not able recovered at Cape May, J.J., Virginia Beach, and Western Bird-Banding Associations), Terns have probably nested on most of the to continue the project beyond this point. It was Va., and Gulfport, Miss. Once again, a single is Coordinator for Region III of the Atlantic Connecticut islands, but Falkner's Island has not until 1980 that we resumed banding on the bird went north to be taken along the Charles Flyway Review for this publication, always been home to 70-80% of the population. island, and we now hope to make an intensive River, West Roxbury, Mass., in May of 1978. reporting all banding station activities for This four-acre island, three miles off the Guilford study of the colony during upcoming years. The 1980 banding totalled only 384 birds Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey, and Madison coast has evidently always been a tern During the three years that banding was done because we started late in the season, and many of Delaware. He is on the Board of Council colony. Adrian Block found terns there when he we did obtain interesting information on the the young were already to well developed to catch lors of the Northeastern Bird-Banding Asso reported the island in the early 1600's; there were movements of these birds. Since 1973, a total of easily. Only one of these has been reported to ciation, and is" the voice" for the Connecti terns there when the Coast Guard took over in the 66 birds have been recovered by the public, and date. cut Rare Bird Alert 1700's; and terns were present in 1976 when the their band numbers reported to the banding Our banding data show that there is a substan Coast Guard automated the lighthouse and moved office. This is a recovery rate of 2.3%; it may tial dispersal of gulls once they leave the nesting off. However, in 1977 there were still no reliable seem low but is actually twice as high as the site. Our recoveries confirm the strong southerly base line data against which population changes expected recovery rate for songbirds, a mere 1%. drift earlier reported by others. The greatest could be measured.

17 18 Of the gulls banded in 1973, there have been22 distance covered appears to be during the first two COMMON TERNS IN Banding gulls recoveries to date, more than half of them being of years of the gull's life, when they are immature birds found by people within a year of banding, and unattached. Birds five years old, or older, CONNECTICUT at Chimon Island mostly in 1974. At the other extreme, four of the have been taken no farther away than the New by Robert C. DeWire recoveries were made in 19 80, two of them in the York City area. This is to be expected because all New York City area (South Brother Island, and the birds banded in the 197 3-7 5 period are now of © 1981 Pat Lynch Chimon Island, in the Norwalk Islands chain off Palisades), one at Southport Beach in Fairfield, ,, breeding age and would tend to "home." The Norwalk, is one of the most ornithologically and one on Chimon Island itself. Herring Gulls ' 1981 nesting adults will be observed carefully to significant areas in Connecticut. Its large heronry are notably long-lived birds, so these 7-year-old determine what proportion of them are already includes nesting representatives of almost every birds are by no means exceptional. Records banded. It may be assumed that the majority of .. species of heron that occurs in the Northeast. On exist of Herring Gulls recovered after 29 and 34 those already banded will be birds we banded here the south shore of the island there is a large colony years. since 1973. of Herring Gulls, (Larus argentatus) with small The birds banded in 197 3 and recovered in their Let me stress the importance of checking any numbers of Great Black-backed Gulls, (Larus first winter ranged widely: from nearby Calf dead gull you may find on the beaches. If the bird marinus) as well. The colony numbers in the t. ,.;'( Pasture Beach in Norwalk, to the New York City has a band, you may remove it and save it for 1/ thousands and spills over to neighboring Grassy '1· area (4 birds); to southern New Jersey (2); and reference. It is not necessary to remove the band, \ Island. to as far away as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina however, so long as the entire number can be In 197 3 I began to study the dispersal of gulls read. The number is long and it is important to be (2). All recoveries but one have been of birds \\";.. ' T..<{;, from Chimon Island. Two banding trips were sure that every digit is correctly recorded. Banded y~·~~, found south of their nesting island. The one . A: made, in June and in early July. In June some of exception was recovered at Plum Island, New gulls may be reported directly to the Bird-Banding ' the young were still so small that the band size buryport, Mass., in August of 1975. The long Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland 20811, or you required for fully-grown Herring Gulls would slip ~ distance traveller of the group was found at may contact me at the Denison Pequotsepos off their legs. The second trip was made to band •/'""~·,":.ro\. Harkers Island, North Carolina, in April of1975. Nature Center, P.O. Box 122, Mystic, Conn. ''./ ~:1-t,. these young, by then grown enough to hold the 06355. I .. ',, band. The process is the simple one of picking up The birds banded in 197 4 travelled even more . : the young birds, banding them, and setting them widely, but once again the movement was south ROBERT C. DeWIRE obtained a bachelor of down again. The adult gulls scream and dive at erly, with no birds recovered north of Stratford, science degree in wildlife management at you in defense of their young, but few actually Conn. A total of29 of these birds have so far been the University of Massachusetts in 1967. strike. Hard hats were worn as a precaution, recovered, ten of them that first winter. Eight From 1967 to 1970 he was Naturalist and however, and since the adults are rather accurate were found locally, and the two that wandered Acting Director at the Thames Science with their droppings, one always wears the oldest beyond the limits of our 1973 birds went to Center in New London. He was then of clothes when banding. Staff members of the Sullivan Island, South Carolina, and Sapelo Chief Naturalist at the Nature Center for A PROGRESS REPORT Nature Center for Environmental Activities of Island, Georgia. The following year(1975), this Environmental Activities, in Westport, Westport assisted me. Transportation to the cohort showed up in the New York City area, from 1970 to 1976. Since 1976 he has by Fred C. Sibley island was kindly provided by the Saugatuck Sandy Hook, N.J., North Carolina (two birds), been Director of the Denison Pequotsepos Valley Audubon Society on its catamaran, CON Florida ( 3), and - our current record - a bird Nature Center in Mystic. The Common Tem(Stema hirundo) is alive and SERVATOR. was picked up near Vera Cruz, Mexico in June. He received his federal banding permit in 1963. doing well in Connecticut. A 1977 survey of the In 1973 we banded 1,042 gulls, and the next In 1975 fewer birds were banded and, conse He has been compiler of the New London state's tern colonies (Erwin and Korschgen, 1979), year, 1,185. In 1975 a problem interfered. quently, there have been fewer recoveries - only Christmas Count since 1962. He is on the and a 1980 survey by the Connecticut Dept of After the initial June trip, when 654 gulls were 15 as of April 1 , 1981. Except for those found Editorial Board of North American Bird Environmental Protection (Rozsa, 1980)found between Norwalk and New York, birds were Bander (the joint publication of the Eastern 1600 pairs nesting on 1 7 islands (Table II). banded, the owner of Chimon Island suddenly I! prohibited use of the island, and we were not able recovered at Cape May, J.J., Virginia Beach, and Western Bird-Banding Associations), Terns have probably nested on most of the to continue the project beyond this point. It was Va., and Gulfport, Miss. Once again, a single is Coordinator for Region III of the Atlantic Connecticut islands, but Falkner's Island has not until 1980 that we resumed banding on the bird went north to be taken along the Charles Flyway Review for this publication, always been home to 70-80% of the population. island, and we now hope to make an intensive River, West Roxbury, Mass., in May of 1978. reporting all banding station activities for This four-acre island, three miles off the Guilford study of the colony during upcoming years. The 1980 banding totalled only 384 birds Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey, and Madison coast has evidently always been a tern During the three years that banding was done because we started late in the season, and many of Delaware. He is on the Board of Council colony. Adrian Block found terns there when he we did obtain interesting information on the the young were already to well developed to catch lors of the Northeastern Bird-Banding Asso reported the island in the early 1600's; there were movements of these birds. Since 1973, a total of easily. Only one of these has been reported to ciation, and is" the voice" for the Connecti terns there when the Coast Guard took over in the 66 birds have been recovered by the public, and date. cut Rare Bird Alert 1700's; and terns were present in 1976 when the their band numbers reported to the banding Our banding data show that there is a substan Coast Guard automated the lighthouse and moved office. This is a recovery rate of 2.3%; it may tial dispersal of gulls once they leave the nesting off. However, in 1977 there were still no reliable seem low but is actually twice as high as the site. Our recoveries confirm the strong southerly base line data against which population changes expected recovery rate for songbirds, a mere 1%. drift earlier reported by others. The greatest could be measured.

17 18 The need for a more intensive study of supporter. Thanks are due the U.S. Coast Guard the number of birds remaining on Falkner's Island successful tern colony in an area rece1vmg as Connecticut terns was apparent. Helen Hays, for permission to work on the island and to after August 1 is small. much recreational use as Long Island Sound needs Director of the Great Gull Island Project, was Connecticut DEP for permission to work with the The low nesting success in 1978 (52% vs. 66% a caretaker during the nesting season. particularly interested in the movement of birds tern colony. The Peabody Museum, Yale Uni in 1979 and 1980) and the large number of nest from her study area off Orient ~oint,Long Island, versity, provided numerous assists and Matt Reed starts (2650 vs. 2480 and 1921 in the next two to other colonies in Long Island Sound, and had of the Museum's field station was invaluable in years) was due to a storm tide and torrential rains encouraged numerous volunteers to band birds on keeping the Boston Whaler running through the in late May. Most of the nests are on a four meter Falkner's Island (Table 1). Finally, in 1978 she summers. II wide strip of beach, the rest on the steep slopes. A persuaded us to set up a more ambitious project, storm during a period of high tide will sweep RESULTS AND DISCUSSION and in May we arrived at the island in an ,I across most of the beach and a heavy rain will overloaded Boston Whaler to initiate a three-year Table III presents a summary of the 1978-1980 produce mud slides that sweep away nests on study. This paper reports on that study and the study. In those three years almost 8000 chicks the slopes and bury those on the beach. The 1978 general health of Connecticut terns. were banded, 5500 adults were trapped and the storm came at a period of maximum nesting Initially a large amount of cleanup work was history of over 7000 nests was recorded. The density and resulted in the destruction of half the needed to make the area safe and marginally goal of the study was to assess the interchange of active nests (nearly 600). In 1979 and 1980 there liveable for overnight volunteers. Next, the island birds between Falkner's and Great Gull Islands were storm tides and heavy rain after the first week beach was marked off in 72 ten meter sections and but information on nesting success, nest loss and of June and thus after most of the early nests had these were gridded to allow easy mapping of disturbance, accrued as a result. In retrospect, a hatched. The nesting success in 1979 and 1980 nests. Visits were made to the island from early major plus in the study may be that of providing was higher as a result, renesting was limited, and May until early or mid-August, with volunteers information on the present health of the colony. the peak of activity was earlier. By comparison, present from mid-May to early July. Every two such losses are zero on Great Gull Island, where or three days a total nest check was made, new all nests are above the storm tide line and on level nests were marked with individually numbered ground. Other Connecticut colonies (except tongue depressors and the following information Frisbee Is.) are plagued by storm tides but not by slope erosion. recorded: nest coordinates, date eggs laid, date © 1981 Pat Lynch and cause of egg loss, date chick hatched, date and cause of chick loss, chick band numbers and adult Adult Common Tern band numbers. Egg losses resulted from a variety of causes, mainly failure to hatch, but predators have never been a provable fact. Aside from 1978 when 100 eggs were lost in one day to human vandals or Black-crowned Night Herons, the number of eggs unaccounted for in a season has been less than e 1981 Pat Lynch 100. Gulls are the only predators that regularly cross the water gap and these are actively driven Adult Roseate Tern off by the large number of terns. Only late in the On Falkner's Island the first terns arrive just season is the population small enough so that a before May 1 2, with a rapid increase in numbers gull can sneak in and steal an egg or chick. We during the following two weeks . By May 15 the remove all abandoned eggs and dead chicks and first eggs have been laid and within a week over © 1981 Pat Lynch this may reduce the desireability, for gulls, of 1000 pairs are nesting. A first nest usually Adult Common Tern visiting the island. e1981 Pat Lynch contains three eggs (extremes 1-5) and is more After the age of three days chicks move away successful than later nests. The young start on Nest from the nest area and we have no mortality Juvenile Common Tern hatching some 20 days after incubation, and in figures after that period. The mortality of 1-3 day ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS another 25 -30 days are ready to leave the Human disturbance is a potentially serious old chicks is from a variety of causes, but in 197 8 First we wish to thank Dr. Jeffrey Spendelow, island. In a good year- one without storm tides problem for the Falkner's Island ternery. It has over 50% of the mortality was due to ants . Prob Yale University, who provided invaluable assis or torrential rains- the bulk of the population has been prevented by the nearly continuous presence ably many of the chicks dying of unknown causes tance as project co-leader, also the 70-plus left the island by July 1 . The young are still of volunteers during the peak nesting periods, but were also killed by ants. The 30% reduction in volunteers who spent one or more days working on dependent on the adults but go with the adults as many as twenty boats, some with dogs, have " banded young per successful nest'' and "young the island, and for 1980 in particular, Maury to feeding areas and stay there. Renesting by been turned away on a weekend. Table II banded" figures in Table III is mainly due to chick Covington (coordinator of volunteers) and Jeff unsuccessful pairs, and first nestings of younger suggests that human disturbance is the major mortality caused by ants. We still do not know MacKenzie (boatman). Helen Hays inspired the birds, extend the laying period into early August. cause of nest loss in small colonies elsewhere and why ants were a problem in 1978 and not in the whole project and has been the major booster and Although birds remain in Long Island Sound well disturbance may result in zero production. Any following years.

19 20 The need for a more intensive study of supporter. Thanks are due the U.S. Coast Guard the number of birds remaining on Falkner's Island successful tern colony in an area rece1vmg as Connecticut terns was apparent. Helen Hays, for permission to work on the island and to after August 1 is small. much recreational use as Long Island Sound needs Director of the Great Gull Island Project, was Connecticut DEP for permission to work with the The low nesting success in 1978 (52% vs. 66% a caretaker during the nesting season. particularly interested in the movement of birds tern colony. The Peabody Museum, Yale Uni in 1979 and 1980) and the large number of nest from her study area off Orient ~oint,Long Island, versity, provided numerous assists and Matt Reed starts (2650 vs. 2480 and 1921 in the next two to other colonies in Long Island Sound, and had of the Museum's field station was invaluable in years) was due to a storm tide and torrential rains encouraged numerous volunteers to band birds on keeping the Boston Whaler running through the in late May. Most of the nests are on a four meter Falkner's Island (Table 1). Finally, in 1978 she summers. II wide strip of beach, the rest on the steep slopes. A persuaded us to set up a more ambitious project, storm during a period of high tide will sweep RESULTS AND DISCUSSION and in May we arrived at the island in an ,I across most of the beach and a heavy rain will overloaded Boston Whaler to initiate a three-year Table III presents a summary of the 1978-1980 produce mud slides that sweep away nests on study. This paper reports on that study and the study. In those three years almost 8000 chicks the slopes and bury those on the beach. The 1978 general health of Connecticut terns. were banded, 5500 adults were trapped and the storm came at a period of maximum nesting Initially a large amount of cleanup work was history of over 7000 nests was recorded. The density and resulted in the destruction of half the needed to make the area safe and marginally goal of the study was to assess the interchange of active nests (nearly 600). In 1979 and 1980 there liveable for overnight volunteers. Next, the island birds between Falkner's and Great Gull Islands were storm tides and heavy rain after the first week beach was marked off in 72 ten meter sections and but information on nesting success, nest loss and of June and thus after most of the early nests had these were gridded to allow easy mapping of disturbance, accrued as a result. In retrospect, a hatched. The nesting success in 1979 and 1980 nests. Visits were made to the island from early major plus in the study may be that of providing was higher as a result, renesting was limited, and May until early or mid-August, with volunteers information on the present health of the colony. the peak of activity was earlier. By comparison, present from mid-May to early July. Every two such losses are zero on Great Gull Island, where or three days a total nest check was made, new all nests are above the storm tide line and on level nests were marked with individually numbered ground. Other Connecticut colonies (except tongue depressors and the following information Frisbee Is.) are plagued by storm tides but not by slope erosion. recorded: nest coordinates, date eggs laid, date © 1981 Pat Lynch and cause of egg loss, date chick hatched, date and cause of chick loss, chick band numbers and adult Adult Common Tern band numbers. Egg losses resulted from a variety of causes, mainly failure to hatch, but predators have never been a provable fact. Aside from 1978 when 100 eggs were lost in one day to human vandals or Black-crowned Night Herons, the number of eggs unaccounted for in a season has been less than e 1981 Pat Lynch 100. Gulls are the only predators that regularly cross the water gap and these are actively driven Adult Roseate Tern off by the large number of terns. Only late in the On Falkner's Island the first terns arrive just season is the population small enough so that a before May 1 2, with a rapid increase in numbers gull can sneak in and steal an egg or chick. We during the following two weeks . By May 15 the remove all abandoned eggs and dead chicks and first eggs have been laid and within a week over © 1981 Pat Lynch this may reduce the desireability, for gulls, of 1000 pairs are nesting. A first nest usually Adult Common Tern visiting the island. e1981 Pat Lynch contains three eggs (extremes 1-5) and is more After the age of three days chicks move away successful than later nests. The young start on Nest from the nest area and we have no mortality Juvenile Common Tern hatching some 20 days after incubation, and in figures after that period. The mortality of 1-3 day ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS another 25 -30 days are ready to leave the Human disturbance is a potentially serious old chicks is from a variety of causes, but in 197 8 First we wish to thank Dr. Jeffrey Spendelow, island. In a good year- one without storm tides problem for the Falkner's Island ternery. It has over 50% of the mortality was due to ants . Prob Yale University, who provided invaluable assis or torrential rains- the bulk of the population has been prevented by the nearly continuous presence ably many of the chicks dying of unknown causes tance as project co-leader, also the 70-plus left the island by July 1 . The young are still of volunteers during the peak nesting periods, but were also killed by ants. The 30% reduction in volunteers who spent one or more days working on dependent on the adults but go with the adults as many as twenty boats, some with dogs, have " banded young per successful nest'' and "young the island, and for 1980 in particular, Maury to feeding areas and stay there. Renesting by been turned away on a weekend. Table II banded" figures in Table III is mainly due to chick Covington (coordinator of volunteers) and Jeff unsuccessful pairs, and first nestings of younger suggests that human disturbance is the major mortality caused by ants. We still do not know MacKenzie (boatman). Helen Hays inspired the birds, extend the laying period into early August. cause of nest loss in small colonies elsewhere and why ants were a problem in 1978 and not in the whole project and has been the major booster and Although birds remain in Long Island Sound well disturbance may result in zero production. Any following years.

19 20 After the seemingly disastrous 1978 nesting The records on 7000 nests provide information season we experimented with habitat modifica on preferred nest sites, differential success of tions to reduce nest loss. These changes were not nesting habitats, importance of mortality factors universally successful, but indicated that nesting and numerous other items. The trapping of 3000 TABLE I- Common Terns banded on Falkners's Island density can be increased and indicated that nesting previously banded adults provides the data for a area was the limiting factor on colony size. Any series of papers on inter-island movement, fidelity Year Bander Young Adults attempt to modify enough area to increase the to nest site and fidelity to nesting island. population or productivity would require a tre Experiments with habitat modification have 1970 Noble Proctor and Davis Finch mendous labor force. However, the information revealed a number of methods for increasing on habitat modifications described below may be nesting density and nesting success. The mere 1972 David Duffy and volunteers 189 48 important at a later date. presence of researchers on the island from 1978 to 1980 greatly reduced human disturbance and may 1973 Noble Proctor and Fred Sibley 76 An artificial beach constructed on the upper be primarily responsible for the high productivity David Duffy and volunteers level of the island by removing a 10 x 4 meter of the island. patch of sod and replacing it with beach gravel was The Connecticut colonies are reproducing 1976 David Duffy and volunteers 34 26 used by five pairs the first year. Hay initially adequately and maintaining their numbers. There spread to reduce nest loss from mud flows was have been no obvious signs (such as die-off, 1977 Jamie Canfield and volunteers 772 80 found to increase nesting densities on many unshelled eggs, birth defects) of serious environ Subtotal 1970-1977 1303 156 substrates. Digging trenches in order to channel the mud flows did not work because terns mental problems. For a variety of reasons, 1981 will not be one of 1978 Project volunteers 1899 1073 preferred the trenches as nest sites over any of the intensive activity on Falkner's Island. The first elevated areas. Old tires, partially buried, pro three years of data will be fully digested and plans 1979 Project volunteers 3228 957 vided protection from the mud, plus a depression, laid for 1982. It is important to continue to 1980 Project volunteers 2694 614 and were highly successful. Removal of beach monitor Connecticut's only large tern colony since drift to reduce the attraction of nesting at the high it is the mother colony for all the others. Colonies Subtotal 1978-1980 7821 2644 tide line involved too much work. Terracing of can decline very rapidly and infrequent visits, slopes and smoothing of beach areas increased Total 9124 2800 nesting but did not solve tide and mud problems. as in the past, can miss. such declines. Our original question concerning interchange of birds between Great Gull and Falkner's Is. is If you would like to work as a volunteer contact hiding in the 3000 trappings of previously banded Maury Covington (543 Orange Ave., Milford, birds. This information is now being analyzed. CT, 06430 or Fred Sibley. If you would like to As an example of the amount of data available, in support the project financially the Great Gull 1978 we trapped 305 birds banded on Great Gull Bird-A-Thon also supports the Falkner's Island TABLE II- Common Tern Colonies in Connecticut Is. , 13 from other New York colonies and 4 from project. other Connecticut colonies. Even allowing for the Success Remarks difference in number of birds banded on Great Town and Island 1977 1980 in 1980 Gull vs. Falkner's, more birds seem to move to Falkner's. Many birds switch islands after losing STONINGTON Lyddy I. 17 44 poor recreational use a nest. One bird nested unsuccessfuly three times LITERATURE CITED in a year, first on Falkner's, then on Great Gull Rock I. 64 good partial protection and finally back to Falkner's. Erwin, M.R. and C.E. Korschgen. 1979. Returns of bands from Brazil, Surinam, Guy Coastal waterbird colonies: Maine to GROTON ana, Trinidad, Venezuela and Columbia give Virginia, 1977. An atlas showing colony Black Rock 22 17 poor recreational use some indication of the loss on the wintering locations and species composition. U.S. H Hobbs I. 6 good maximum protection grounds. Nisbet ( 1980) suggests the harvest of Fish & Wildlife Service, Biological Servi Shore Rock 47 143 no inform ation Roseate Terns for food is a major cause of that ces Program, FWS/OBS-79/08 . species decline. A close watch should be kept on Nisbet, I. 1980. Status and trends of the Roseate WATERFORD Common Terns for similar effects. Tern, Sterna dougallii, in North America Waterford I. 73 129 poor gulls? human? SUMMARY and the Caribbean. Office of Endangered Species, Department of the Interior. EAST LYME Work from 1978 to 1980 on Falkner's Island Rozsa, R. 1980. Connecticut colonial waterbird North Brother 40 22 no inform ation has resulted in the banding of 13,000 Common survey, 1980. Coastal Area Management, Wigwam Rock 3 5 no inform ation Terns, a ten-fold increase in the reservoir of Connecticut DEP. known- history birds available for research.

21 22 After the seemingly disastrous 1978 nesting The records on 7000 nests provide information season we experimented with habitat modifica on preferred nest sites, differential success of tions to reduce nest loss. These changes were not nesting habitats, importance of mortality factors universally successful, but indicated that nesting and numerous other items. The trapping of 3000 TABLE I- Common Terns banded on Falkners's Island density can be increased and indicated that nesting previously banded adults provides the data for a area was the limiting factor on colony size. Any series of papers on inter-island movement, fidelity Year Bander Young Adults attempt to modify enough area to increase the to nest site and fidelity to nesting island. population or productivity would require a tre Experiments with habitat modification have 1970 Noble Proctor and Davis Finch mendous labor force. However, the information revealed a number of methods for increasing on habitat modifications described below may be nesting density and nesting success. The mere 1972 David Duffy and volunteers 189 48 important at a later date. presence of researchers on the island from 1978 to 1980 greatly reduced human disturbance and may 1973 Noble Proctor and Fred Sibley 76 An artificial beach constructed on the upper be primarily responsible for the high productivity David Duffy and volunteers level of the island by removing a 10 x 4 meter of the island. patch of sod and replacing it with beach gravel was The Connecticut colonies are reproducing 1976 David Duffy and volunteers 34 26 used by five pairs the first year. Hay initially adequately and maintaining their numbers. There spread to reduce nest loss from mud flows was have been no obvious signs (such as die-off, 1977 Jamie Canfield and volunteers 772 80 found to increase nesting densities on many unshelled eggs, birth defects) of serious environ Subtotal 1970-1977 1303 156 substrates. Digging trenches in order to channel the mud flows did not work because terns mental problems. For a variety of reasons, 1981 will not be one of 1978 Project volunteers 1899 1073 preferred the trenches as nest sites over any of the intensive activity on Falkner's Island. The first elevated areas. Old tires, partially buried, pro three years of data will be fully digested and plans 1979 Project volunteers 3228 957 vided protection from the mud, plus a depression, laid for 1982. It is important to continue to 1980 Project volunteers 2694 614 and were highly successful. Removal of beach monitor Connecticut's only large tern colony since drift to reduce the attraction of nesting at the high it is the mother colony for all the others. Colonies Subtotal 1978-1980 7821 2644 tide line involved too much work. Terracing of can decline very rapidly and infrequent visits, slopes and smoothing of beach areas increased Total 9124 2800 nesting but did not solve tide and mud problems. as in the past, can miss. such declines. Our original question concerning interchange of birds between Great Gull and Falkner's Is. is If you would like to work as a volunteer contact hiding in the 3000 trappings of previously banded Maury Covington (543 Orange Ave., Milford, birds. This information is now being analyzed. CT, 06430 or Fred Sibley. If you would like to As an example of the amount of data available, in support the project financially the Great Gull 1978 we trapped 305 birds banded on Great Gull Bird-A-Thon also supports the Falkner's Island TABLE II- Common Tern Colonies in Connecticut Is. , 13 from other New York colonies and 4 from project. other Connecticut colonies. Even allowing for the Success Remarks difference in number of birds banded on Great Town and Island 1977 1980 in 1980 Gull vs. Falkner's, more birds seem to move to Falkner's. Many birds switch islands after losing STONINGTON Lyddy I. 17 44 poor recreational use a nest. One bird nested unsuccessfuly three times LITERATURE CITED in a year, first on Falkner's, then on Great Gull Rock I. 64 good partial protection and finally back to Falkner's. Erwin, M.R. and C.E. Korschgen. 1979. Returns of bands from Brazil, Surinam, Guy Coastal waterbird colonies: Maine to GROTON ana, Trinidad, Venezuela and Columbia give Virginia, 1977. An atlas showing colony Black Rock 22 17 poor recreational use some indication of the loss on the wintering locations and species composition. U.S. H Hobbs I. 6 good maximum protection grounds. Nisbet ( 1980) suggests the harvest of Fish & Wildlife Service, Biological Servi Shore Rock 47 143 no inform ation Roseate Terns for food is a major cause of that ces Program, FWS/OBS-79/08 . species decline. A close watch should be kept on Nisbet, I. 1980. Status and trends of the Roseate WATERFORD Common Terns for similar effects. Tern, Sterna dougallii, in North America Waterford I. 73 129 poor gulls? human? SUMMARY and the Caribbean. Office of Endangered Species, Department of the Interior. EAST LYME Work from 1978 to 1980 on Falkner's Island Rozsa, R. 1980. Connecticut colonial waterbird North Brother 40 22 no inform ation has resulted in the banding of 13,000 Common survey, 1980. Coastal Area Management, Wigwam Rock 3 5 no inform ation Terns, a ten-fold increase in the reservoir of Connecticut DEP. known- history birds available for research.

21 22 TABLE II continuted TABLE III continued

WESTBROOK Menunketesuck I. 4 no inform ation I. Percent of nests with at least one chick surviving past 3 days.

MADISON 2. Young per successful nest. Tuxis I. 43 fair recreational use 3. The three categories are: birds trapped without a band,banded previously on Gull Rock 28 3 fair recreational use Falkner'rs, banded previously elsewhere. Falkner's I. llOO 1127 good heavy protection 4. This percentage is the number of adults trapped divided by twice the number of nests BRANFORD starts. Big Mermaid 26 53 poor recreational use 5. Percentage of birds trapped that were already banded. Frisbee I. 32 43 good heavy protection Umbrella Is. 13 poor tide, use? 6. This estimate differs from the June 1 count because additional birds use the island later in the year, probably as nest sites are vacated. NORWALK Long Beach I. 3 9 no inform ation *These are preliminary data and may be slightly different in a final analysis.

GREENWICH Bluff I. no inform ation Fred C. Sibley received a B.S. degree from of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 1965, he Cornell University in 1955 and, after some time in moved to California to focus on a field study of the Totals are for nests or nesting pairs found on June 1 - 2 the army and teaching high school science, an condor for another four years. He became asso M.A. in 1959. ciated with Yale's Peabody Museum in 1971. After two years of teaching at University He is a past president of the New Haven Bird College, Ibadan, Nigeria, and a year at Adelphi Club, co-compiler of the New Haven Christmas University, he joined the Smithsonian Insti Count, director of the Falkner's Island Tern tution' s Pacific Project. During the next four Project, leader of an annual summer seminar in TABLE III- Falkner's Island Tern Colony* years he visited over forty islands in the central field orinthology in Trinidad, and has two sons Pacific and banded over 150,000 birds. Joining who are better birders than he is. Nest Starts 1978 1979 1980 the newly-formed Endangered Species Program 2650 2480 1921

Nest Success! 52% 66% 66% NOTES Hawks, in particular. While most people still rely Young Per Nest2 1.41 1.98 2.13 on the tail to identify these birds, Peter Dunne of Cape May, N .J., suggested that this is not the Young Banded 1899 3228 2694 AND NEWS most accurate way. He has recorded enough Adults Trapped3 1474 1859 2289 instances of Sharpshins with rounded tails to disprove the common notion that all Sharpshins Unhanded 1073 957 614 THE SECOND have squared or notched tails. His preferred mark Falkner's 79 518 ANNUAL HAWK is size. The male Cooper's is at least slightly larger than a female Sharpshin. Dunne feels that Foreign 322 384 1675 CONFERENCE the Cooper's Hawk holds its wings more stiffly, Percent Trapped 27.8 37.5 59.6 by Charles Shafer and straighter than the relatively relaxed Sharp shin. The best field mark, though, is had in Percent Banded; 27.2 48.5 73.2 On April 4, 1981, the second annual New England Hawk Migration Conference was held in drawing an imaginary line, an arc, along the Estimated Populatiol16 1400 1500 1300 Holyoke, Mass. Reports from Maine, Vermont, leading edge of the wings. If the head is bisected ± 100 pairs Massachusetts, and Connecticut were presented, by this line, the bird is a Cooper's Hawk. Dunne and several talks on special facets of hawk went on to say that the color of head, tail, and watching were given. body offers poor field marks, because the age of One such talk dealt with the identification of the bird, and the light in which it is seen will Accipiters, the Sharp-shinned and Cooper' s sometimes give false clues. The best way,ap-

23 24 TABLE II continuted TABLE III continued

WESTBROOK Menunketesuck I. 4 no inform ation I. Percent of nests with at least one chick surviving past 3 days.

23 24 parently, is to have seen so many thousands of known "hot spots," such as Mount Tom, Light in obtaining alloys, delays in filling orders by the MacKenzie, Locke THE BIRDS OF GUII..r these Accipiters that there is no longer any doubt house Point in New Haven, or the Larsen manufacturer, and budgetary problems, plus over FORD, CONNECTI in your mind as to the identity of the animal. Sanctuary in Fairfield. What is needed now is ordering of bands by some banders, created the CUT (1961) Peabody Paul Karlinger, in an interesting talk, dealt observers who will cover the less glamorous shortages. Museum, Yale Univ., with the frequency of water crossings by migrating areas; who will sacrifice the likelihood of seeing a The principal speaker, Dr. John Tarborgh of New Haven, Ct. A 110 hawks. He spent three weeks at the tip of Cape big flight in order to contribute to scientific Princeton University, discussed the status of page annotated list. May, observing hawk behavior as they approached understanding of this marvelous phenomenon. Not North American migrants that winter in the tropics. Manter, Jerauld A. BIRDS OF STORRS, the bay. Some species cross under any conditions, all areas will be active, but until all are counted, This was a well-illustrated talk. Those birds CONNECTICUT, others cross under few conditions. Here is a there will be too many unanswered questions as to which occupy specific habitats in the northern AND VICINITY. (1965 summary of these species traits: why hawks migrate as they do. breeding grounds tend to seek out similar habitats and 1975) The Natchaug in the tropics. There are exceptions to this rule, Species %Who Cross Ornithological Soc., but his work in distinguishing migrant populations Peregrine 100 Storrs, Ct. ANNUAL MEETING from endemic groups was most interesting. Harrier 96 An 86 page annotated list Several birding trips were organized, not one of Sharpshin 81 now in its second edition. OF E.B.B.A. the "hotter'' times of the year for birds, but they Merlin 78 by Milan G. Bull provided exercise and worked up appetites. Merriam, C. Hart A REVIEW OF THE Kestrel 68 BIRDS OF CON- Turkey Vulture 5 Ocean City, Maryland, extended its hospitality NECTICUT (1877). Broadwing 2 to some 200 members of the Eastern Bird-Banding Association attending the 58th annual meeting With remarks on their Flapping birds are more likely to cross since they during the first weekend of April. A great deal of BOOKS ON habits. Trans. Conn. are accustomed to the expenditure of energy. Birds information is presented at these conferences and Academy of Arts & Sci which soar, like the vultures and buteos, are less banders at all levels of experience bring pointers CONNECTICUT ences. 4 :1-150 (July). likely to cross, apparently because they are not home with them, in line with the theme of the BIRD LIFE Sage, John Hall: THE BIRDS OF CON- prepared to invest in the extra work involved. Ker conference, "Learning Never Ceases." Bishop, Louis Bennett;NECTICUT (1913) linger' s study showed that a headwind is less a Workshops were offered on a rotating basis Averill, C.K. Jr. LIST OF THE BIRDS and Bliss, Walter ParksBulletin No. 20, State deterrent than a lateral wind because the lateral so that we could attend those of particular interest, FOUND IN THE VI Geological and Natural wind forces a bird to expend energy simply to stay and not miss any. "Banding as an Educational CINITY OF BRIDGE History Survey, Hart on course. Altitude is also a factor. The higher the Tool," was an exchange of ideas on teaching PORT, CONNECTI ford, CT. bird is when a crossing must be decided, the more school children the role which banding plays in CUT (1892) 19 pages. This 3 7 0-page report is likely is it to attempt a crossing. research. Skull pneumatization as an aging tech A listing of birds found in the extant work on Con Bill Welch spoke about tracking hawks with a nique, and the determination of degree of molt in the Bridgeport area, with necticut birdlife. Every motorized glider. His studies are confmed to the song birds were reviewed. Used in conjunction, comments on seasonal public library in the state region from Mount Tom, Mass., to northern New these two techniques can help determine the age of occurrence. presumably has a copy of Jersey, but here migrating hawks apparently follow most any captured bird. Banders were familiarized this publication even the same pattern year after year, though he is not with the several methods for using pocket calcula Bull, John BIRDS OF THE NEW though it may be cata sure whether the pattern is due to geography or tors in treating their data statistically. A session YORK AREA (1964) logued only as the Geo prevailing winds. Broadwings fly at about 36 mph on bird rehabilitation concluded the workshops. Harper& Row, New logical and Natural His and lose altitude at the rate of 200 feet per Mary H. Clench of the Florida State Museum York. This is currently tory Survey's important minute. When assuming a gliding posture, also, discussed her Bahamas search for wintering the standard reference on series, rather than under they give up a lot of lift. This loss of altitude Kirtland's Warblers. Little has been learned since the status of birds in our birds. We hope to see it requires a constant search for thermals in which the birds were collected here in the 19th century, region. Only the west replaced by a modem they can regain lost altitude. Welch feels that they so Mary's quest took her to dozens of large and ern"panhandle" ofFair summary ere long. find thermals simply by looking at other hawks who small islands, and after several years of study, she field County - from have lift, and heading in that direction. This may confirmed the importance of these brushy islands Westport to Greenwich Subsequent issues of the CONNECTICUT also explain their rather definite path across for this endangered species which nests primarily is reported upon in de WARBLER will provide selected lists of scientific Connecticut. The thermals may form in the same in Michigan. tail, however. articles about Connecticut birds from the periodical areas year after year, over particular fields , parking Kathy Klimkiewicz, federal biologist from the literature, as well as a reference to currently avail lots, or other "hot spots." Banding Lab in Laurel, Maryland, presented Linsley, James H. CATALOGUE OF able check-lists for various parts of the state. One sentiment expressed by every speaker was highlights of the past year and explained that (Rev.) THE BIRDS OF CON the need for more watchers during the migration proposed budget cuts by the Reagan administra NECTICUT (1843). period. Since effective visual range is less than two tion have not as yet affected operations. Of con Published in the American miles, more ground coverage, over a wider region is cern was the problem of backlogged band supply Journal of Science and needed. Most people currently congregate around orders, especially in sizes 0 and 1 B. Difficulties Arts. Vol. XLIV, No.2.

25 26 parently, is to have seen so many thousands of known "hot spots," such as Mount Tom, Light in obtaining alloys, delays in filling orders by the MacKenzie, Locke THE BIRDS OF GUII..r these Accipiters that there is no longer any doubt house Point in New Haven, or the Larsen manufacturer, and budgetary problems, plus over FORD, CONNECTI in your mind as to the identity of the animal. Sanctuary in Fairfield. What is needed now is ordering of bands by some banders, created the CUT (1961) Peabody Paul Karlinger, in an interesting talk, dealt observers who will cover the less glamorous shortages. Museum, Yale Univ., with the frequency of water crossings by migrating areas; who will sacrifice the likelihood of seeing a The principal speaker, Dr. John Tarborgh of New Haven, Ct. A 110 hawks. He spent three weeks at the tip of Cape big flight in order to contribute to scientific Princeton University, discussed the status of page annotated list. May, observing hawk behavior as they approached understanding of this marvelous phenomenon. Not North American migrants that winter in the tropics. Manter, Jerauld A. BIRDS OF STORRS, the bay. Some species cross under any conditions, all areas will be active, but until all are counted, This was a well-illustrated talk. Those birds CONNECTICUT, others cross under few conditions. Here is a there will be too many unanswered questions as to which occupy specific habitats in the northern AND VICINITY. (1965 summary of these species traits: why hawks migrate as they do. breeding grounds tend to seek out similar habitats and 1975) The Natchaug in the tropics. There are exceptions to this rule, Species %Who Cross Ornithological Soc., but his work in distinguishing migrant populations Peregrine 100 Storrs, Ct. ANNUAL MEETING from endemic groups was most interesting. Harrier 96 An 86 page annotated list Several birding trips were organized, not one of Sharpshin 81 now in its second edition. OF E.B.B.A. the "hotter'' times of the year for birds, but they Merlin 78 by Milan G. Bull provided exercise and worked up appetites. Merriam, C. Hart A REVIEW OF THE Kestrel 68 BIRDS OF CON- Turkey Vulture 5 Ocean City, Maryland, extended its hospitality NECTICUT (1877). Broadwing 2 to some 200 members of the Eastern Bird-Banding Association attending the 58th annual meeting With remarks on their Flapping birds are more likely to cross since they during the first weekend of April. A great deal of BOOKS ON habits. Trans. Conn. are accustomed to the expenditure of energy. Birds information is presented at these conferences and Academy of Arts & Sci which soar, like the vultures and buteos, are less banders at all levels of experience bring pointers CONNECTICUT ences. 4 :1-150 (July). likely to cross, apparently because they are not home with them, in line with the theme of the BIRD LIFE Sage, John Hall: THE BIRDS OF CON- prepared to invest in the extra work involved. Ker conference, "Learning Never Ceases." Bishop, Louis Bennett;NECTICUT (1913) linger' s study showed that a headwind is less a Workshops were offered on a rotating basis Averill, C.K. Jr. LIST OF THE BIRDS and Bliss, Walter ParksBulletin No. 20, State deterrent than a lateral wind because the lateral so that we could attend those of particular interest, FOUND IN THE VI Geological and Natural wind forces a bird to expend energy simply to stay and not miss any. "Banding as an Educational CINITY OF BRIDGE History Survey, Hart on course. Altitude is also a factor. The higher the Tool," was an exchange of ideas on teaching PORT, CONNECTI ford, CT. bird is when a crossing must be decided, the more school children the role which banding plays in CUT (1892) 19 pages. This 3 7 0-page report is likely is it to attempt a crossing. research. Skull pneumatization as an aging tech A listing of birds found in the extant work on Con Bill Welch spoke about tracking hawks with a nique, and the determination of degree of molt in the Bridgeport area, with necticut birdlife. Every motorized glider. His studies are confmed to the song birds were reviewed. Used in conjunction, comments on seasonal public library in the state region from Mount Tom, Mass., to northern New these two techniques can help determine the age of occurrence. presumably has a copy of Jersey, but here migrating hawks apparently follow most any captured bird. Banders were familiarized this publication even the same pattern year after year, though he is not with the several methods for using pocket calcula Bull, John BIRDS OF THE NEW though it may be cata sure whether the pattern is due to geography or tors in treating their data statistically. A session YORK AREA (1964) logued only as the Geo prevailing winds. Broadwings fly at about 36 mph on bird rehabilitation concluded the workshops. Harper& Row, New logical and Natural His and lose altitude at the rate of 200 feet per Mary H. Clench of the Florida State Museum York. This is currently tory Survey's important minute. When assuming a gliding posture, also, discussed her Bahamas search for wintering the standard reference on series, rather than under they give up a lot of lift. This loss of altitude Kirtland's Warblers. Little has been learned since the status of birds in our birds. We hope to see it requires a constant search for thermals in which the birds were collected here in the 19th century, region. Only the west replaced by a modem they can regain lost altitude. Welch feels that they so Mary's quest took her to dozens of large and ern"panhandle" ofFair summary ere long. find thermals simply by looking at other hawks who small islands, and after several years of study, she field County - from have lift, and heading in that direction. This may confirmed the importance of these brushy islands Westport to Greenwich Subsequent issues of the CONNECTICUT also explain their rather definite path across for this endangered species which nests primarily is reported upon in de WARBLER will provide selected lists of scientific Connecticut. The thermals may form in the same in Michigan. tail, however. articles about Connecticut birds from the periodical areas year after year, over particular fields , parking Kathy Klimkiewicz, federal biologist from the literature, as well as a reference to currently avail lots, or other "hot spots." Banding Lab in Laurel, Maryland, presented Linsley, James H. CATALOGUE OF able check-lists for various parts of the state. One sentiment expressed by every speaker was highlights of the past year and explained that (Rev.) THE BIRDS OF CON the need for more watchers during the migration proposed budget cuts by the Reagan administra NECTICUT (1843). period. Since effective visual range is less than two tion have not as yet affected operations. Of con Published in the American miles, more ground coverage, over a wider region is cern was the problem of backlogged band supply Journal of Science and needed. Most people currently congregate around orders, especially in sizes 0 and 1 B. Difficulties Arts. Vol. XLIV, No.2.

25 26 The Connecticut Audubon Society invites your membership.

Membership Categories Supporting ...... $50.00Benefactor ...... $300.00 Sustaining ...... $25.00Donor ...... $200.00 Family ...... $18.00Contributing ...... $100.00 Adult ...... $12.000rganizational ...... $ 35.00 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE 1

l~CONNECTIClJT ll EDITORIAL 14 Carl J. Trichka WARBLER

THE BLACK RAIL:MYSTERY BIRD OF THE MARSH 15 Devoted to the promotion of bird study. Dr. Noble S. Proctor

BANDING GULLS AT CHIMON ISLAND 17 Robert C. DeWire

COMMON TERNS IN CONNECTICUT 18 A PROGRESS REPORT Fred C. Sibley

NOTES AND NEWS 24

Volume I Number 2 Apri11981 Pages 14-26 TABLE OF CONTENTS r-----THE CONNECTIClJT EDITORIAL 27 Carl J. Trichka WARBLER A REVIEW OF THE 1970'S 28 Dr. NobleS. Proctor Devoted to the promotion of bird study.

THE CANADA GOOSE PROJECT IN CONNECTICUT, 1981 34 Thomas R. Hoehn

CANADA GOOSE PROJECT IN CONNECTICUT 36 Kathryn A. Converse

NOTES AND NEWS 39

CHANGING SEASONS COLUMN 41

The Connecticut Warbler is a quarterly publication devoted to tbe ~ of tbe study of birds and tbeir conservation in tbe state of Connecticut. It is P'lblltiltdby the Natural History Services Department of tie AuduboalSociety. Address all correspondence to 314 Uoquowa Volume I Number 3 July 1981 Pages 27-42 Fairfield.,CT. 06430. EDITORIAL Our apologies to our readers for the mechanical and typographical errors that marred the first issues. We hope with this issue ofThe .Connecticut Warbler, to effect that smooth working relationship with our typesetters and printers that will minimize these in the future. We think the substance of our articles will be full compensation for the demands on The Connecticut Warbler is published in January, April, July and your patience. October. Subscription is $6.00 per year, based on the calendar year. Individual As we went to press we had enrolled over one hundred and thirty subscribers with minimal issues may be purchased for $1.50 each, when available. All Rights Reserved. promotion. We need three or four times as many subscribers, however, so we hope you will call the publication to the attention of your birding friends who really want to know about the The editors invite the submission of articles, notes, black and white photo ornithology of Connecticut. Your local librarian should also be urged to subscribe, along graphs and line drawings for use in The Connecticut Warbler. Manuscripts with school biology departments. Mail promotions are now so expensive that we hope you should be typewritten, double-spaced and on one side of the sheet only, with will help by doing the local promotion on our behalf. ample margins. The editors must reserve judgement as to how much of this Those of our readers who attended the First Annual Connecticut Bird Conference listened material to use and return postage should be provided if materials are to be to Dr. Noble Proctor speak about the birds of Connecticut. Needless to say, his reputation is returned. well known throughout the ornithological community. I am especially proud of this issue because we are publishing in its entirety, Noble's review of the birds of Connecticut during the 1970's. His review points up how many trends there are in bird populations of such a modest geographical area as Connecticut in such a short span of years. Birders need to be much more aware of these changes, some of them temporary, some worrisome and thereby sophisticate their conversation concerns and statements. There are many problems involved in these changes, but it helps to inquire whether they are due to real fluctuations in numbers, or changes in our observational output, or whether climate, food supplies, habitat changes or the THE CONNECTICUT WARBLER sheer take-over of space for growing human numbers is involved. The Canada Goose- a nuisance bird? Thomas R. Hoehn presents some views on. the status of this goose as a preview to an article by Kathryn A. Converse. Tom points out that not even hunting pressures have eased the population growth. Unsubstantiated reports have I\ Editorial Staff: stated that the southern states have much lower populations than were known in the Milan G. Bull 1950's. It has also been said that the Delmarva peninsula is shortstopping the geese that used Roland C. Clement to winter further south. An interesting point, and I'm sure one that plays a part, however Carl J. Trichka small, in the plight of some of the state's residents with non-migratory goose populations. Kathryn A. Converse's article concerns non-migratory Canada Goose populations in Editorial Advisory Board: this state. Her study focuses on their wintering and breeding distribution within the state. Not that long ago, these beautiful geese were strictly migrants in the Atlantic coastal Dr. George A. Clark, Jr. - Storrs region and conservation efforts to establish breeding populations in several states did fairly Paul Desjardins- Windsor Locks well. However their residency in the state has caused much consternation as they no longer Robert C. Dewire- Mystic migrate. Frank J. Gardner- Hartford In our Notes & News section, Dennis Varza, Curator ofBirdcraft Museum, summarizes James Hammer- Danbury the First Annual Connecticut Bird Conference. A project that is proposed in the near future Thomas R. Hoehn- State D.E.P. for Connecticut is to initiate a bird atlasing survey. Douglas Kibbe ofAmerican Birds, spoke Gordon Loery- Litchfield about such a project and its inherent problems. Without the support of the birders in this Frank Mantlik- Norwalk state, a project of this scope cannot succeed. H. James Mockalis- Middletown Bob Dewire recently attended the Northeastern Bird Banding Conference, held at Dr. Noble S. Proctor- New Haven Manomet Bird Observatory in Massachusetts. He has provided us with a summary of the Lee A. Schlesinger- New Haven events that occurred during that weekend. Fred C. Sibley- New Haven For you shoreline birders, a note is included to be on the lookout for yellow dyed herons Christopher Wood- Woodbury and egrets. Your help is invited in providing sightings of these birds as part of a study being Joseph D. Zeranski- Greenwich conducted on Chimon Island. Another note concerns the guidelines we have tentatively set up for a column entitled "Changing Seasons." Lee Schlesinger has suggestions that will make everyone's job much easier when this column begins to appear in future issues . .. And finally, your editor reports on the banding operations at Birdcraft Museum, summarizing the spring migration through the eyes of a mist net. Reports from birders in the field indicated that the migration this spring was not up to what we have experienced in past years. The birds flew in, caught their breath and left very quickly. Unless you were in the field at the right time, you probably spent a lot of time observing leaves and flower buds. 27 Carl J. Trichka EDITORIAL Our apologies to our readers for the mechanical and typographical errors that marred the first issues. We hope with this issue ofThe .Connecticut Warbler, to effect that smooth working relationship with our typesetters and printers that will minimize these in the future. We think the substance of our articles will be full compensation for the demands on The Connecticut Warbler is published in January, April, July and your patience. October. Subscription is $6.00 per year, based on the calendar year. Individual As we went to press we had enrolled over one hundred and thirty subscribers with minimal issues may be purchased for $1.50 each, when available. All Rights Reserved. promotion. We need three or four times as many subscribers, however, so we hope you will call the publication to the attention of your birding friends who really want to know about the The editors invite the submission of articles, notes, black and white photo ornithology of Connecticut. Your local librarian should also be urged to subscribe, along graphs and line drawings for use in The Connecticut Warbler. Manuscripts with school biology departments. Mail promotions are now so expensive that we hope you should be typewritten, double-spaced and on one side of the sheet only, with will help by doing the local promotion on our behalf. ample margins. The editors must reserve judgement as to how much of this Those of our readers who attended the First Annual Connecticut Bird Conference listened material to use and return postage should be provided if materials are to be to Dr. Noble Proctor speak about the birds of Connecticut. Needless to say, his reputation is returned. well known throughout the ornithological community. I am especially proud of this issue because we are publishing in its entirety, Noble's review of the birds of Connecticut during the 1970's. His review points up how many trends there are in bird populations of such a modest geographical area as Connecticut in such a short span of years. Birders need to be much more aware of these changes, some of them temporary, some worrisome and thereby sophisticate their conversation concerns and statements. There are many problems involved in these changes, but it helps to inquire whether they are due to real fluctuations in numbers, or changes in our observational output, or whether climate, food supplies, habitat changes or the THE CONNECTICUT WARBLER sheer take-over of space for growing human numbers is involved. The Canada Goose- a nuisance bird? Thomas R. Hoehn presents some views on. the status of this goose as a preview to an article by Kathryn A. Converse. Tom points out that not even hunting pressures have eased the population growth. Unsubstantiated reports have I\ Editorial Staff: stated that the southern states have much lower populations than were known in the Milan G. Bull 1950's. It has also been said that the Delmarva peninsula is shortstopping the geese that used Roland C. Clement to winter further south. An interesting point, and I'm sure one that plays a part, however Carl J. Trichka small, in the plight of some of the state's residents with non-migratory goose populations. Kathryn A. Converse's article concerns non-migratory Canada Goose populations in Editorial Advisory Board: this state. Her study focuses on their wintering and breeding distribution within the state. Not that long ago, these beautiful geese were strictly migrants in the Atlantic coastal Dr. George A. Clark, Jr. - Storrs region and conservation efforts to establish breeding populations in several states did fairly Paul Desjardins- Windsor Locks well. However their residency in the state has caused much consternation as they no longer Robert C. Dewire- Mystic migrate. Frank J. Gardner- Hartford In our Notes & News section, Dennis Varza, Curator ofBirdcraft Museum, summarizes James Hammer- Danbury the First Annual Connecticut Bird Conference. A project that is proposed in the near future Thomas R. Hoehn- State D.E.P. for Connecticut is to initiate a bird atlasing survey. Douglas Kibbe ofAmerican Birds, spoke Gordon Loery- Litchfield about such a project and its inherent problems. Without the support of the birders in this Frank Mantlik- Norwalk state, a project of this scope cannot succeed. H. James Mockalis- Middletown Bob Dewire recently attended the Northeastern Bird Banding Conference, held at Dr. Noble S. Proctor- New Haven Manomet Bird Observatory in Massachusetts. He has provided us with a summary of the Lee A. Schlesinger- New Haven events that occurred during that weekend. Fred C. Sibley- New Haven For you shoreline birders, a note is included to be on the lookout for yellow dyed herons Christopher Wood- Woodbury and egrets. Your help is invited in providing sightings of these birds as part of a study being Joseph D. Zeranski- Greenwich conducted on Chimon Island. Another note concerns the guidelines we have tentatively set up for a column entitled "Changing Seasons." Lee Schlesinger has suggestions that will make everyone's job much easier when this column begins to appear in future issues . .. And finally, your editor reports on the banding operations at Birdcraft Museum, summarizing the spring migration through the eyes of a mist net. Reports from birders in the field indicated that the migration this spring was not up to what we have experienced in past years. The birds flew in, caught their breath and left very quickly. Unless you were in the field at the right time, you probably spent a lot of time observing leaves and flower buds. 27 Carl J. Trichka Surveys over the decade revealed diminishing reported for each of the ten years, the Kings on its way back to its old numbers. To A REVIEW OF nesting sites for Black-crowned Night Herons. outnumbered Commons by five to one, with a support this forecast, over 1000 were seen Using Chimon as the stepping stone, Great group of7 Kings at one point. Scoters were migrating through the New Haven area dur THE 1970's and Snowy Egrets became increasingly com the most enigmatic of the duck tribe. At the ing the fall censusing in 1979! Peregrines by Dr. Noble S. Proctor mon in the coastal marshes. The Glossy Ibis start of the 70's, coastal groups of 1500 to likewise show a dramatic increase in num started breeding on this island in the late 2000 were seen. Suddenly, in the mid-70's, bers during the migration, going from two to 60's and numbers increased through the 70's, four sightings in the early 70's to more than It is often difficult to make judgements they thinned out, with White-wings and Surf providing more frequent sightings all along the concerning something so dynamic as bird about equal in numbers. In the last four 40 in our area this fall. How much of the coast. Cattle Egrets established themselves as increase is due to the birds, and how much to populations when viewed over a short span of years the cry is "Where have all the scoters breeders on the island but due to lack of time. However, over a decade it becomes a gone?" The answer seems to be to Long birders, we do not know. suitable farm habitat in the region, they remain For bit more feasible. So, with our recent entry Island and out in the open ocean off Rhode GALLINACEOUS BIRDS: local rather than becoming abundant, as hap into the 80's, and many wondering what the Island and Massachusetts. Because of shifts the woodland birder, the dramatic effect of ened elsewhere. Little Blue Herons continued 70's meant, it may be of interest to look back in shellfish beds or in bird numbers? the 6 year cycle of Ruffed Grouse was the trend of the southern herons moving into at the bird populations of the state and review HAWKS: Of all the bird groups that obvious. Common in the early '70's, the the state. They also started nesting on Chimon the status of selected species, statewide, but attract attention, the leader for the 70's has population crashed at the mid-point, so in the 70's, and toward the end of the decade with particular emphasis on the New Haven to be hawks. Birders finally caught on to the that even an all day hike in favored areas even Louisiana Herons began to breed there! area. The following, then, is an overview of fact that one need not go to Hawk Mountain gave no certainty that one would turn up. is hard to believe that the second state some species that seemed indicative of rises It to see large numbers of hawks. Simply haunt Late in the decade, numbers slowly increased and falls, cycles, encroachment and dis record for this species occurred in the mid the Connecticut coast in the fall and many and fair numbers can now be found. With appearance. 60's, and that they are breeding and occur in will be seen. No fall now passes without the increased loss of suitable farmland due several locations throughout the summer. "Arne's Armies" manning spots such as to construction and with other fields revert LOONS: A positive sightrecordforthe The White Ibis also continues to press Lighthouse Point and recording each bird as ing back to woodland, Bobwhite continued Arctic Loon evaded us again, but Red northward and although we have not had the it swoops or soars past. Thousands are now their population plunge, slowly withdrawing Throated Loons showed a distinct pattern. massive influx that Long Island experienced, seen each fall, and the numbers for some to the northeast part of the state. An occa Increasing in numbers on Long Island Sound we did have several records in the 70's, with species continue to climb. The decade saw sional escaped Chukar added spice to a day's in winter during the early 70's, they began to a 1979 bird staying on into the new year. the virtual end of nesting by Sharp-shinned birding. The early part of the decade saw the "crash" after1975. Priorto1975,numbers WATERFOWL: Mute Swans surged and Cooper's Hawks in Connecticut, with an last stand for the now extirpated Gray Part ranging in excess of 100 or even 200 were in their spread during the 70's. It is again influx of nesting Goshawks, as though to fill ridge in the state, whereas the last few frequently reported during a day afield. hard to believe that the first wild, state the vacant niche. years have been boom years for the recently Now one must work to turn up birds in nesting occurred in W oodmont in the mid Red-shouldered Hawks, which suffered reintroduced Turkey. favored sites. We wonder why. 60's, and now they nest all along the coast from pesticide problems at the turn of the RAILS: Rails remained consistent in GREBES: Until 1975 Eared Grebes and have moved to inland reservoirs. Winter decade, made striking comebacks to many an occurrence and numbers through the '70's, appeared with some regularity off the coast flocks of over 250 are now found in areas old nesting site, and now are in good numbers but alas, we saw the lumping of King and of West Haven with the spring build up of such as Mystic. This bird could pose prob in the state. Golden Eagles, considered Clapper Rail by some taxonomists. Since Horned Grebes. Later in the decade, how lems for local waterfowl in the future. Dis accidental in the 60's, were sighted with the early '70's we had been aware that two ever, these sightings dropped off markedly. tinct increases were seen in Wood Duck increasing regularity during the 70's. This is species interbreed in the marshes of Milford, Red-necked Grebes, though elusive, proved populations and Ring-necked Duck flocks. undoubtedly due to their nesting in upstate East Haven and Old Lyme. It was just a to be consistent with a pattern of2-4 sightings Gadwalls obtained a foothold and began New York and northern New England in matter of time before proposals for lumping per year, February being the month of most spreading during the last four years of the recent years. With a new critical mass of were made. Black Rails and Yellow Rails consistent occurrence. Western Grebes were decade. Shoveler numbers fluctuated. Until hawk watchers afield, the realization that remained as enigmatic as ever. The only recorded three times in the decade, with the 1975 the population increased steadily dur Bald Eagles winter in fair numbers dawned Black Rail record for the decade was an winteringbirdof 1978-1979 stayingformany ing the fall and winter months. In 1976 and on us. Regular mid-winter censusing now immature bird at Milford in September, to see. 1977 numbers began to thin and by the end of shows a rather stable 20 to 25 Bald Eagles 197 3. Yellow Rail records were sparse but CORMORANTS: After a steady in the 70's, they were hard to find anywhere in spending the winter in favored spots through the handful of sightings fell in April and crease of summering individuals over the dec coastal ponds. Hooded Mergansers have out the state. But Marsh Harriers continued October. ade, Double-crested Cormorants finally done very well and have spread statewide in to frustrate us. Where and when do the Coot populations showed a distinct" crash." nested in Connecticut for the first time in the their nesting. Wintering groups of over 40 males pass? With a consistent ratio of some In the early 70's, groups of200 or more were summer of 1979, off Norwalk. Additional are now encountered in suitable open water 400 females and immatures to 15 to 20 adult commonplace in a number of locations, but nesting and the spread of this species is areas. males, an explanation still awaits us. Per mere handfuls were scattered about the state expected as a number of sites are available to This decade also saw the first nesting of haps a variation in time, height of flight, or in the late 70's. them. Common Mergansers in the state, part of a routes will be the answer. The Osprey wins SHOREBIRDS: In general, shore HERONS: This group proved very trend for northern species to inch their way the "dramatic comeback of the decade" birds populations showed marked increases exciting in providing rapid species expansion south. The King Eider proved to be more award. From two or so nesting pairs at the over the ten year period. In addition, some into the state. Chirnon Island, off Norwalk, common on the Sound in winter than the turn of the decade, to over 35 pairs on the exciting forms showed up and stayed long remains the only true heronry in the state. Common Eider. Though both species were Sound's coast, it appears that this bird is well enough for many to see, such as the Black-

28 29 Surveys over the decade revealed diminishing reported for each of the ten years, the Kings on its way back to its old numbers. To A REVIEW OF nesting sites for Black-crowned Night Herons. outnumbered Commons by five to one, with a support this forecast, over 1000 were seen Using Chimon as the stepping stone, Great group of7 Kings at one point. Scoters were migrating through the New Haven area dur THE 1970's and Snowy Egrets became increasingly com the most enigmatic of the duck tribe. At the ing the fall censusing in 1979! Peregrines by Dr. Noble S. Proctor mon in the coastal marshes. The Glossy Ibis start of the 70's, coastal groups of 1500 to likewise show a dramatic increase in num started breeding on this island in the late 2000 were seen. Suddenly, in the mid-70's, bers during the migration, going from two to 60's and numbers increased through the 70's, four sightings in the early 70's to more than It is often difficult to make judgements they thinned out, with White-wings and Surf providing more frequent sightings all along the concerning something so dynamic as bird about equal in numbers. In the last four 40 in our area this fall. How much of the coast. Cattle Egrets established themselves as increase is due to the birds, and how much to populations when viewed over a short span of years the cry is "Where have all the scoters breeders on the island but due to lack of time. However, over a decade it becomes a gone?" The answer seems to be to Long birders, we do not know. suitable farm habitat in the region, they remain For bit more feasible. So, with our recent entry Island and out in the open ocean off Rhode GALLINACEOUS BIRDS: local rather than becoming abundant, as hap into the 80's, and many wondering what the Island and Massachusetts. Because of shifts the woodland birder, the dramatic effect of ened elsewhere. Little Blue Herons continued 70's meant, it may be of interest to look back in shellfish beds or in bird numbers? the 6 year cycle of Ruffed Grouse was the trend of the southern herons moving into at the bird populations of the state and review HAWKS: Of all the bird groups that obvious. Common in the early '70's, the the state. They also started nesting on Chimon the status of selected species, statewide, but attract attention, the leader for the 70's has population crashed at the mid-point, so in the 70's, and toward the end of the decade with particular emphasis on the New Haven to be hawks. Birders finally caught on to the that even an all day hike in favored areas even Louisiana Herons began to breed there! area. The following, then, is an overview of fact that one need not go to Hawk Mountain gave no certainty that one would turn up. is hard to believe that the second state some species that seemed indicative of rises It to see large numbers of hawks. Simply haunt Late in the decade, numbers slowly increased and falls, cycles, encroachment and dis record for this species occurred in the mid the Connecticut coast in the fall and many and fair numbers can now be found. With appearance. 60's, and that they are breeding and occur in will be seen. No fall now passes without the increased loss of suitable farmland due several locations throughout the summer. "Arne's Armies" manning spots such as to construction and with other fields revert LOONS: A positive sightrecordforthe The White Ibis also continues to press Lighthouse Point and recording each bird as ing back to woodland, Bobwhite continued Arctic Loon evaded us again, but Red northward and although we have not had the it swoops or soars past. Thousands are now their population plunge, slowly withdrawing Throated Loons showed a distinct pattern. massive influx that Long Island experienced, seen each fall, and the numbers for some to the northeast part of the state. An occa Increasing in numbers on Long Island Sound we did have several records in the 70's, with species continue to climb. The decade saw sional escaped Chukar added spice to a day's in winter during the early 70's, they began to a 1979 bird staying on into the new year. the virtual end of nesting by Sharp-shinned birding. The early part of the decade saw the "crash" after1975. Priorto1975,numbers WATERFOWL: Mute Swans surged and Cooper's Hawks in Connecticut, with an last stand for the now extirpated Gray Part ranging in excess of 100 or even 200 were in their spread during the 70's. It is again influx of nesting Goshawks, as though to fill ridge in the state, whereas the last few frequently reported during a day afield. hard to believe that the first wild, state the vacant niche. years have been boom years for the recently Now one must work to turn up birds in nesting occurred in W oodmont in the mid Red-shouldered Hawks, which suffered reintroduced Turkey. favored sites. We wonder why. 60's, and now they nest all along the coast from pesticide problems at the turn of the RAILS: Rails remained consistent in GREBES: Until 1975 Eared Grebes and have moved to inland reservoirs. Winter decade, made striking comebacks to many an occurrence and numbers through the '70's, appeared with some regularity off the coast flocks of over 250 are now found in areas old nesting site, and now are in good numbers but alas, we saw the lumping of King and of West Haven with the spring build up of such as Mystic. This bird could pose prob in the state. Golden Eagles, considered Clapper Rail by some taxonomists. Since Horned Grebes. Later in the decade, how lems for local waterfowl in the future. Dis accidental in the 60's, were sighted with the early '70's we had been aware that two ever, these sightings dropped off markedly. tinct increases were seen in Wood Duck increasing regularity during the 70's. This is species interbreed in the marshes of Milford, Red-necked Grebes, though elusive, proved populations and Ring-necked Duck flocks. undoubtedly due to their nesting in upstate East Haven and Old Lyme. It was just a to be consistent with a pattern of2-4 sightings Gadwalls obtained a foothold and began New York and northern New England in matter of time before proposals for lumping per year, February being the month of most spreading during the last four years of the recent years. With a new critical mass of were made. Black Rails and Yellow Rails consistent occurrence. Western Grebes were decade. Shoveler numbers fluctuated. Until hawk watchers afield, the realization that remained as enigmatic as ever. The only recorded three times in the decade, with the 1975 the population increased steadily dur Bald Eagles winter in fair numbers dawned Black Rail record for the decade was an winteringbirdof 1978-1979 stayingformany ing the fall and winter months. In 1976 and on us. Regular mid-winter censusing now immature bird at Milford in September, to see. 1977 numbers began to thin and by the end of shows a rather stable 20 to 25 Bald Eagles 197 3. Yellow Rail records were sparse but CORMORANTS: After a steady in the 70's, they were hard to find anywhere in spending the winter in favored spots through the handful of sightings fell in April and crease of summering individuals over the dec coastal ponds. Hooded Mergansers have out the state. But Marsh Harriers continued October. ade, Double-crested Cormorants finally done very well and have spread statewide in to frustrate us. Where and when do the Coot populations showed a distinct" crash." nested in Connecticut for the first time in the their nesting. Wintering groups of over 40 males pass? With a consistent ratio of some In the early 70's, groups of200 or more were summer of 1979, off Norwalk. Additional are now encountered in suitable open water 400 females and immatures to 15 to 20 adult commonplace in a number of locations, but nesting and the spread of this species is areas. males, an explanation still awaits us. Per mere handfuls were scattered about the state expected as a number of sites are available to This decade also saw the first nesting of haps a variation in time, height of flight, or in the late 70's. them. Common Mergansers in the state, part of a routes will be the answer. The Osprey wins SHOREBIRDS: In general, shore HERONS: This group proved very trend for northern species to inch their way the "dramatic comeback of the decade" birds populations showed marked increases exciting in providing rapid species expansion south. The King Eider proved to be more award. From two or so nesting pairs at the over the ten year period. In addition, some into the state. Chirnon Island, off Norwalk, common on the Sound in winter than the turn of the decade, to over 35 pairs on the exciting forms showed up and stayed long remains the only true heronry in the state. Common Eider. Though both species were Sound's coast, it appears that this bird is well enough for many to see, such as the Black-

28 29 necked Stilt in the spring of 1979 in Guilford continued their takeover of the coastal area. if they persisted. Owl prowling showed that spring brings the delight of their famous call. and an American Avocet in April, 1975, Spurred by open dumping in the first part of there were plenty of birds out there. Several Chuck-wills-widow's hung on tenaciously photographed in Stratford. Among the the decade, both Herring and Great Black species took to giving daytime shows, such as through the ten years at a few coastal locations plovers, three records of Wilson's Plover backed Gulls multiplied logarithmically. the clump of evergreens around a house in and offshore islands. were scattered over the ten year period. Pip Their subsidized competition made serious West Haven where several Long-eared Owls WOODPECKERS: The Red-bellied ing Plovers showed the most dramatic effects inroads into nesting Common and Roseate attracted tremendous attention. Great Woodpecker added its name to the" assault" of coastal disruption, beach abuse and other Terns. If the worldwide pattern holds, we Horned Owls showed a distinct cyclic pat list from the south. By the end of the 70's it "people problems." A coastal survey in may expect Herring Gulls to move into tern. Common at the outset of the decade was a wide spread breeder in the oak forests 1975 showed only 12 pairs nesting on the coastal cities and start nesting on roof tops. they plunged to low numbers at the mid of the state and an often-sighted visitor to Connecticut coast. This is a trend witnessed Afterthat, whoknows? Black-headed Gulls point, which coincided with the cycle of the winter feeders. Red-headed Woodpeckers, along the entire eastern seaboard. Distinct and Little Gulls each reached a peak of over Ruffed Grouse. Numbers then increased so on the other hand, lost ground and remain increases in numbers and sightings occurred 20 sightings during the winters of the mid that in the fall and winter of 1979 it was hard only as hold-outs in a few isolated nesting in several other shorebirds. Upland Sand 70's at New Haven Harbor alone. This has to step from your car on a backroad in the areas in the northeast corner of the state. pipers in the late 70's became increasingly leveled off to a consistent 5 to 10 records for state and not hear a Great Homed Owl common in both spring and fall migration, each species along the coast from late fall to calling. Saw-whet Owls spread to many and in the mid 70's, Stilt Sandpipers in the spring. Scattered sightings of Franklin's, bogs and swamps of the state over the ten fall often reached double digit figures. In the Mew and Lesser Black-backed Gulls added year period, with distinct mass movements in last four years Marbled Godwits have appeared to the excitement of" gulling". the fall and spring of 1976, 1977 and 1978. with regularity in spring and fall. The Terns, as already mentioned, suffered Happily, I can also report that Barn Owls are American Oystercatcher is trying to establish from increasing gull populations. Helicopter back! From a point in the early 70's when no itself here. Twice in 1978 and 1979, these surveys in the mid 70's confirmed this rapid nesting was known in the state, sightings birds tried to nest on Connecticut soil only to takeover. Very few Common Tern nesting began to increase in 1976 and 1977 and in have their eggs eaten by Great Black-backed areas remained and Roseates were down to 1979 no fewer than 12 nests were under Gulls. In 1977, Willets nested once again in less than 300 nesting pairs. Study projects observation. It is great to see them back. Connecticut at Hamrnonasset after a hiatus assessing population shifts, total numbers, We can hope that they will continue to of nearly 70 years. survival rates etc., are presently being con increase. Close monitoring of nesting is This coincided with nesting in other spots ducted by Fred Sibley of Peabody Museum going on and valuable data are being collected. along the coast, from New Jersey to Nova to detail the fate of these birds. Caspian, One of the big birding stories of the 70's Scotia, filling in the long-standing gap. Royal and Gull-billed Tern reports increased will have to be the mass influx of Great Gray With increased coverage and better know remarkably in the late decade, possibly as Owls. Alas, only two were recorded in ledge of field characters, birders found that spill-overs from Long Island populations. Connecticut, and these by non-birders who Western Sandpipers occur with regularity DOVES: Mourning Doves continued gave perfect descriptions- after the fact! and in numbers along the coast and at inland their rise in numbers, to a point where a flock Snowy Owls did not live up to their four bodies of water, especially in the fall. Purple of200+ became rather commonplace. The year cyclic influx, at least not in this state. Sandpipers appeared almost cyclic. They only real excitement in this group was the For us the common plaint was, "I think next Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes caro/inus) were common early in the decade, with White-winged Dove that appeared in year will be an owl year". But the real thing Sketch by Julie Zickefoose numbers often ranging into the hundreds, but November of 1973 at Milford Point and never came. Although they were reported by the end of the 70's, they were hard to find stayed for a while. every winter of the decade, no mass move FLYCATCHERS:A~ Ay~ even at the most favored spots. Buff-breasted CUCKOOS: Both Black-billed and ment materialized. Well, wait till next year. began to spread out in the state as nesters from Sandpipers showed a steady increase in Yellow-billed Cuckoos followed their cyclic PARROTS: The infamous Monk Para their only known nesting spot (at Devil' s numbers and occurrences, and are now a pattern of their food source, the Gypsy keet that made a big splash onto the scene in Hopyard) in this century! Now they are regular species in fall migration at select Moth, Linden Loopers and Elm Spanworms. the late 60's and early 70's had almost nesting in several sites. The 70's also saw the areas. A far cry from the 60's, when the first When these increased greatly in the early disappeared by the middle of the decade. An taxonomic splitting ofthe Willow/ Alder Fly twentieth century record in the state was and mid 70's the cuckoos peaked right after occasional sighting now and then brings to catcher and the two voice patterns could be made! Rounding out the shorebirds is the them. With fairly stable "moth years", the mind the "big threat" of the past. compared at select spots, such as Durham and Ruff. This European visitor has rapidly ele cuckoos leveled off in numbers. We are GOATSUCKERS: Whip-poor-wills Litchfield. vated itself through the ranks of accidental, becoming aware that in peak years of the followed an interesting pattern. In the 60's SWALLOWS: Cliff Swallows lost then rare, and now regular during the spring Gypsy Moth, its cuckoo attendants cross and early 70's we watched the Satumid ground as nesters, with a few pockets and fall migrations in the state. It is a Connecticut in waves, from west to east. Moth (Luna, Cecropia, Polyphemus) popu remaining in the western part of the state. consistent visitor at certain spots on the coast OWLS: Owling became the "in thing" lations literally disappear. With them went Purple Martins, on the other hand, made a and has occurred in all ten years. In the mid in the 1970's. Tape recorders and pursed the Whip-poor-wills that feed on them. Why steady climb in nesting colonies from 1970 70's, fall records exceeded 20 birds. All this lips took to the backroads in early morning, this loss is uncertain at this writing. How to 197 8 and then predictably "crashed" or leads one to suspect breeding somewhere in often to the surprise of the local police and ever, starting in 1978 the Saturnids began to moved elsewhere for 1979. All 20 major North America. farmyard dogs! It seemed that everyone reappear and happily, so did the Whip-poor colonies in the state reported this disappear GULLS AND TERNS: The big gulls wanted to see an owl. And see them they did wills. Now a visit to an old haunt in the ance.

30 31 necked Stilt in the spring of 1979 in Guilford continued their takeover of the coastal area. if they persisted. Owl prowling showed that spring brings the delight of their famous call. and an American Avocet in April, 1975, Spurred by open dumping in the first part of there were plenty of birds out there. Several Chuck-wills-widow's hung on tenaciously photographed in Stratford. Among the the decade, both Herring and Great Black species took to giving daytime shows, such as through the ten years at a few coastal locations plovers, three records of Wilson's Plover backed Gulls multiplied logarithmically. the clump of evergreens around a house in and offshore islands. were scattered over the ten year period. Pip Their subsidized competition made serious West Haven where several Long-eared Owls WOODPECKERS: The Red-bellied ing Plovers showed the most dramatic effects inroads into nesting Common and Roseate attracted tremendous attention. Great Woodpecker added its name to the" assault" of coastal disruption, beach abuse and other Terns. If the worldwide pattern holds, we Horned Owls showed a distinct cyclic pat list from the south. By the end of the 70's it "people problems." A coastal survey in may expect Herring Gulls to move into tern. Common at the outset of the decade was a wide spread breeder in the oak forests 1975 showed only 12 pairs nesting on the coastal cities and start nesting on roof tops. they plunged to low numbers at the mid of the state and an often-sighted visitor to Connecticut coast. This is a trend witnessed Afterthat, whoknows? Black-headed Gulls point, which coincided with the cycle of the winter feeders. Red-headed Woodpeckers, along the entire eastern seaboard. Distinct and Little Gulls each reached a peak of over Ruffed Grouse. Numbers then increased so on the other hand, lost ground and remain increases in numbers and sightings occurred 20 sightings during the winters of the mid that in the fall and winter of 1979 it was hard only as hold-outs in a few isolated nesting in several other shorebirds. Upland Sand 70's at New Haven Harbor alone. This has to step from your car on a backroad in the areas in the northeast corner of the state. pipers in the late 70's became increasingly leveled off to a consistent 5 to 10 records for state and not hear a Great Homed Owl common in both spring and fall migration, each species along the coast from late fall to calling. Saw-whet Owls spread to many and in the mid 70's, Stilt Sandpipers in the spring. Scattered sightings of Franklin's, bogs and swamps of the state over the ten fall often reached double digit figures. In the Mew and Lesser Black-backed Gulls added year period, with distinct mass movements in last four years Marbled Godwits have appeared to the excitement of" gulling". the fall and spring of 1976, 1977 and 1978. with regularity in spring and fall. The Terns, as already mentioned, suffered Happily, I can also report that Barn Owls are American Oystercatcher is trying to establish from increasing gull populations. Helicopter back! From a point in the early 70's when no itself here. Twice in 1978 and 1979, these surveys in the mid 70's confirmed this rapid nesting was known in the state, sightings birds tried to nest on Connecticut soil only to takeover. Very few Common Tern nesting began to increase in 1976 and 1977 and in have their eggs eaten by Great Black-backed areas remained and Roseates were down to 1979 no fewer than 12 nests were under Gulls. In 1977, Willets nested once again in less than 300 nesting pairs. Study projects observation. It is great to see them back. Connecticut at Hamrnonasset after a hiatus assessing population shifts, total numbers, We can hope that they will continue to of nearly 70 years. survival rates etc., are presently being con increase. Close monitoring of nesting is This coincided with nesting in other spots ducted by Fred Sibley of Peabody Museum going on and valuable data are being collected. along the coast, from New Jersey to Nova to detail the fate of these birds. Caspian, One of the big birding stories of the 70's Scotia, filling in the long-standing gap. Royal and Gull-billed Tern reports increased will have to be the mass influx of Great Gray With increased coverage and better know remarkably in the late decade, possibly as Owls. Alas, only two were recorded in ledge of field characters, birders found that spill-overs from Long Island populations. Connecticut, and these by non-birders who Western Sandpipers occur with regularity DOVES: Mourning Doves continued gave perfect descriptions- after the fact! and in numbers along the coast and at inland their rise in numbers, to a point where a flock Snowy Owls did not live up to their four bodies of water, especially in the fall. Purple of200+ became rather commonplace. The year cyclic influx, at least not in this state. Sandpipers appeared almost cyclic. They only real excitement in this group was the For us the common plaint was, "I think next Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes caro/inus) were common early in the decade, with White-winged Dove that appeared in year will be an owl year". But the real thing Sketch by Julie Zickefoose numbers often ranging into the hundreds, but November of 1973 at Milford Point and never came. Although they were reported by the end of the 70's, they were hard to find stayed for a while. every winter of the decade, no mass move FLYCATCHERS:A~ Ay~ even at the most favored spots. Buff-breasted CUCKOOS: Both Black-billed and ment materialized. Well, wait till next year. began to spread out in the state as nesters from Sandpipers showed a steady increase in Yellow-billed Cuckoos followed their cyclic PARROTS: The infamous Monk Para their only known nesting spot (at Devil' s numbers and occurrences, and are now a pattern of their food source, the Gypsy keet that made a big splash onto the scene in Hopyard) in this century! Now they are regular species in fall migration at select Moth, Linden Loopers and Elm Spanworms. the late 60's and early 70's had almost nesting in several sites. The 70's also saw the areas. A far cry from the 60's, when the first When these increased greatly in the early disappeared by the middle of the decade. An taxonomic splitting ofthe Willow/ Alder Fly twentieth century record in the state was and mid 70's the cuckoos peaked right after occasional sighting now and then brings to catcher and the two voice patterns could be made! Rounding out the shorebirds is the them. With fairly stable "moth years", the mind the "big threat" of the past. compared at select spots, such as Durham and Ruff. This European visitor has rapidly ele cuckoos leveled off in numbers. We are GOATSUCKERS: Whip-poor-wills Litchfield. vated itself through the ranks of accidental, becoming aware that in peak years of the followed an interesting pattern. In the 60's SWALLOWS: Cliff Swallows lost then rare, and now regular during the spring Gypsy Moth, its cuckoo attendants cross and early 70's we watched the Satumid ground as nesters, with a few pockets and fall migrations in the state. It is a Connecticut in waves, from west to east. Moth (Luna, Cecropia, Polyphemus) popu remaining in the western part of the state. consistent visitor at certain spots on the coast OWLS: Owling became the "in thing" lations literally disappear. With them went Purple Martins, on the other hand, made a and has occurred in all ten years. In the mid in the 1970's. Tape recorders and pursed the Whip-poor-wills that feed on them. Why steady climb in nesting colonies from 1970 70's, fall records exceeded 20 birds. All this lips took to the backroads in early morning, this loss is uncertain at this writing. How to 197 8 and then predictably "crashed" or leads one to suspect breeding somewhere in often to the surprise of the local police and ever, starting in 1978 the Saturnids began to moved elsewhere for 1979. All 20 major North America. farmyard dogs! It seemed that everyone reappear and happily, so did the Whip-poor colonies in the state reported this disappear GULLS AND TERNS: The big gulls wanted to see an owl. And see them they did wills. Now a visit to an old haunt in the ance.

30 31 CROWS: Fish Crows made great gains selves as nesters statewide. By 1979 one spots shifted from the lowlands to the ridge, became a rather consistent species mixed in in populations over the decade. From a expected a gnatcatcher to be in any suitable depending on the day and weather conditions with fall blackbird flocks, some occasionally confined group nesting at East Rock Park, habitat explored. A remarkable influx for a All this kept everyone in suspense looking making it through the winter. They increased New Haven, in the early 1970's, they ten year period. for the ultimate. That was exemplified by in numbers to a point in 1978 when 10 were spread all along the coast and even to inland the Hermit Warbler that appeared on Trow reported from the state in one week! areas, establishing several new nesting sites. bridge Drive, New Haven, in May of 1977! FRINGILLIDS: Not much need be PARIDS: Boreal Chickadees were spor Probably the warbler of the century. Distinct said about the expansion ofthe Cardinal. It adic over the years, with fair influxes in the trends included regular sighting of Prothon is hard to believe that three decades ago it early 70's. Some remained faithful to loca-, otary Warblers, with late April being the key was still a "WOW" bird at the feeder. Two tions such as the Smith Richardson Sanctuary time over the ten years. A pair even former accidentals increased in the fall migra in Westport, even in off years. Tufted Tit attempted to nest in Guilford in the mid- tion periods as the years rolled on. Dick mouse continued to increase in numbers 70's . Yellow-throated Warbler sightings cissels became quite regular on fall birding throughout the decade. Remember that in the increased through the seventies. The ten trips and more and more seemed to spend the 50's it was a bird one went south to see? year block of time more than quadrupled the winters at feeders. Blue Grosbeaks at the WRENS: Winter Wrens showed their records for all previous years! Black-throated end ofthe70's appeared with consistency in vulnerability to cold winters, and following Blue Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers September and October and now reports are harsh winters such at 1977 and 1978, few moved into the northeast part of the state and expected each fall. 1977 saw the first official were to be found. Carolina Wrens, usually ,l, became regular breeders. The 70's saw a report of a Black-headed Grosbeak in the affected in the same manner, benefited from ~ 4?. range extension of the previously rare Ceru state when a bird was photographed at a the moderating influence of salt water and '""'W Jk lean Warbler. After establishing a foothold feeder in North Guilford. It stayed for four held out in various strongholds along the ~ v-- in the state at Devil' s Hopyard, several other months for many to see. The real success coast. Sedge Wrens continued to be the nesting sites were located in statewide story for this group has to belong to the mystery bird of the group. Very rare in House Finch. In the 70's, the populations Blue-grey Gnatcatcher (Polioptila- caerulea) surveys. No longer did one have to go to migration, yet appearing in favored spots Sketch by Julie Zickefoose Rhinebeck, New York to see this beautiful grew so as to make it one of the more near the coast in summer. During the ten bird on its breeding grounds. common feeder birds in the state. In some years, they nested in a couple oflocations in Kentucky Warblers also began to dribble pockets, 200 plus are seen with consistency. the state but were not consistent, being away VIREOS: Yellow-throated Vireos and into the state in the early 70's and by the end Tree Sparrows and to a lesser extent, Dark two or three years. This pattern has yet to be Warbling Vireos see-sawed in numbers. of the decade were presumed to be breeding eyed Juncos became another enigma. Both deciphered. Yellow-throateds dropped markedly with in the southwest comer of the state, with species, very common through the early part MIMIDS: Mockingbirds escalated year the methodical removal of large roadside numerous sightings in other areas of the of the decade, "crashed" during the last few ly over the period to achieve record popula trees such as elms, once their favored nesting state. Hooded Warblers increased in num years. Even an anomaly showed up con tions by the end of the decade. With favored sites. The Warbling Vireo, on the other bers over the same period and became cerning one of these birds. In East Haddam, Multiflora Rose thickets always at hand, they hand, slowly increased in numbers so that by regular nesters in several areas. Yellow from 1972 to 1978 aJuncox White-throated became one of the commonest roadside birds the close of the decade it seemed that each breasted Chats, on the other hand, dropped Sparrow hybrid returned to the same feeder, of the state. No longer does one get the stop on a spring mornings birding was sure to in numbers from former peaks in the 60's. offering the viewers a rather bizarre pattern. feeling that "it should be in the south". produce the languid repeated notes of this They could only be found at the choice White-crowned Sparrows went from years of THRUSHES: Eastern Bluebirds con treetop singer. nesting areas in the state. Paradoxically, near abundance in the early 70's to a mere tinued to suffer from the loss of habitat and the WARBLERS: Warblers continued to winter records of this large warbler more sprinkling of individuals in the fall . Off and conflict with more aggressive species for hold the interest of the ranks of May morning than doubled over the previous decade. To on through the period, Clay-colored Spar nesting space. However, nesting box pro "treetop watchers". There were good years the end of the decade, the infrequently seen rows appeared in the spring, set up territories, grams instituted at the end of the 70's brings and bad years, but the 70's did not produce Orange-crowned Warbler put on a spurt and but always failed to find mates. To round out hope that the remaining population may take the big waves of warblers that were seen in sightings increased dramatically, so that in sparrow fluctuations, Fox Sparrows were far hold and bring this species back. In the the 60's . Still there were stories of" trees of December of 1979, eleven were seen in the more common in the early 70's than at the northwest comer ofthe state the first nest of warblers" and the enevitable cry, "Where New Haven area alone. close of the decade. the Swainson's Thrush was found, adding are they this year?" And always, the race of BLACKBIRDS: Our Baltimore Oriole RARITIES: Aside from the common this more northern nester to the breeding bird warbler arrival before the leaves, with the became the Northern Oriole and wintering species trends, the rarities kept the active list. leaves winning in most cases. But the ,, Bullock's Orioles still brought out the birders. birder hopping. These ran the gamut from OLD WORLD WARBLERS: The excitement of seeing the rare or elusive kept Each winter of the decade produced at least Magnificent Frigatebird to Frigate Petrel. story of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the the birders coming and quite often the one representative ofthis western form of the American Avocets became more dependable state is one of supreme success. In the early rewards were significant. Even the birding Northern Oriole at someone's feeder. in the spring and fall migration, but are still a 1970's it was still regarded as an unusual areas for warblers ran "hot and cold". (,, Orchard Orioles slowly gained a foothold rarity. Some visited for extremely short per sighting in a day afield. By the mid-70's Places like Clark's Pond were good in the over the period and made inroads throughout iods-such as the Rufous-necked Stint and they literally poured in. In 197 5, a morning's early 70's but rather unrewarding in the later the state. By the end of the 70's they were the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper-others stayed for birding in the area produced over 100 years. East Rock Park remained fairly nesting in numerous locations in the southern many to see, such as the Purple Gallinule in sightings. They have now established them- consistent in producing warblers, but the hot half of the state. Yellow-headed Blackbirds Madison that went to roost in a Maple tree or

32 33 CROWS: Fish Crows made great gains selves as nesters statewide. By 1979 one spots shifted from the lowlands to the ridge, became a rather consistent species mixed in in populations over the decade. From a expected a gnatcatcher to be in any suitable depending on the day and weather conditions with fall blackbird flocks, some occasionally confined group nesting at East Rock Park, habitat explored. A remarkable influx for a All this kept everyone in suspense looking making it through the winter. They increased New Haven, in the early 1970's, they ten year period. for the ultimate. That was exemplified by in numbers to a point in 1978 when 10 were spread all along the coast and even to inland the Hermit Warbler that appeared on Trow reported from the state in one week! areas, establishing several new nesting sites. bridge Drive, New Haven, in May of 1977! FRINGILLIDS: Not much need be PARIDS: Boreal Chickadees were spor Probably the warbler of the century. Distinct said about the expansion ofthe Cardinal. It adic over the years, with fair influxes in the trends included regular sighting of Prothon is hard to believe that three decades ago it early 70's. Some remained faithful to loca-, otary Warblers, with late April being the key was still a "WOW" bird at the feeder. Two tions such as the Smith Richardson Sanctuary time over the ten years. A pair even former accidentals increased in the fall migra in Westport, even in off years. Tufted Tit attempted to nest in Guilford in the mid- tion periods as the years rolled on. Dick mouse continued to increase in numbers 70's . Yellow-throated Warbler sightings cissels became quite regular on fall birding throughout the decade. Remember that in the increased through the seventies. The ten trips and more and more seemed to spend the 50's it was a bird one went south to see? year block of time more than quadrupled the winters at feeders. Blue Grosbeaks at the WRENS: Winter Wrens showed their records for all previous years! Black-throated end ofthe70's appeared with consistency in vulnerability to cold winters, and following Blue Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers September and October and now reports are harsh winters such at 1977 and 1978, few moved into the northeast part of the state and expected each fall. 1977 saw the first official were to be found. Carolina Wrens, usually ,l, became regular breeders. The 70's saw a report of a Black-headed Grosbeak in the affected in the same manner, benefited from ~ 4?. range extension of the previously rare Ceru state when a bird was photographed at a the moderating influence of salt water and '""'W Jk lean Warbler. After establishing a foothold feeder in North Guilford. It stayed for four held out in various strongholds along the ~ v-- in the state at Devil' s Hopyard, several other months for many to see. The real success coast. Sedge Wrens continued to be the nesting sites were located in statewide story for this group has to belong to the mystery bird of the group. Very rare in House Finch. In the 70's, the populations Blue-grey Gnatcatcher (Polioptila- caerulea) surveys. No longer did one have to go to migration, yet appearing in favored spots Sketch by Julie Zickefoose Rhinebeck, New York to see this beautiful grew so as to make it one of the more near the coast in summer. During the ten bird on its breeding grounds. common feeder birds in the state. In some years, they nested in a couple oflocations in Kentucky Warblers also began to dribble pockets, 200 plus are seen with consistency. the state but were not consistent, being away VIREOS: Yellow-throated Vireos and into the state in the early 70's and by the end Tree Sparrows and to a lesser extent, Dark two or three years. This pattern has yet to be Warbling Vireos see-sawed in numbers. of the decade were presumed to be breeding eyed Juncos became another enigma. Both deciphered. Yellow-throateds dropped markedly with in the southwest comer of the state, with species, very common through the early part MIMIDS: Mockingbirds escalated year the methodical removal of large roadside numerous sightings in other areas of the of the decade, "crashed" during the last few ly over the period to achieve record popula trees such as elms, once their favored nesting state. Hooded Warblers increased in num years. Even an anomaly showed up con tions by the end of the decade. With favored sites. The Warbling Vireo, on the other bers over the same period and became cerning one of these birds. In East Haddam, Multiflora Rose thickets always at hand, they hand, slowly increased in numbers so that by regular nesters in several areas. Yellow from 1972 to 1978 aJuncox White-throated became one of the commonest roadside birds the close of the decade it seemed that each breasted Chats, on the other hand, dropped Sparrow hybrid returned to the same feeder, of the state. No longer does one get the stop on a spring mornings birding was sure to in numbers from former peaks in the 60's. offering the viewers a rather bizarre pattern. feeling that "it should be in the south". produce the languid repeated notes of this They could only be found at the choice White-crowned Sparrows went from years of THRUSHES: Eastern Bluebirds con treetop singer. nesting areas in the state. Paradoxically, near abundance in the early 70's to a mere tinued to suffer from the loss of habitat and the WARBLERS: Warblers continued to winter records of this large warbler more sprinkling of individuals in the fall . Off and conflict with more aggressive species for hold the interest of the ranks of May morning than doubled over the previous decade. To on through the period, Clay-colored Spar nesting space. However, nesting box pro "treetop watchers". There were good years the end of the decade, the infrequently seen rows appeared in the spring, set up territories, grams instituted at the end of the 70's brings and bad years, but the 70's did not produce Orange-crowned Warbler put on a spurt and but always failed to find mates. To round out hope that the remaining population may take the big waves of warblers that were seen in sightings increased dramatically, so that in sparrow fluctuations, Fox Sparrows were far hold and bring this species back. In the the 60's . Still there were stories of" trees of December of 1979, eleven were seen in the more common in the early 70's than at the northwest comer ofthe state the first nest of warblers" and the enevitable cry, "Where New Haven area alone. close of the decade. the Swainson's Thrush was found, adding are they this year?" And always, the race of BLACKBIRDS: Our Baltimore Oriole RARITIES: Aside from the common this more northern nester to the breeding bird warbler arrival before the leaves, with the became the Northern Oriole and wintering species trends, the rarities kept the active list. leaves winning in most cases. But the ,, Bullock's Orioles still brought out the birders. birder hopping. These ran the gamut from OLD WORLD WARBLERS: The excitement of seeing the rare or elusive kept Each winter of the decade produced at least Magnificent Frigatebird to Frigate Petrel. story of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in the the birders coming and quite often the one representative ofthis western form of the American Avocets became more dependable state is one of supreme success. In the early rewards were significant. Even the birding Northern Oriole at someone's feeder. in the spring and fall migration, but are still a 1970's it was still regarded as an unusual areas for warblers ran "hot and cold". (,, Orchard Orioles slowly gained a foothold rarity. Some visited for extremely short per sighting in a day afield. By the mid-70's Places like Clark's Pond were good in the over the period and made inroads throughout iods-such as the Rufous-necked Stint and they literally poured in. In 197 5, a morning's early 70's but rather unrewarding in the later the state. By the end of the 70's they were the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper-others stayed for birding in the area produced over 100 years. East Rock Park remained fairly nesting in numerous locations in the southern many to see, such as the Purple Gallinule in sightings. They have now established them- consistent in producing warblers, but the hot half of the state. Yellow-headed Blackbirds Madison that went to roost in a Maple tree or

32 33 the Varied Thrushes that spent weeks at complaints a year. The U.S. Fish and Wild study was initiated in 1980, funded by the feeders. This thrush became an increasingly THE CANADA life Service, Wildlife Assistance Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and in frequent bird at winter feeders throughout the responded to 18 requests for removal of collaboration with the Massachusetts Co state as the 70's aged. Once birders were GOOSE IN goose flocks numbering more than ten birds operative Wildlife Research Unit and the aware ofthe field marks and knew they could in 197 5. The "round-up" in Connecticut states of Connecticut and New York. The occur, the reports started coming in. The CONNECTICUT, became an annual project involving about following article written by Kathryn A. Con "odd robin" now became a rarity. Following twelve State and Federal biologists for sev verse presents some of the preliminary results the same pattern was the Harris' Sparrow 1981 eral days each year during the molting period. of this study. We are hopeful that the results of that was reported on numerous occasions by Thomas R. Hoehn It is interesting to note that Canada Goose research will be continued in spite ofF ederal throughout the mid and latter part of the sport hunting success in Connecticut has not budget cuts, so that a better understanding of decade. Redpolls remained as irregular as Since winter waterfowl inventories began increased in proportion to the population our Canada Goose populations can be reached. ever but when the big flights did come in, so in Connecticut in 1952, Canada Goose growth. In comparing five-year averages A viable solution to the nuisance goose did a few Hoarys. The close of the decade numbers have steadily increased. During since 1969, Connecticut has had a 143% problem is becoming more essential since it brought an unprecedented trio of Western the 1950's, the average mid-winter count in increase in the harvest of geese and a 188% is no longer restricted to Fairfield County. Tanagers in December, 1979. The influx Connecticut was 138 birds, increasing to increase in the winter population. The Atlan Practical management solutions and public remains a mystery. The bird that holds the 358 in the 1960's and by the 1970's, 2,543 tic flyway region experienced a 31% increase understanding of our Canada Goose popula record for bringing out the birders must be the birds was the mean. This represents increases 1I in harvest and a 21% growth in the population. tions are necessary if we truly want them to be magnificent white phase Gyrfalcon that visi of 159% in the 60 ' s and 610% in the 70's. Regardless of the credibility of harvest sur an asset in our wildlife community. ted New Haven Harbor in February of The first two years of the 1980's have veys, it seems apparent that the surplus in the 1977. We will long remember the battalion already shown a24% increase. This picture goose population has not been offset by of birders with a "fusillade" of spotting is also reflected in the entire Atlantic Flyway hunters. Without changes in goose manage Thomas R. Hoehn is a member of our scopes pointed out toward the harbor waiting region where a 51% increase was noted in the ment, it is likely that the surplus will continue Advisory Board and a wildlife biologistfor the for it to appear. What a thrill when it did! In 1970's compared to the 1960's. The count to pose nuisance problems. Wildlife Unit of the Connecticut Department all, over 60 accidentals occurred throughout in 1981 reached 955,000 individuals! These In an effort to develop these changes in the of Environmental Protection. the state over the ten years. A look at the survey numbers do not represent a compre management of Canada geese populations, a recent updated checklist of New Haven hensive count but the coverage is consistent. shows most ofthem. A dramatic array, with With other surveys and observations sup 15 of the sightings representing first state porting the mid-winter survey data, the trend records! of increasing numbers is unquestioned. Ironically the decade ended with a puzzle: There is no formal Canada Goose breeding a Burrowing Owl at New Haven Harbor. survey in Connecticut but it also is apparent Here was the Florida subspecies of a bird that breeding geese have been increasing in that was certainly a first state record IF it proportion to the winter numbers. Each arrived here on its own power. But this year, additional geese are observed on ponds question will never be answered. Did it and lakes throughout the state. The more come by boat, truck or manage to wing its traditional goose breeding sites on rivers and way here on its own? A fitting end to a wildlife management areas reflect a small decade that itself seemed to end on a note of increase in recent years but do not account uncertainty. for the large population growth. Since most Through it all, and more important than of the expanding breeding population is on birds, was the lasting friendships made and lakes, reservoirs and private ponds with good times spent together. Good birders left adjacent lawns, it is apparent that they have the state but were replaced by good birders. adapted to man's landscaping practices. The A flow and ebb equalling the movements of geese appear to move into every location the birds themselves. How many friendships with the right combination of water, cover were made over a cup of coffee as one peered and mowed grass. The increase in this type out a kitchen window hoping for that rarity to of habitat since the 1950's, seems propor reappear at the feeder, or spent hours together tionate to the increased population. Con checking a thicket in hopes that the "goal" necticut land owners have inadvertantly done a would hop into view? This is the important superb job of managing Canada geese, that core of birding through the decades. The is, if you consider the increase an asset as 80's are sure to have their share of rarities as opposed to a liability. did the 70's, and new friendships are sure to As the geese increased, damage was im kindle and glow. With this in sight, it's on to posed on agricultural crops, and by 1975 the )!p I/ the 80's! state was receiving more than l 00 nuisance Sketch by Sandra PoH·er Ste1·ens \,~1"(t::\.s:--- --, - ',ff 34 35 the Varied Thrushes that spent weeks at complaints a year. The U.S. Fish and Wild study was initiated in 1980, funded by the feeders. This thrush became an increasingly THE CANADA life Service, Wildlife Assistance Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and in frequent bird at winter feeders throughout the responded to 18 requests for removal of collaboration with the Massachusetts Co state as the 70's aged. Once birders were GOOSE IN goose flocks numbering more than ten birds operative Wildlife Research Unit and the aware ofthe field marks and knew they could in 197 5. The "round-up" in Connecticut states of Connecticut and New York. The occur, the reports started coming in. The CONNECTICUT, became an annual project involving about following article written by Kathryn A. Con "odd robin" now became a rarity. Following twelve State and Federal biologists for sev verse presents some of the preliminary results the same pattern was the Harris' Sparrow 1981 eral days each year during the molting period. of this study. We are hopeful that the results of that was reported on numerous occasions by Thomas R. Hoehn It is interesting to note that Canada Goose research will be continued in spite ofF ederal throughout the mid and latter part of the sport hunting success in Connecticut has not budget cuts, so that a better understanding of decade. Redpolls remained as irregular as Since winter waterfowl inventories began increased in proportion to the population our Canada Goose populations can be reached. ever but when the big flights did come in, so in Connecticut in 1952, Canada Goose growth. In comparing five-year averages A viable solution to the nuisance goose did a few Hoarys. The close of the decade numbers have steadily increased. During since 1969, Connecticut has had a 143% problem is becoming more essential since it brought an unprecedented trio of Western the 1950's, the average mid-winter count in increase in the harvest of geese and a 188% is no longer restricted to Fairfield County. Tanagers in December, 1979. The influx Connecticut was 138 birds, increasing to increase in the winter population. The Atlan Practical management solutions and public remains a mystery. The bird that holds the 358 in the 1960's and by the 1970's, 2,543 tic flyway region experienced a 31% increase understanding of our Canada Goose popula record for bringing out the birders must be the birds was the mean. This represents increases 1I in harvest and a 21% growth in the population. tions are necessary if we truly want them to be magnificent white phase Gyrfalcon that visi of 159% in the 60 ' s and 610% in the 70's. Regardless of the credibility of harvest sur an asset in our wildlife community. ted New Haven Harbor in February of The first two years of the 1980's have veys, it seems apparent that the surplus in the 1977. We will long remember the battalion already shown a24% increase. This picture goose population has not been offset by of birders with a "fusillade" of spotting is also reflected in the entire Atlantic Flyway hunters. Without changes in goose manage Thomas R. Hoehn is a member of our scopes pointed out toward the harbor waiting region where a 51% increase was noted in the ment, it is likely that the surplus will continue Advisory Board and a wildlife biologistfor the for it to appear. What a thrill when it did! In 1970's compared to the 1960's. The count to pose nuisance problems. Wildlife Unit of the Connecticut Department all, over 60 accidentals occurred throughout in 1981 reached 955,000 individuals! These In an effort to develop these changes in the of Environmental Protection. the state over the ten years. A look at the survey numbers do not represent a compre management of Canada geese populations, a recent updated checklist of New Haven hensive count but the coverage is consistent. shows most ofthem. A dramatic array, with With other surveys and observations sup 15 of the sightings representing first state porting the mid-winter survey data, the trend records! of increasing numbers is unquestioned. Ironically the decade ended with a puzzle: There is no formal Canada Goose breeding a Burrowing Owl at New Haven Harbor. survey in Connecticut but it also is apparent Here was the Florida subspecies of a bird that breeding geese have been increasing in that was certainly a first state record IF it proportion to the winter numbers. Each arrived here on its own power. But this year, additional geese are observed on ponds question will never be answered. Did it and lakes throughout the state. The more come by boat, truck or manage to wing its traditional goose breeding sites on rivers and way here on its own? A fitting end to a wildlife management areas reflect a small decade that itself seemed to end on a note of increase in recent years but do not account uncertainty. for the large population growth. Since most Through it all, and more important than of the expanding breeding population is on birds, was the lasting friendships made and lakes, reservoirs and private ponds with good times spent together. Good birders left adjacent lawns, it is apparent that they have the state but were replaced by good birders. adapted to man's landscaping practices. The A flow and ebb equalling the movements of geese appear to move into every location the birds themselves. How many friendships with the right combination of water, cover were made over a cup of coffee as one peered and mowed grass. The increase in this type out a kitchen window hoping for that rarity to of habitat since the 1950's, seems propor reappear at the feeder, or spent hours together tionate to the increased population. Con checking a thicket in hopes that the "goal" necticut land owners have inadvertantly done a would hop into view? This is the important superb job of managing Canada geese, that core of birding through the decades. The is, if you consider the increase an asset as 80's are sure to have their share of rarities as opposed to a liability. did the 70's, and new friendships are sure to As the geese increased, damage was im kindle and glow. With this in sight, it's on to posed on agricultural crops, and by 1975 the )!p I/ the 80's! state was receiving more than l 00 nuisance Sketch by Sandra PoH·er Ste1·ens \,~1"(t::\.s:--- --, - ',ff 34 35 food availability in their southern range, bodies of water. The geese were herded into July 1980 at three to four week intervals. A CANADA GOOSE increasing development and the establish the water by personnel along the shore and Movement patterns were determined through ment of breeding flocks on state and private then into the nets using canoes. Once cap out the winter with particular attention paid to PROJECT IN lands. It is noteworthy, however, that a tured, they were banded and equipped with where the birds relocate. During the months of large majority of these resident flocks are neck collars. In Connecticut, 213 adults July to November 1980, the collared geese CONNECTICUT located in areas where no hunting regulations and large irnmatures were banded with stan were found on or near their trap sites or on nearby golf courses and small ponds in Ridge by Kathryn A. Converse are in effect due to the housing density and dard aluminum leg bands. Of these 213 lack of adequate safety zones. birds, 166 were fitted with numbered plastic field, Redding, Trumbull, Easton, inland Restoration efforts were carried out by neck collars supplied by the U.S. Fish & Bridgeport and Stratford. Sightings provided It wasn't so long ago that the wild cries of some individuals as recently as 1970. Tom Wildlife Service. The following table indi for the month of January 1981 indicated their Canada geese overhead were enough to draw Marshall, a long time local resident, returned cates the totals of geese banded and collared travels ranged to inland Darien and shore most people out of their homes to look sky to Connecticut with 10 pair of Canada geese at each trap site. locations in Norwalk, Southport, Westport, ward. It was a rare sound heard only in the that were captured in eclipse plumage at the Collared birds have been monitored since Fairfield, Milford and Mamaroneck, NY. spring and fall when migrating flocks ofthese Remington Farm in Chestertown, MD. Nine magnificent birds marked the change of the pair were distributed in suitable habitat seasons. But today the sound is less delight around the state and one pair in Maine. With TABLE I TOTAL GEESE BANDED AND COLLARED BY TRAP SITE, ful to growing numbers of people as goose the help of the Curator ofBirdcraft Museum, JUNE 1980, IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY populations have become permanent resi Frank Novak, and the late MilanJ. Bull, one dents of the Northeast and caused numerous pair was placed in the pond at Birdcraft TRAP LOCATION NO. BANDED NO COLLARED problems. Museum. The female and her mate were Non-migratory flocks of Canada geese are fitted with a Connecticut Waterfowlers Trap Falls Reservoir 44 35 now present from Cape Cod to Virginia. Association leg band. This spring the female Hemlock Reservoir 5 I According to the Atlantic Flyway Council, returned to the Birdcraft pond, as she has for Aspetuck Reservoir 78 52 these geese have provoked nuisance com the past ten years, to breed and raise her plaints from local communities in every one young. She has had several mates during this Saugatuck Reservoir 6 6 of the states involved, except Delaware. decade. Private Pond ( Easton) 80 72 Delaware has had problems in the past but As these flocks of resident geese grew, so they are presently under control. These resi did the complaints. Capture and transplant TOTALS 213 166 dent populations cause numerous sanitation ing operations from this region to other states problems in local communities. Examples were attempted but the cost of these relocation are accumulations offeathers and droppings, programs are becoming prohibitively expensive. odor, noise, landscape and crop destruction, In an effort to develop effective control methods, a study was initiated in 1980. Rep the decoying-in of additional geese, and newtown • overfertilization of ponds, thus causing algal resentative resident populations were chosen growth and concerns about health problems, for study in Fairfield County, CT, and Westchester County, NY. Four sites were especially in swimming and other recrea Monroe • tional areas. chosen in Connecticut; Trap Falls Reservoir • Redding The numbers of geese have multiplied in Shelton, Saugatuck Reservoir in Redding steadily since the 1950 ' s, according to the Weston, Aspetuck Reservoir and Hemlock I \.0 Ridg;field midwinter surveys conducted not only in Reservoir in Easton-Fairfield. The objec '®\.Easton Connecticut but all along the Atlantic Flyway. tives of this study are to determine the N NEW YORK With the changing of the landscape in many population dynamics of the nuisance flocks , .west o~n Stratf or d • areas by creating parks, private ponds and collect data on the daily and seasonal move Wilton. large areas of grassy lawns, additional geese ment patterns, and to assess the effectiveness f were probably attracted and have become of alternative control measures by evaluating Westport • :fui r fi eld Ol23'45C.,8 resident breeding birds. Their tolerance of band recoveries since 1965 of all geese I I I I I I I I I humans has not deterred their breeding suc relocated from Connecticut and New York. .M.u.i.S cess nor has it caused them to take up In addition, a handbook of all current and traditional migrations when cold weather potential control methods will be developed. arrives. In order to identify these resident popula There are many hypotheses as to how tions, the geese were captured with drive net -Saugatu clt: Reservoi r -Asp etu ck Res ervoir these birds became permanent residents. traps during the post-breeding molt. Corral (q} -IIeml ock Reservoir ® -Tr ap Falls Rese rvoi r Some of the possiblities mentioned are warm traps, with net wings extending to the shore, Mall of Lo wer Fai r f i eld Count y Showing Tra p Sit eo ing weather trends, year- round feeding, in were positioned at access points used by the And Loea tio n s of Sit;htings . creased numbers of geese in the flyway, less geese for feeding or traveling to neighboring

36 37 food availability in their southern range, bodies of water. The geese were herded into July 1980 at three to four week intervals. A CANADA GOOSE increasing development and the establish the water by personnel along the shore and Movement patterns were determined through ment of breeding flocks on state and private then into the nets using canoes. Once cap out the winter with particular attention paid to PROJECT IN lands. It is noteworthy, however, that a tured, they were banded and equipped with where the birds relocate. During the months of large majority of these resident flocks are neck collars. In Connecticut, 213 adults July to November 1980, the collared geese CONNECTICUT located in areas where no hunting regulations and large irnmatures were banded with stan were found on or near their trap sites or on nearby golf courses and small ponds in Ridge by Kathryn A. Converse are in effect due to the housing density and dard aluminum leg bands. Of these 213 lack of adequate safety zones. birds, 166 were fitted with numbered plastic field, Redding, Trumbull, Easton, inland Restoration efforts were carried out by neck collars supplied by the U.S. Fish & Bridgeport and Stratford. Sightings provided It wasn't so long ago that the wild cries of some individuals as recently as 1970. Tom Wildlife Service. The following table indi for the month of January 1981 indicated their Canada geese overhead were enough to draw Marshall, a long time local resident, returned cates the totals of geese banded and collared travels ranged to inland Darien and shore most people out of their homes to look sky to Connecticut with 10 pair of Canada geese at each trap site. locations in Norwalk, Southport, Westport, ward. It was a rare sound heard only in the that were captured in eclipse plumage at the Collared birds have been monitored since Fairfield, Milford and Mamaroneck, NY. spring and fall when migrating flocks ofthese Remington Farm in Chestertown, MD. Nine magnificent birds marked the change of the pair were distributed in suitable habitat seasons. But today the sound is less delight around the state and one pair in Maine. With TABLE I TOTAL GEESE BANDED AND COLLARED BY TRAP SITE, ful to growing numbers of people as goose the help of the Curator ofBirdcraft Museum, JUNE 1980, IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY populations have become permanent resi Frank Novak, and the late MilanJ. Bull, one dents of the Northeast and caused numerous pair was placed in the pond at Birdcraft TRAP LOCATION NO. BANDED NO COLLARED problems. Museum. The female and her mate were Non-migratory flocks of Canada geese are fitted with a Connecticut Waterfowlers Trap Falls Reservoir 44 35 now present from Cape Cod to Virginia. Association leg band. This spring the female Hemlock Reservoir 5 I According to the Atlantic Flyway Council, returned to the Birdcraft pond, as she has for Aspetuck Reservoir 78 52 these geese have provoked nuisance com the past ten years, to breed and raise her plaints from local communities in every one young. She has had several mates during this Saugatuck Reservoir 6 6 of the states involved, except Delaware. decade. Private Pond ( Easton) 80 72 Delaware has had problems in the past but As these flocks of resident geese grew, so they are presently under control. These resi did the complaints. Capture and transplant TOTALS 213 166 dent populations cause numerous sanitation ing operations from this region to other states problems in local communities. Examples were attempted but the cost of these relocation are accumulations offeathers and droppings, programs are becoming prohibitively expensive. odor, noise, landscape and crop destruction, In an effort to develop effective control methods, a study was initiated in 1980. Rep the decoying-in of additional geese, and newtown • overfertilization of ponds, thus causing algal resentative resident populations were chosen growth and concerns about health problems, for study in Fairfield County, CT, and Westchester County, NY. Four sites were especially in swimming and other recrea Monroe • tional areas. chosen in Connecticut; Trap Falls Reservoir • Redding The numbers of geese have multiplied in Shelton, Saugatuck Reservoir in Redding steadily since the 1950 ' s, according to the Weston, Aspetuck Reservoir and Hemlock I \.0 Ridg;field midwinter surveys conducted not only in Reservoir in Easton-Fairfield. The objec '®\.Easton Connecticut but all along the Atlantic Flyway. tives of this study are to determine the N NEW YORK With the changing of the landscape in many population dynamics of the nuisance flocks , .west o~n Stratf or d • areas by creating parks, private ponds and collect data on the daily and seasonal move Wilton. large areas of grassy lawns, additional geese ment patterns, and to assess the effectiveness f were probably attracted and have become of alternative control measures by evaluating Westport • :fui r fi eld Ol23'45C.,8 resident breeding birds. Their tolerance of band recoveries since 1965 of all geese I I I I I I I I I humans has not deterred their breeding suc relocated from Connecticut and New York. .M.u.i.S cess nor has it caused them to take up In addition, a handbook of all current and traditional migrations when cold weather potential control methods will be developed. arrives. In order to identify these resident popula There are many hypotheses as to how tions, the geese were captured with drive net -Saugatu clt: Reservoi r -Asp etu ck Res ervoir these birds became permanent residents. traps during the post-breeding molt. Corral (q} -IIeml ock Reservoir ® -Tr ap Falls Rese rvoi r Some of the possiblities mentioned are warm traps, with net wings extending to the shore, Mall of Lo wer Fai r f i eld Count y Showing Tra p Sit eo ing weather trends, year- round feeding, in were positioned at access points used by the And Loea tio n s of Sit;htings . creased numbers of geese in the flyway, less geese for feeding or traveling to neighboring

36 37 From February to Aprill981, the sightings tive pattern of paired birds, recruitment of the observed, then divided by 100. reported indicated that the geese were mainly younger birds into breeding populations, and NOTES & NEWS No scale has yet been devised to determine found on reservoirs and small ponds, where the overall fecundity of nuisance geese. what credibility index is acceptable to become they were assumed to be selecting their event I wish to extend my thanks to those people a count compiler. He also encouraged more ual breeding sites. These were in the towns of who reported sightings of these collared geese. THE FIRST ANNUAL frequent use of the "unidentified species" Easton, Weston, Wilton, Redding, Westport, Their reports helped in the collection of data CONNECTICUT BIRD classification, better documentation of rare Shelton, Newtown, Fairlield, Monroe and concerning the movements of these flocks and birds, and more practice in estimating large Stratford. the location of breeding pairs. As the project CONFERENCE numbers of birds. by Dennis Varza Douglas Kibbe described bird atlasing as TABLE II COLLARED BIRO RECOVERIES a BY DISTANCE TRAVELED dividing the state into a grid system and listing the presence and the breeding status of all FROM TRAP SITES IN CONNECTICUT National Audubon Society's Northeast Regional Office, under the direction of Mar species observed within the quadrants. He DISTANCE IN KILOMETERS shall Case, sponsored this inaugural con reviewed how other states did their surveys ference, held May 2, I981, at Southern and offered suggestions in the event this state (MILES) Connecticut State College, New Haven. The wishes to procede with one. The first decision program consisted of eight talks, a showing to be made is to determine what type of map Km. 0/2.5 2.6/5 5.I/7.5 7 .6/IO IO.I/I2.5 I2.6 of natural history art by eleven Connecticut and size of grid block to use. The larger the Mi. (0/1.5) (1.6/3.I) (3.2/4.6) (4.7/6.2) (6.3/7.7) (7.8) artists, and two field trips. state and the fewer the number of participants, MONTH the larger the block would have to be. Kibbe Among the speakers were Dr. Noble suggests the use of the U.S. Geological July I980 II8 Proctor who spoke about the birds of Connect Survey maps instead of Dept. of Transporta August 82 22 I icut; Robert Arbib, editor of American Birds, tion maps because they contain more informa September 99 2 4 who suggested a new format for Christmas tion and are easier to acquire. October 85 I2 4 2 Counts; and Douglas Kibbe, Regional Editor November 87 3 for American Birds, who discussed bird atlasing. Once the size of the block is selected, one needs to determine the sampling method. January I98I I 3I 29 I 7 IO Dr. Proctor reviewed the history of bird Does one census every block, as done in February 3 I study in Connecticut and commented that this Massachusetts, or every fourth block as done March I5 5 state probably has more birds than any other in Vermont? Or perhaps a random sample similar-sized area in the country. He also should be chosen. The project then requires a a includes multiple sightings of individual birds. calculated the state list at 395 species, greater regional coordinator and compilers to put all than Massachusetts, and expected state birders the observations together. This may require to break 400 by I985. He concluded by paying someone to accept the responsibility. giving warm encouragement to all birders to Funding will be needed to publish the data. As can be seen from Table II, the large expands, I would appreciate receiving con make Connecticut one of the best-known Kibbe stressed that several states have com majority of the collared geese stayed within 7.5 tinued reports of movements. Sightings may , birding areas in the country. pleted or nearly completed an atlasing project kilometers ( 4.6 miles) of their trapping sites. be directed to me at the University of Massa but have yet to publish it. The value of a This was consistent throughout the study per chusetts, Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, The heart of Mr. Arbib' s talk reiterated the project of this scope is that it helps map the iod, from July I980 to March I981. As fresh 204 Holdsworth Hall, Amherst, MAOI003, problems in the accuracy of Christmas Counts breeding distribution of the state's birds and water froze and snow covered the grazing or to this publication or your local bird club. and reflected on ideas for an "ideal" Christ identifies unique habitats that may need pro areas, the geese appeared to separate into Reports should include the number of young mas Count. The problem of accuracy in tection. The information as a whole would smaller groups and traveled greater distances, geese with the collared bird, if possible. cludes participants going beyond the prescribed become a data base for conservation organiza but none were reported any further than I2.6 count circle, overlaping counts, not updating tions to use in regional planning guides. kilometers (7 .8 miles) from the trap sites. changing habitat coverage, and underestima Their movements fluctuated between fresh and Kathryn A. Converse is presently a doctoral tion of party hours and party miles. The ideal Jean Case, Conference Director, has salt water locations as the temperatures candidate at the University of Massachusetts, count would have a compiler committee instead scheduled a Second Annual Bird Conference Department ofF ores try and Wildlife Manage changed and the snow cover melted. The ment and a research assistant fUnded by the of an individual to be responsible for circle for the weekend of May I , I982. Workshops greatest distances traveled were in January U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Acknowledge verification, habitat coverage, party hours and will be expanded, as will field trips. Consid during the long cold periods, and in March ment of the data contained in this article is party composition. Each count area would ering that this weekend is one of the prime when the breeding season commenced. granted to Federal Project 83910-0125 (from require fifty observers in twelve parties. Com birding weekends of the spring migration, it During the summer of 1981 , additional NWHD) . pilers and party leaders would satisfy mini may improve attendance if it were held in mid resident geese will be trapped, collared, and mum standards of credibility. Arbib suggested April. The conference could serve as a cata monitored for the next two years. In addition a possible reliability index: the number of lyst for sparking enthusiasm among the state's to their daily and seasonal movements, we hours of birding in one year times five, birders and would allow the local bird clubs to hope to gain information about the reproduc- multiplied by the percentage of the state list publicize their upcoming field trips.

~R 39 From February to Aprill981, the sightings tive pattern of paired birds, recruitment of the observed, then divided by 100. reported indicated that the geese were mainly younger birds into breeding populations, and NOTES & NEWS No scale has yet been devised to determine found on reservoirs and small ponds, where the overall fecundity of nuisance geese. what credibility index is acceptable to become they were assumed to be selecting their event I wish to extend my thanks to those people a count compiler. He also encouraged more ual breeding sites. These were in the towns of who reported sightings of these collared geese. THE FIRST ANNUAL frequent use of the "unidentified species" Easton, Weston, Wilton, Redding, Westport, Their reports helped in the collection of data CONNECTICUT BIRD classification, better documentation of rare Shelton, Newtown, Fairlield, Monroe and concerning the movements of these flocks and birds, and more practice in estimating large Stratford. the location of breeding pairs. As the project CONFERENCE numbers of birds. by Dennis Varza Douglas Kibbe described bird atlasing as TABLE II COLLARED BIRO RECOVERIES a BY DISTANCE TRAVELED dividing the state into a grid system and listing the presence and the breeding status of all FROM TRAP SITES IN CONNECTICUT National Audubon Society's Northeast Regional Office, under the direction of Mar species observed within the quadrants. He DISTANCE IN KILOMETERS shall Case, sponsored this inaugural con reviewed how other states did their surveys ference, held May 2, I981, at Southern and offered suggestions in the event this state (MILES) Connecticut State College, New Haven. The wishes to procede with one. The first decision program consisted of eight talks, a showing to be made is to determine what type of map Km. 0/2.5 2.6/5 5.I/7.5 7 .6/IO IO.I/I2.5 I2.6 of natural history art by eleven Connecticut and size of grid block to use. The larger the Mi. (0/1.5) (1.6/3.I) (3.2/4.6) (4.7/6.2) (6.3/7.7) (7.8) artists, and two field trips. state and the fewer the number of participants, MONTH the larger the block would have to be. Kibbe Among the speakers were Dr. Noble suggests the use of the U.S. Geological July I980 II8 Proctor who spoke about the birds of Connect Survey maps instead of Dept. of Transporta August 82 22 I icut; Robert Arbib, editor of American Birds, tion maps because they contain more informa September 99 2 4 who suggested a new format for Christmas tion and are easier to acquire. October 85 I2 4 2 Counts; and Douglas Kibbe, Regional Editor November 87 3 for American Birds, who discussed bird atlasing. Once the size of the block is selected, one needs to determine the sampling method. January I98I I 3I 29 I 7 IO Dr. Proctor reviewed the history of bird Does one census every block, as done in February 3 I study in Connecticut and commented that this Massachusetts, or every fourth block as done March I5 5 state probably has more birds than any other in Vermont? Or perhaps a random sample similar-sized area in the country. He also should be chosen. The project then requires a a includes multiple sightings of individual birds. calculated the state list at 395 species, greater regional coordinator and compilers to put all than Massachusetts, and expected state birders the observations together. This may require to break 400 by I985. He concluded by paying someone to accept the responsibility. giving warm encouragement to all birders to Funding will be needed to publish the data. As can be seen from Table II, the large expands, I would appreciate receiving con make Connecticut one of the best-known Kibbe stressed that several states have com majority of the collared geese stayed within 7.5 tinued reports of movements. Sightings may , birding areas in the country. pleted or nearly completed an atlasing project kilometers ( 4.6 miles) of their trapping sites. be directed to me at the University of Massa but have yet to publish it. The value of a This was consistent throughout the study per chusetts, Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, The heart of Mr. Arbib' s talk reiterated the project of this scope is that it helps map the iod, from July I980 to March I981. As fresh 204 Holdsworth Hall, Amherst, MAOI003, problems in the accuracy of Christmas Counts breeding distribution of the state's birds and water froze and snow covered the grazing or to this publication or your local bird club. and reflected on ideas for an "ideal" Christ identifies unique habitats that may need pro areas, the geese appeared to separate into Reports should include the number of young mas Count. The problem of accuracy in tection. The information as a whole would smaller groups and traveled greater distances, geese with the collared bird, if possible. cludes participants going beyond the prescribed become a data base for conservation organiza but none were reported any further than I2.6 count circle, overlaping counts, not updating tions to use in regional planning guides. kilometers (7 .8 miles) from the trap sites. changing habitat coverage, and underestima Their movements fluctuated between fresh and Kathryn A. Converse is presently a doctoral tion of party hours and party miles. The ideal Jean Case, Conference Director, has salt water locations as the temperatures candidate at the University of Massachusetts, count would have a compiler committee instead scheduled a Second Annual Bird Conference Department ofF ores try and Wildlife Manage changed and the snow cover melted. The ment and a research assistant fUnded by the of an individual to be responsible for circle for the weekend of May I , I982. Workshops greatest distances traveled were in January U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Acknowledge verification, habitat coverage, party hours and will be expanded, as will field trips. Consid during the long cold periods, and in March ment of the data contained in this article is party composition. Each count area would ering that this weekend is one of the prime when the breeding season commenced. granted to Federal Project 83910-0125 (from require fifty observers in twelve parties. Com birding weekends of the spring migration, it During the summer of 1981 , additional NWHD) . pilers and party leaders would satisfy mini may improve attendance if it were held in mid resident geese will be trapped, collared, and mum standards of credibility. Arbib suggested April. The conference could serve as a cata monitored for the next two years. In addition a possible reliability index: the number of lyst for sparking enthusiasm among the state's to their daily and seasonal movements, we hours of birding in one year times five, birders and would allow the local bird clubs to hope to gain information about the reproduc- multiplied by the percentage of the state list publicize their upcoming field trips.

~R 39 ANNUAL MEETING OF To accomplish this, several young of the observing the nest site, Taylor noticed one of senting competent coverage of that territory. Common Egret and the Snowy Egret were the parent birds was banded. It took several Any information concerning ornithological NEBBA marked with a yellow dye. We will appreciate days to get close enough to the bird to activity in the state will be useful in the by Robert C. Dewire reports of sightings of these birds after they record the band number. Sibley, who had preparation of the column, however the fol leave the island. Please report the date and a just finished reading the NABB article, no lowing four items should serve as the basis for The Northeastern Bird Banding Associa fairly detailed locality, the species observed, ticed the coinciding band numbers and called our reporting. tion held its 1981 Annual Meeting on May 2- number of marked birds, and what they were to report the encounter. 3 at the Manomet Bird Observatory in doing. If possible, add information about The Middletown area has in recent years 1) TRENDS: long-term movements of Manomet, Mass., with 130-plus people in other herons present. Send this information to become the Bam Owl nesting capital of the populations, shifts in numbers and attendance. Early arrivals on Friday watched Birdcraft Museum, 314 Unquowa Rd., Fair state. This species is the only member ofthe locations, comparative data from one the banding operations at the Observatory. field, CT 06430. family Tytonidae that nests in the United year to the next, cyclical changes, An evening slide program featured bird band States. It is a tireless night hunter of rodents, patterns of competition. It is obvious ing in Panama. LATE NOTE relying on its sensitive hearing to catch its that common and even annoyance spe Saturday there was an early morning birding prey. This fact was proven some years ago cies such as Starling and Mute Swan trip to a farm in nearby Marshfield where a The following two items crossed the at the Hathaway School of Conservation in must be watched, as well as threatened Scissor-tailed Flycatcher had been present editor's desk just prior to publication and Boston. A live rodent was turned loose in a and marginal ones. during the week. It was not found but enough were considered to be of interest to our room that was made totally lightproof. birds were seen to make for an enjoyable readers to be included in this issue. Handfuls of leaves were scattered on the 2) RARITIES: with some distinction trip. There was a display of an aerial net, the First, a sighting of a breeding plumaged, floor. Needless to say, the owl was success as to what rare sightings are anomalous, design of which was such that many left the female Red Phalarope was reported by Jim ful in capturing the rodent by sound alone. which suggests significant ornithologi conference seriously considering setting one Mockalis. The bird was observed by Jay This experiment was repeated several times cal developments. up. Workshops by the Manomet staff included Hand on the Connecticut River, north of with the same results and was further ex panded upon by taking a wad of paper tied to 3) PLACES: changes in the bird and molt patterns in White-throated Sparrows, Essex, CT. Hand was aboard a boat about6 birding environment and perhaps less studies of the Red Knot, and data-gathering or 7 miles north of the mouth of the river and a string that was dragged through the leaves. The owl unerringly homed in on the paper specific development in the environ techniques. noticed the bird on July 6, 19 81 . Mockalis mental situations in Connecticut. The afternoon paper session was held in a and Clay Taylor also observed the bird later wad which had no body heat or scent, again proving the sensitivity of its hearing system. church in Plymouth. Papers dealt with com on in the afternoon and also photographed 4) INFLUENCES: factors which puter use in bird population studies, using the it. Unfortunately, it was too late to include may have affected birding events--for '.,.; House Finch as subject, vocalization in birds, photographs in this issue. instance, weather, crop conditions, centering on song variations within a species This Holarctic species is rarely seen in CHANGING reduced or increased birding activity or in different locations, and a study of the Black land unless driven in by a storm. According reporting, ecodisasters, etc. capped Chickadee. The report from the band to Birds of the New York Area, (John Bull, SEASONS ing lab covered the same material reported at 1964), this species is considered rare during We hope to establish in the near future a We have established due dates for each the Eastern Bird Banding Association's the summer months, especially inland. season and these must be faithfully followed if meeting. Federal budget cuts have not yet During the fourth of July weekend, a storm, new column in our publication entitled "Changing Seasons". The task of compiling important information is to reach the various affected the Banding Office. producing heavy rain and easterly winds was regional reporters for inclusion into the The evening banquet featured a presentation centered over this area. It is quite possible and editing this section has been graciously accepted by Lee Schlesinger. In order to column. The DUE DATE for seasonal re on the herons of Clarke's Island. The island is that this storm may have driven the bird ports will be THREE WEEKS AFTER off Plymouth, Mass. and is a major heronry, inland, up the mouth of the river. establish some guidelines for potential region al reporters and contributors, the following THE END OF THE SEASON. including Glossy Ibis, Little Blue Heron and Our second item concerns a coincidental The seasons are further broken down into information is being outlined. It should serve Cattle Egret along with the Common and encounter with a Bam Owl. On June 29, the following categories to coincide with our as a basis for all involved and be followed as Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned Night 1980, your editor banded two nesting Bam established publication dates: Herons. Recordings of heron vocalizations Owls at the Housatonic Marina in Stratford, closely as possible when the program is put into effect. SPRING-March, April, May include territorial calls, food begging by young CT. The nest was located under a tarpaulin SUMMER-June, July, August and others. covering the cockpit of a boat that was In time, an organized and co-ordinated network for ornithological reporting in the FALL- September, October, The Association elected Dr. George Clark, located in a storage rack at the marina. The November Jr. of the University of Connecticut at Storrs to unusual nesting location prompted an article state must develop. Ideally, it should cover the entire state. Above all, it should be WINTER- December, January, succeed Dr. Robert Yunick as president. which appeared in the North American Bird February Bander, (Vol. 6, No. 1 :18) describing the consistently thorough within its boundaries, banding of these young owls. free of overlap among contributors, and reli It will be helpful to follow this outline in Shortly after the issue reached its sub able season to season. Each contributor presenting information and it is more impor YELLOW-DYED HERONS tant that you be clear, organized and consis scribers hands, Fred Sibley of the Peabody should be individually responsible for estab Museum called to report that one of the lishing a network of observers whose reports tent. Reports are to be forwarded to LEE PartofBirdcraftMuseum's 1981 research SCHLESINGER, 575 Orange Center Road, banded owls was observed at a nest site in the are co-ordinated, defining (and making clear on Chimon Island, Norwalk, included studies Orange, CT 06477. to identify the heron colony's feeding grounds. Middletown area by Clay Taylor. While that defmition) the territory covered and pre- 41 40 ANNUAL MEETING OF To accomplish this, several young of the observing the nest site, Taylor noticed one of senting competent coverage of that territory. Common Egret and the Snowy Egret were the parent birds was banded. It took several Any information concerning ornithological NEBBA marked with a yellow dye. We will appreciate days to get close enough to the bird to activity in the state will be useful in the by Robert C. Dewire reports of sightings of these birds after they record the band number. Sibley, who had preparation of the column, however the fol leave the island. Please report the date and a just finished reading the NABB article, no lowing four items should serve as the basis for The Northeastern Bird Banding Associa fairly detailed locality, the species observed, ticed the coinciding band numbers and called our reporting. tion held its 1981 Annual Meeting on May 2- number of marked birds, and what they were to report the encounter. 3 at the Manomet Bird Observatory in doing. If possible, add information about The Middletown area has in recent years 1) TRENDS: long-term movements of Manomet, Mass., with 130-plus people in other herons present. Send this information to become the Bam Owl nesting capital of the populations, shifts in numbers and attendance. Early arrivals on Friday watched Birdcraft Museum, 314 Unquowa Rd., Fair state. This species is the only member ofthe locations, comparative data from one the banding operations at the Observatory. field, CT 06430. family Tytonidae that nests in the United year to the next, cyclical changes, An evening slide program featured bird band States. It is a tireless night hunter of rodents, patterns of competition. It is obvious ing in Panama. LATE NOTE relying on its sensitive hearing to catch its that common and even annoyance spe Saturday there was an early morning birding prey. This fact was proven some years ago cies such as Starling and Mute Swan trip to a farm in nearby Marshfield where a The following two items crossed the at the Hathaway School of Conservation in must be watched, as well as threatened Scissor-tailed Flycatcher had been present editor's desk just prior to publication and Boston. A live rodent was turned loose in a and marginal ones. during the week. It was not found but enough were considered to be of interest to our room that was made totally lightproof. birds were seen to make for an enjoyable readers to be included in this issue. Handfuls of leaves were scattered on the 2) RARITIES: with some distinction trip. There was a display of an aerial net, the First, a sighting of a breeding plumaged, floor. Needless to say, the owl was success as to what rare sightings are anomalous, design of which was such that many left the female Red Phalarope was reported by Jim ful in capturing the rodent by sound alone. which suggests significant ornithologi conference seriously considering setting one Mockalis. The bird was observed by Jay This experiment was repeated several times cal developments. up. Workshops by the Manomet staff included Hand on the Connecticut River, north of with the same results and was further ex panded upon by taking a wad of paper tied to 3) PLACES: changes in the bird and molt patterns in White-throated Sparrows, Essex, CT. Hand was aboard a boat about6 birding environment and perhaps less studies of the Red Knot, and data-gathering or 7 miles north of the mouth of the river and a string that was dragged through the leaves. The owl unerringly homed in on the paper specific development in the environ techniques. noticed the bird on July 6, 19 81 . Mockalis mental situations in Connecticut. The afternoon paper session was held in a and Clay Taylor also observed the bird later wad which had no body heat or scent, again proving the sensitivity of its hearing system. church in Plymouth. Papers dealt with com on in the afternoon and also photographed 4) INFLUENCES: factors which puter use in bird population studies, using the it. Unfortunately, it was too late to include may have affected birding events--for '.,.; House Finch as subject, vocalization in birds, photographs in this issue. instance, weather, crop conditions, centering on song variations within a species This Holarctic species is rarely seen in CHANGING reduced or increased birding activity or in different locations, and a study of the Black land unless driven in by a storm. According reporting, ecodisasters, etc. capped Chickadee. The report from the band to Birds of the New York Area, (John Bull, SEASONS ing lab covered the same material reported at 1964), this species is considered rare during We hope to establish in the near future a We have established due dates for each the Eastern Bird Banding Association's the summer months, especially inland. season and these must be faithfully followed if meeting. Federal budget cuts have not yet During the fourth of July weekend, a storm, new column in our publication entitled "Changing Seasons". The task of compiling important information is to reach the various affected the Banding Office. producing heavy rain and easterly winds was regional reporters for inclusion into the The evening banquet featured a presentation centered over this area. It is quite possible and editing this section has been graciously accepted by Lee Schlesinger. In order to column. The DUE DATE for seasonal re on the herons of Clarke's Island. The island is that this storm may have driven the bird ports will be THREE WEEKS AFTER off Plymouth, Mass. and is a major heronry, inland, up the mouth of the river. establish some guidelines for potential region al reporters and contributors, the following THE END OF THE SEASON. including Glossy Ibis, Little Blue Heron and Our second item concerns a coincidental The seasons are further broken down into information is being outlined. It should serve Cattle Egret along with the Common and encounter with a Bam Owl. On June 29, the following categories to coincide with our as a basis for all involved and be followed as Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned Night 1980, your editor banded two nesting Bam established publication dates: Herons. Recordings of heron vocalizations Owls at the Housatonic Marina in Stratford, closely as possible when the program is put into effect. SPRING-March, April, May include territorial calls, food begging by young CT. The nest was located under a tarpaulin SUMMER-June, July, August and others. covering the cockpit of a boat that was In time, an organized and co-ordinated network for ornithological reporting in the FALL- September, October, The Association elected Dr. George Clark, located in a storage rack at the marina. The November Jr. of the University of Connecticut at Storrs to unusual nesting location prompted an article state must develop. Ideally, it should cover the entire state. Above all, it should be WINTER- December, January, succeed Dr. Robert Yunick as president. which appeared in the North American Bird February Bander, (Vol. 6, No. 1 :18) describing the consistently thorough within its boundaries, banding of these young owls. free of overlap among contributors, and reli It will be helpful to follow this outline in Shortly after the issue reached its sub able season to season. Each contributor presenting information and it is more impor YELLOW-DYED HERONS tant that you be clear, organized and consis scribers hands, Fred Sibley of the Peabody should be individually responsible for estab Museum called to report that one of the lishing a network of observers whose reports tent. Reports are to be forwarded to LEE PartofBirdcraftMuseum's 1981 research SCHLESINGER, 575 Orange Center Road, banded owls was observed at a nest site in the are co-ordinated, defining (and making clear on Chimon Island, Norwalk, included studies Orange, CT 06477. to identify the heron colony's feeding grounds. Middletown area by Clay Taylor. While that defmition) the territory covered and pre- 41 40 SPRING BANDING Warblers, and hearing reports of many more A SHORT HISTORY AT BIRDCRAFT pasing, we presumed that the migration peaked out by the 16th of May. Not so! The conservation of birds and the Audubon Societies have a common history in the by Carl J. Trichka Starting somewhat late on the morning of May United States. Organizing first in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in 1895-6, and in 23 rd, our first net check told us it was going to Connecticut in 1898 , a growing group of State Audubon Societies organized a national Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary has long be a busy day. Warblers were again the committee in 1902 in order to speak with a common voice about bird protection needs. In been known for its spring warbler migrations predominant catch with Canada, Blackbur 1905 this committee was transformed and incorporated as the National Association of and since 1979 it has been the site of a nian, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's, Audubon Societies, with an office in New York City headed by T. Gilbert Pearson. For permanent bird-banding station. Ninety-five Parula, Chestnut-sided, Northern Water the background of that early period, see Pearson' s book, Adventures in Bird Protection species, including twenty-nine species of thrush and Magnolia Warbler accounting for (1937 ). warblers, have been banded there since then. most of the birds handled. Thirty-five indi Our figures for 1981 are slightly lower as to viduals were banded that day. Along with After the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty with Great Britain(Canada) in 1916 , individuals banded, but about the same in total these migrants, we began to recapture some of the crusading spirit abated and many of the State Audubon societies either went out of species. Our net hours were about the same our previously banded birds from the past two business or restricted their activities to smaller areas. With the advent of the environ as previous years even though we added more seasons, indicating that our breeding birds mental awareness revolution in the late 1960s and 1970s, however, several of these same nets, running as many as twenty on some were beginning to arrive. groups rose to the occasion and provided new leadership. days. Memorial Day weekend was upon us and I Starting about April 5th, the fore-runners decided to open the station on Monday. The Meanwhile, in 1940, the management of the National Association of Audubon began to appear, with Red-breasted Nut weather was warm and humid and I thought Societies severed ties with the State societies and created the separate National Audubon hatch, Brown Creeper, Chipping Sparrow and about other days like this when I wished I had Society, still based in New York City. After 1945, also, the National society began Ruby-crowned Kinglet being banded in small other things to do. However, the day was not organizing local chapters, providing joint membership privileges at the local and national numbers. Migration proceeded slowly and without its share of surprises. One of our level (but not at the State level) . This complex history makes for a somewhat confusing rainy weather cancelled out any banding banders arrived looking for one of her children, network of independent Audubon groups at several levels, but the several groups seek to efforts. We began to net warblers during the who had strayed away from the parade being complement each other's conservation message at local, State, and federal level. last week of April, with Black and White held just a block or so away. After reading Warbler and Blue-winged Warbler the most through the banding sheets, she decided to For more information about these programs, write to Connecticut Audubon Society, common. Our first big warbler wave arrived stay and help. Her missing child was re 2325 Burr Street, Fairfield, CT 06430; and National Audubon Society, 950 Third on Apri129 th, with thirty-two Yell ow-rumped covered and we began to process the birds I Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Warblers banded, along with Palm and Black had just retrieved from the nets. Twenty and White Warblers. In addition, Swamp eight birds were banded, including Black Sparrow, Northern Waterthrush, Tree throated Green, Black-throated Blue and Swallow, White-throated Sparrow, Hermit Blackburnian Warblers, along with two Thrush, Rufous-sided Towhee, Gray Cat Lincoln's Sparrows. These were only the bird, Robin, Blue Jay and Common Flicker third and fourth of this species we have produced a total of 57 birds of 14 species captured since 1979 . The last bird banded banded that day. Our first-ever Hooded that day was a beautifully plumaged Mourning Warbler was banded on May 1 , along with Warbler, our third ever. Worm-eating Warbler and Common Yellow The last weekend of May opened with throat. cloudy weather, threatening showers, and Only a few migrants appeared in our nets very few birds. The migration ended, but not between May 14 and22. American Redstart, before we banded a fourth Mourning Warbler! Canada, Prairie, Yellow and Wilson's We captured three foreign (not banded by r Warblers were banded in small numbers. us) birds this spring, a Brown Thrasher and Gray Catbirds were appearing steadily all two House Finches. throughout that period. The next large move We accumulated a total of 2460 net hours ment of migrants appeared on May 14th. this spring, processing 434 individuals. An Rainy weather occurred all week prior to that additional80 birds were trapped, bringing the The Connecticut Audubon Society invites your membership. day and unfortunately other commitments total to 514. This represents 17 .6 birds per 100 net hours. Despite the slight decline, the prevented any of our banders from running the Membership Categories station. We missed a major movement. Re legacy of the spring migration through Bird ports from birders in the area indicated a large craft Sanctuary remained intact for another variety of migrants that day. The weather year. Supporting ...... $50.00 Benefactor ...... $300.00 turned foul again and just a few birds trickled Sustaining ...... $25 .00 Donor ...... $200.00 through the station for the next week to ten Family ...... $18 .00 Contributing ...... $100.00 days. In fact, after banding Blackpoll Adult ...... $12.00 Organizational ...... $ 35.00 42 SPRING BANDING Warblers, and hearing reports of many more A SHORT HISTORY AT BIRDCRAFT pasing, we presumed that the migration peaked out by the 16th of May. Not so! The conservation of birds and the Audubon Societies have a common history in the by Carl J. Trichka Starting somewhat late on the morning of May United States. Organizing first in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in 1895-6, and in 23 rd, our first net check told us it was going to Connecticut in 1898 , a growing group of State Audubon Societies organized a national Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary has long be a busy day. Warblers were again the committee in 1902 in order to speak with a common voice about bird protection needs. In been known for its spring warbler migrations predominant catch with Canada, Blackbur 1905 this committee was transformed and incorporated as the National Association of and since 1979 it has been the site of a nian, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's, Audubon Societies, with an office in New York City headed by T. Gilbert Pearson. For permanent bird-banding station. Ninety-five Parula, Chestnut-sided, Northern Water the background of that early period, see Pearson' s book, Adventures in Bird Protection species, including twenty-nine species of thrush and Magnolia Warbler accounting for (1937 ). warblers, have been banded there since then. most of the birds handled. Thirty-five indi Our figures for 1981 are slightly lower as to viduals were banded that day. Along with After the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty with Great Britain(Canada) in 1916 , individuals banded, but about the same in total these migrants, we began to recapture some of the crusading spirit abated and many of the State Audubon societies either went out of species. Our net hours were about the same our previously banded birds from the past two business or restricted their activities to smaller areas. With the advent of the environ as previous years even though we added more seasons, indicating that our breeding birds mental awareness revolution in the late 1960s and 1970s, however, several of these same nets, running as many as twenty on some were beginning to arrive. groups rose to the occasion and provided new leadership. days. Memorial Day weekend was upon us and I Starting about April 5th, the fore-runners decided to open the station on Monday. The Meanwhile, in 1940, the management of the National Association of Audubon began to appear, with Red-breasted Nut weather was warm and humid and I thought Societies severed ties with the State societies and created the separate National Audubon hatch, Brown Creeper, Chipping Sparrow and about other days like this when I wished I had Society, still based in New York City. After 1945, also, the National society began Ruby-crowned Kinglet being banded in small other things to do. However, the day was not organizing local chapters, providing joint membership privileges at the local and national numbers. Migration proceeded slowly and without its share of surprises. One of our level (but not at the State level) . This complex history makes for a somewhat confusing rainy weather cancelled out any banding banders arrived looking for one of her children, network of independent Audubon groups at several levels, but the several groups seek to efforts. We began to net warblers during the who had strayed away from the parade being complement each other's conservation message at local, State, and federal level. last week of April, with Black and White held just a block or so away. After reading Warbler and Blue-winged Warbler the most through the banding sheets, she decided to For more information about these programs, write to Connecticut Audubon Society, common. Our first big warbler wave arrived stay and help. Her missing child was re 2325 Burr Street, Fairfield, CT 06430; and National Audubon Society, 950 Third on Apri129 th, with thirty-two Yell ow-rumped covered and we began to process the birds I Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Warblers banded, along with Palm and Black had just retrieved from the nets. Twenty and White Warblers. In addition, Swamp eight birds were banded, including Black Sparrow, Northern Waterthrush, Tree throated Green, Black-throated Blue and Swallow, White-throated Sparrow, Hermit Blackburnian Warblers, along with two Thrush, Rufous-sided Towhee, Gray Cat Lincoln's Sparrows. These were only the bird, Robin, Blue Jay and Common Flicker third and fourth of this species we have produced a total of 57 birds of 14 species captured since 1979 . The last bird banded banded that day. Our first-ever Hooded that day was a beautifully plumaged Mourning Warbler was banded on May 1 , along with Warbler, our third ever. Worm-eating Warbler and Common Yellow The last weekend of May opened with throat. cloudy weather, threatening showers, and Only a few migrants appeared in our nets very few birds. The migration ended, but not between May 14 and22. American Redstart, before we banded a fourth Mourning Warbler! Canada, Prairie, Yellow and Wilson's We captured three foreign (not banded by r Warblers were banded in small numbers. us) birds this spring, a Brown Thrasher and Gray Catbirds were appearing steadily all two House Finches. throughout that period. The next large move We accumulated a total of 2460 net hours ment of migrants appeared on May 14th. this spring, processing 434 individuals. An Rainy weather occurred all week prior to that additional80 birds were trapped, bringing the The Connecticut Audubon Society invites your membership. day and unfortunately other commitments total to 514. This represents 17 .6 birds per 100 net hours. Despite the slight decline, the prevented any of our banders from running the Membership Categories station. We missed a major movement. Re legacy of the spring migration through Bird ports from birders in the area indicated a large craft Sanctuary remained intact for another variety of migrants that day. The weather year. Supporting ...... $50.00 Benefactor ...... $300.00 turned foul again and just a few birds trickled Sustaining ...... $25 .00 Donor ...... $200.00 through the station for the next week to ten Family ...... $18 .00 Contributing ...... $100.00 days. In fact, after banding Blackpoll Adult ...... $12.00 Organizational ...... $ 35.00 42 TABLE OF CONTENTS r-----THE CONNECTIClJT EDITORIAL 27 Carl J. Trichka WARBLER A REVIEW OF THE 1970'S 28 Dr. NobleS. Proctor Devoted to the promotion of bird study.

THE CANADA GOOSE PROJECT IN CONNECTICUT, 1981 34 Thomas R. Hoehn

CANADA GOOSE PROJECT IN CONNECTICUT 36 Kathryn A. Converse

NOTES AND NEWS 39

CHANGING SEASONS COLUMN 41

ORNITHOLOGICAL THESES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT 47 \' WARBLER Dr. George A. Clark, Jr. Devoted to the promotion of bird study. LINSLEY, SCHOLAR, PREACHER, ORNITHOLOGIST 49 Carl J. Trichka

CONNECTICUT'S FIRST CHECKLIST IN 69 YEARS 50 Dennis Varza

A NEW NESTING SPECIES FOR CONNECTICUT 52 Robert C. Dewire tt A CHOICE BREEDING BIRD AREA 53 Christopher S. Wood

BIRDING IN SOUTH WINDSOR 54 Paul Desjardins

CONNECTICUT BIRDS IN COLLECTIONS 54 Dr. George A. Clark, Jr.

NOTES AND NEWS 56

The Connecticut Warbler is a quarterly publication devoted to the advancement of the study of birds and their conservation in the state of Connecticut. It is published by the Natural History Services Department of the Connecticut Audubon Society. Address all correspondence to 314 Unquowa Road, Volume I Number 4 October, 1981 Pages 43- 58 Fairfield, CT. 06430. The Connecticut Warbler is published in January, April, July and October. Subscription is $6 .00 per year, based on the calendar year. Individual issues may be purchased for $1 .50 each, when available. All Rights Reserved.

The editors invite the submission of articles, notes, black and white photo graphs and line drawings for use in The Connecticut Warbler. Manuscripts should be typewritten, double-spaced and on one side of the sheet only, with .. ample margins. The editors must reserve judgement as to how much of this material to use and return postage should be provided if materials are to be EDITORIAL returned. The Connecticut Warbler subscription list passed 200 in September. Thank you for your support, but please help us spread the good word so as to double readership and economize on printing costs. Why not give a gift subscription to that friend or relative who is interested in birds but not already a subscriber? To encourage this we offer a BONUS: gift subscriptions received during December will not only bring the 1982 issues but all four 1981 issues also. We have also established a cutoff date for new subscriptions received in 1981. Any THE CONNECTICUT WARBLER subscription received after December 1st will automatically become a 1982 subscription and receive 1982 issues. Back issues will have to be purchased separately for 1981. Since all 1981 subscriptions, no matter when entered, brought a full volume, we REMIND YOU that subscriptions are for the calendar year. Please, therefore, renew your Editorial Staff: subscription for 1982 by sending a renewal check as soon as possible after January Milan G. Bull 1st. Everyone will then be up to date and our billing task will be lightened. Postage is now Roland C. Clement one of our heavy expenses. You can help minimize this drain and stabilize our subscription Carl J. Trichka rate at its present $6 by complying with these two suggestions. One ofour 1982 prioritieswillbeareprintingofissue No.1 forthefewofyouwhodid Editorial Advisory Board: not receive a copy in 1981. It's coming, so please be patient. The January, 1982 issue will carry a new "Letters to the Editor" column, so let us hear Dr. George A. Clark, Jr. - Storrs f.rom you. What have you liked, or not liked, about Connecticut Warbler? What else Paul Desjardins- Windsor Locks would you like to see reported? Our ground rules are simple: if published, your letter will Robert C. Dewire- Mystic bear your initials and city unless you request that we withhold these. But we cannot Frank J. Gardner- Hartford consider anonymous letters in our mail box. James Hammer- Danbury ' . Also, new issues will carry guest editorials furnished by members of our Advisory Board. Thomas R. Hoehn- State D.E.P. We plan to reprint Linsley's 1843 paper on Connecticut birdlife, considered the first Gordon Utchfield Loery- documentation of our State's birds. Because of its length, it will be published in sections. Frank Mantlik- Norwalk

. ~ .. Meanwhile, this issue carries a brief biography of this extraordinary man. H. James Mockalis- Middletown The staff of Connecticut Warbler extends its holiday greetings to you, our valued Dr. Noble S. Proctor- New Haven readers: Happy Holidays! Lee A. Schlesinger- New Haven Fred C. Sibley- New Haven Carl J. Trichka Christopher Wood- Woodbury Editor Joseph D. Zeranski- Greenwich

43 The Connecticut Warbler is published in January, April, July and October. Subscription is $6 .00 per year, based on the calendar year. Individual issues may be purchased for $1 .50 each, when available. All Rights Reserved.

43 birds from April to August in 1978, 1979, for species that inhabit ephemeral habitats. Neighboring males sang alternately, (song BREEDING and 1980, and color-banded most of the Small rocky streams probably fall into this duels) frequently during the breeding season, breeding adults of both species. category since they are markedly affected by but more intense disputes occurred just before BIOLOGY OF During these three years, the order of annual rainfall. But it is difficult to say and while the females first arrived. Disputes arrival of males in spring was the same in five whether streams are more affected by climatic involved chases, vigorous chipping, singing, WATER of seven cases ( 3 of 3 for Louisiana, and 2 of factors than swamps. between chases, singing on the ground, flying 4 for Northern). In addition, eight of eleven Courtship in these waterthrushes was described at each other, and tumbling on the ground THRUSHES males reoccupied the same territory (2 of 4 by Eaton (1957, 1958) as consisting primarily briefly. A particularly long dispute on 7 by Dr. Robert J. Craig Louisianas, and 6 of 7 Northerns). For of chases. I saw such chases several times May 1979lastedonandofffromatleast 7:45 comparison, Nolan (1978) found that 62% and knew them to be male-female chases to 9:15a.m. More typical interactions lasted The life histories of the Louisiana Water of male Prairie Warblers (Dendroica dis because they involved banded birds I saw about ten minutes. thrush (Seiurus motacilla) and the Northern color) arrived in the same order, and 74% feeding together prior to the chase. On 17 For Louisiana Waterthrushes, territory Waterthrush (S. noveboracensis), members reoccupied former territories. A much larger April 1980, I also saw behavior described by size averaged 0.67 hectares, while for North of the Wood Warbler family (Parulidae), sample population would be necessary to Nolan for the Prairie Warbler. Termed a ems it was 0.48 ha. In Louisianas the length have been summarized by Bent (1953) and assess the ability of these birds to identify the solicitation posture, it involved a female of territories along brooks averaged 358 studied in detail by Eaton (1957, 1958). The quality of the habitat, as opposed to a Louisiana walking slowly in front ofthe male meters. My measurements of Northern Louisiana breeds along rocky streams in the preference based on familiarity with the site. who followed her. She tilted her head upward W aterthrush territory sizes were consistently eastern U. S., while the Northern nests For birds banded before 1980, the return past the vertical (about 130° from the hori smaller than Eaton's (1957). Eaton (1957, mostly in swamps in northeastern North rates at Boston Hollow were 20% (2 of 10) zontal) as she walked, and held her wings 19 58) pointed out that Louisiana territories America. Both species breed in Connecticut. for adult Louisianas and 61% ( 11 of 18) for partly open and vibrated them. This display were generally linear, while those of Northern I herewith summarize some new findings adult Northerns. This difference suggests was twice repeated and lasted about five were rectangular. However, the range in size on the breeding biology of these birds reported that the Louisiana suffers a higher adult seconds in each case. This posturing strongly I found, both in area and length, is much upon in my doctoral research while at the mortality rate, a conclusion also suggested resembles food-begging by young in the greater than reported by Eaton. Wiens and University of Connecticut in Storrs. The by its larger clutch size (see below); or this nest. However, the movements I describe Rotenberry (1980) found that territory size study site was a ravine known as Boston species may be more inclined to disperse here, particularly the head posturing, are with a species is highly variable. Hollow in the 3160-hectare Yale Forest in away from nesting areas. Nolan ( 1978) sug more exaggerated than those of the Prairie Initiation of nesting activities begins one northeastern Connecti~.:ut.I observed these gested that high dispersal rates are adaptive Warbler. to two weeks after the arrival of females . Ear I observed copulation only once in the liest observed dates of nest building were 30 Louisiana, and only twice in the Northern; on April 1979 for the Louisiana, and 8 May May 8, 1978 for the former, and on May 27, 1980 for the Northern. Much of the gathering 1978 and May 5, 1980 for the latter. In all of nesting materials by both species occurred three cases this occurred on the ground. Cop on drier hummocks or in uplands adjacent to ulation lasted two to three seconds, and for the wetland. about a minute thereafter the two birds Of seven Louisiana nests examined, one walked together, though about one meter was in an upturned root over water, five were apart. on the ground beneath logs or branches in Territorial Louisianas sang persistently upland immediately adjacent to the water until they attracted a mate; afterwards they (from as much as seven meters to less than ' . sang only a few times each day. After mating one meter away), and one was at the top of an a pair normally ranged together over a wide old rock well about three meters from water. area. In two instances banding revealed that Three of these ground nests were on steep before the arrival of other territorial males, banks and two were on level ground. Only the first pair used up to three times more of two of the nests were near a rocky, rushing the length of a stream than when all sites had stream, the other five being near pools or been contested and settled. quiet streams. The arrival of new birds caused neighboring Of nine Northern nests, eight were in pairs to engage in intense territorial disputes, upturned roots, and one was completely particularly early in the season when territorial covered on three sides, as well as covered boundaries were first being established. A above by a small stump. Seven of the eight typical encounter on 17 April 1980 lasted nests in roots were over water, and all the fifteen minutes and involved male chases, nests of both species were overhung by roots, Northern Waterthrush: Buffy eye stripe, throat Louisiana Waterthrush: Eye stripe pure white, typical songs, and the singing oflong twitter soil, or logs. I saw no tendency for nests to with brownish streaking beginning under the bill throat without streaking. Breast white with brown ing songs. be oriented with respect to sun or wind. and extending into the belly. Breast streaked and streaking. Photo by Dennis Varza Unlike Louisianas, male Northerns con Mean clutch size was 5.0 for the Louisiana, washed with yellow. Photo by Dennis Varza tinued to sing throughout the breeding season. and 4.8 for the Northern. These means are 44 45 birds from April to August in 1978, 1979, for species that inhabit ephemeral habitats. Neighboring males sang alternately, (song BREEDING and 1980, and color-banded most of the Small rocky streams probably fall into this duels) frequently during the breeding season, breeding adults of both species. category since they are markedly affected by but more intense disputes occurred just before BIOLOGY OF During these three years, the order of annual rainfall. But it is difficult to say and while the females first arrived. Disputes arrival of males in spring was the same in five whether streams are more affected by climatic involved chases, vigorous chipping, singing, WATER of seven cases ( 3 of 3 for Louisiana, and 2 of factors than swamps. between chases, singing on the ground, flying 4 for Northern). In addition, eight of eleven Courtship in these waterthrushes was described at each other, and tumbling on the ground THRUSHES males reoccupied the same territory (2 of 4 by Eaton (1957, 1958) as consisting primarily briefly. A particularly long dispute on 7 by Dr. Robert J. Craig Louisianas, and 6 of 7 Northerns). For of chases. I saw such chases several times May 1979lastedonandofffromatleast 7:45 comparison, Nolan (1978) found that 62% and knew them to be male-female chases to 9:15a.m. More typical interactions lasted The life histories of the Louisiana Water of male Prairie Warblers (Dendroica dis because they involved banded birds I saw about ten minutes. thrush (Seiurus motacilla) and the Northern color) arrived in the same order, and 74% feeding together prior to the chase. On 17 For Louisiana Waterthrushes, territory Waterthrush (S. noveboracensis), members reoccupied former territories. A much larger April 1980, I also saw behavior described by size averaged 0.67 hectares, while for North of the Wood Warbler family (Parulidae), sample population would be necessary to Nolan for the Prairie Warbler. Termed a ems it was 0.48 ha. In Louisianas the length have been summarized by Bent (1953) and assess the ability of these birds to identify the solicitation posture, it involved a female of territories along brooks averaged 358 studied in detail by Eaton (1957, 1958). The quality of the habitat, as opposed to a Louisiana walking slowly in front ofthe male meters. My measurements of Northern Louisiana breeds along rocky streams in the preference based on familiarity with the site. who followed her. She tilted her head upward W aterthrush territory sizes were consistently eastern U. S., while the Northern nests For birds banded before 1980, the return past the vertical (about 130° from the hori smaller than Eaton's (1957). Eaton (1957, mostly in swamps in northeastern North rates at Boston Hollow were 20% (2 of 10) zontal) as she walked, and held her wings 19 58) pointed out that Louisiana territories America. Both species breed in Connecticut. for adult Louisianas and 61% ( 11 of 18) for partly open and vibrated them. This display were generally linear, while those of Northern I herewith summarize some new findings adult Northerns. This difference suggests was twice repeated and lasted about five were rectangular. However, the range in size on the breeding biology of these birds reported that the Louisiana suffers a higher adult seconds in each case. This posturing strongly I found, both in area and length, is much upon in my doctoral research while at the mortality rate, a conclusion also suggested resembles food-begging by young in the greater than reported by Eaton. Wiens and University of Connecticut in Storrs. The by its larger clutch size (see below); or this nest. However, the movements I describe Rotenberry (1980) found that territory size study site was a ravine known as Boston species may be more inclined to disperse here, particularly the head posturing, are with a species is highly variable. Hollow in the 3160-hectare Yale Forest in away from nesting areas. Nolan ( 1978) sug more exaggerated than those of the Prairie Initiation of nesting activities begins one northeastern Connecti~.:ut.I observed these gested that high dispersal rates are adaptive Warbler. to two weeks after the arrival of females . Ear I observed copulation only once in the liest observed dates of nest building were 30 Louisiana, and only twice in the Northern; on April 1979 for the Louisiana, and 8 May May 8, 1978 for the former, and on May 27, 1980 for the Northern. Much of the gathering 1978 and May 5, 1980 for the latter. In all of nesting materials by both species occurred three cases this occurred on the ground. Cop on drier hummocks or in uplands adjacent to ulation lasted two to three seconds, and for the wetland. about a minute thereafter the two birds Of seven Louisiana nests examined, one walked together, though about one meter was in an upturned root over water, five were apart. on the ground beneath logs or branches in Territorial Louisianas sang persistently upland immediately adjacent to the water until they attracted a mate; afterwards they (from as much as seven meters to less than ' . sang only a few times each day. After mating one meter away), and one was at the top of an a pair normally ranged together over a wide old rock well about three meters from water. area. In two instances banding revealed that Three of these ground nests were on steep before the arrival of other territorial males, banks and two were on level ground. Only the first pair used up to three times more of two of the nests were near a rocky, rushing the length of a stream than when all sites had stream, the other five being near pools or been contested and settled. quiet streams. The arrival of new birds caused neighboring Of nine Northern nests, eight were in pairs to engage in intense territorial disputes, upturned roots, and one was completely particularly early in the season when territorial covered on three sides, as well as covered boundaries were first being established. A above by a small stump. Seven of the eight typical encounter on 17 April 1980 lasted nests in roots were over water, and all the fifteen minutes and involved male chases, nests of both species were overhung by roots, Northern Waterthrush: Buffy eye stripe, throat Louisiana Waterthrush: Eye stripe pure white, typical songs, and the singing oflong twitter soil, or logs. I saw no tendency for nests to with brownish streaking beginning under the bill throat without streaking. Breast white with brown ing songs. be oriented with respect to sun or wind. and extending into the belly. Breast streaked and streaking. Photo by Dennis Varza Unlike Louisianas, male Northerns con Mean clutch size was 5.0 for the Louisiana, washed with yellow. Photo by Dennis Varza tinued to sing throughout the breeding season. and 4.8 for the Northern. These means are 44 45 Of the six nests of the Louisiana Water thrush with young that I examined, four ORNITHOLOGICAL (66.7%) produced fledglings. Of 30 eggs laid, predation took nine from two nests, and THESES AT THE one egg was apparently infertile. In one instance a Brown-headed Cowbird laid an UNIVERSITY egg in a nest with a complete clutch of four eggs, but this nest was later preyed upon. In OF CONNECTICUT the Northern Waterthrush, 75% ofthe nests fledged young. Predation took five eggs in by Dr. George A. Clark, Jr. one nest, and there was one embryo death. I found two additional Northern nests under Students working for postgraduate degrees construction in which eggs were either not have conducted some of the most detailed laid or which were preyed upon before I studies of birds in Connecticut, but their visited them. Nests were visited only three theses are often too lengthy and too detailed or four times to minimize the attraction of to be suitable for full publication in a widely predators. Another Northern nest with full distributed form. Consequently many inte clutch, but no incubation, was also preyed resting discoveries reported in theses often upon, but this pair renested. In three other do not become widely known. Abstracts, instances, involving both species, renesting particularly from the doctoral dissertations apparently occured after an initial failure , but of recent years, have sometimes appeared in I was not able to confirm this by fmding the nest. Dissertation Abstracts International, but Overlap in ranges of Northern (shaded area and this reference periodical is available only in north) and Louisiana (shaded area and south) Bent, A.C., 1953. "Life Histories of North the largest libraries and is not widely read. Waterthrushes. American Wood Warblers. U.S. Nat. Because certain theses in the University of Mus. Bull. 203. Connecticut Library at Storrs contain sub Craig, R.J., 1981. "Comparative ecology of stantial information on Connecticut birds, I the Northern Waterthrushes." PhD. thesis. believe it useful to present a list of authors Univ. of Conn., Storrs. and titles together with some annotation of Eaton, S.W., 1957. "A life history study of the content of the papers. The theses noted similar to Eaton's. On 26 May 1979 I pooled. Mean time between adult visits was Seiurus noveboracensis." Sci. Studies, here were written by students specializing in watched a Louisiana nest for six hours and 6.4 minutes. At one Louisiana nest the St. Bonaventure Univ. 19: 7-36. a variety of fields including systematics, found that the female (the only sex seen mean interval between visits decreased from Nolan, V., Jr., 1978. "The ecology and be zoology, ecology, botany, wildlife manage incubating) sat for an average of 41 minutes 7.3 minutes on 6 June to 7.1 minutes on 8 havior of the Prairie Warbler Dendrioca ment, and plant science. Theses using birds before leaving for an average of 9.3 minutes June, and to 5.8 minutes on 9 June. This discolor." Ornot. Monogr. 26. as subjects but emphasizing primarily bio to feed. On one occasion the male came to suggests that the feeding rate increases as Wiens,J.A., andJ.T. Rotenberry, 1980. Pat chemistry, diseases, embryology, nutrition, the nest and fed the incubating female . Eaton nestlings grow, but the trend is not statistically terns of morphology and ecology in grass parasitology, and physiology, have not been (1958) reported feeding of the female but significant. Time spent at the nest averaged lands and shrub-steppe bird populations. included. The designation MS after the date considered it a form of anticipatory feeding of 18.7 seconds. Mean interval between visits Ecol. Monogr. 50: 287-308. of the theses indicates that the author received the young. Since my observation occurred at was 23.1, 18.5, and 16.8 second on 6, 8, and a Master of Science degree, while PhD least six days before hatching, I suggest that 9 June, respectively, indicating that feeding indicates a doctoral dissertation. Total pages occasional feeding by the male may help is also accomplished more rapidly as the refer to the main body of the text and do not offset the heavy energetic burden that incu young grow. This latter trend is statistically ' include introductory pages. J. A. Slater has bation places on the female. significant, with the difference occurring Dr. Robert J. Craig graduated from Rutgers provided helpful discussion in the preparation I was unable to establish incubation periods between each of these June dates. Males ofthis report. in the N orthem W aterthrush. Nests in dense in 197 3 and completed his studies at the came to the nests for 44.8% of the visits, and University of Connecticut, attaining an MS cover made observation very difficult. In females for 55.2%, but daily variation in degree in Biology. He worked for the Con Bertin, R.I. 1975. MS. Factors influencing two attempts covering three hours, I did not feeding by the two sexes was considerable. necticut D.E.P. and the U .S. Soil Conser the distribution of the Wood Thrush and see a female leave the nest. At one nest the male fed the young 44.1% of vation Service before returning to the Veery in western Connecticut woodland. I recorded details on the feeding of young the time, 53.3% and 36.4% on each ofthree University of Conn. to complete his doctoral 138 pp.-a detailed analysis of habitats Louisianas on six occasions during thirteen successive days. It therefore seems likely work on waterthrushes, which was com used in Litchfield County during one hours of observation at three nests. All my that both sexes feed the young about equally. pleted in 1981. Among his publications is breeding season; a portion of this study data were from nests at roughly the same Fecal sacs were removed from the nest on the Field Checklist of the Birds of Storrs, appeared in The Condor 79:303-311 CT. stage of development, so the results were 35.3% of the visits. (1977). 46 47 Of the six nests of the Louisiana Water thrush with young that I examined, four ORNITHOLOGICAL (66.7%) produced fledglings. Of 30 eggs laid, predation took nine from two nests, and THESES AT THE one egg was apparently infertile. In one instance a Brown-headed Cowbird laid an UNIVERSITY egg in a nest with a complete clutch of four eggs, but this nest was later preyed upon. In OF CONNECTICUT the Northern Waterthrush, 75% ofthe nests fledged young. Predation took five eggs in by Dr. George A. Clark, Jr. one nest, and there was one embryo death. I found two additional Northern nests under Students working for postgraduate degrees construction in which eggs were either not have conducted some of the most detailed laid or which were preyed upon before I studies of birds in Connecticut, but their visited them. Nests were visited only three theses are often too lengthy and too detailed or four times to minimize the attraction of to be suitable for full publication in a widely predators. Another Northern nest with full distributed form. Consequently many inte clutch, but no incubation, was also preyed resting discoveries reported in theses often upon, but this pair renested. In three other do not become widely known. Abstracts, instances, involving both species, renesting particularly from the doctoral dissertations apparently occured after an initial failure , but of recent years, have sometimes appeared in I was not able to confirm this by fmding the nest. Dissertation Abstracts International, but Overlap in ranges of Northern (shaded area and this reference periodical is available only in north) and Louisiana (shaded area and south) Bent, A.C., 1953. "Life Histories of North the largest libraries and is not widely read. Waterthrushes. American Wood Warblers. U.S. Nat. Because certain theses in the University of Mus. Bull. 203. Connecticut Library at Storrs contain sub Craig, R.J., 1981. "Comparative ecology of stantial information on Connecticut birds, I the Northern Waterthrushes." PhD. thesis. believe it useful to present a list of authors Univ. of Conn., Storrs. and titles together with some annotation of Eaton, S.W., 1957. "A life history study of the content of the papers. The theses noted similar to Eaton's. On 26 May 1979 I pooled. Mean time between adult visits was Seiurus noveboracensis." Sci. Studies, here were written by students specializing in watched a Louisiana nest for six hours and 6.4 minutes. At one Louisiana nest the St. Bonaventure Univ. 19: 7-36. a variety of fields including systematics, found that the female (the only sex seen mean interval between visits decreased from Nolan, V., Jr., 1978. "The ecology and be zoology, ecology, botany, wildlife manage incubating) sat for an average of 41 minutes 7.3 minutes on 6 June to 7.1 minutes on 8 havior of the Prairie Warbler Dendrioca ment, and plant science. Theses using birds before leaving for an average of 9.3 minutes June, and to 5.8 minutes on 9 June. This discolor." Ornot. Monogr. 26. as subjects but emphasizing primarily bio to feed. On one occasion the male came to suggests that the feeding rate increases as Wiens,J.A., andJ.T. Rotenberry, 1980. Pat chemistry, diseases, embryology, nutrition, the nest and fed the incubating female . Eaton nestlings grow, but the trend is not statistically terns of morphology and ecology in grass parasitology, and physiology, have not been (1958) reported feeding of the female but significant. Time spent at the nest averaged lands and shrub-steppe bird populations. included. The designation MS after the date considered it a form of anticipatory feeding of 18.7 seconds. Mean interval between visits Ecol. Monogr. 50: 287-308. of the theses indicates that the author received the young. Since my observation occurred at was 23.1, 18.5, and 16.8 second on 6, 8, and a Master of Science degree, while PhD least six days before hatching, I suggest that 9 June, respectively, indicating that feeding indicates a doctoral dissertation. Total pages occasional feeding by the male may help is also accomplished more rapidly as the refer to the main body of the text and do not offset the heavy energetic burden that incu young grow. This latter trend is statistically ' include introductory pages. J. A. Slater has bation places on the female. significant, with the difference occurring Dr. Robert J. Craig graduated from Rutgers provided helpful discussion in the preparation I was unable to establish incubation periods between each of these June dates. Males ofthis report. in the N orthem W aterthrush. Nests in dense in 197 3 and completed his studies at the came to the nests for 44.8% of the visits, and University of Connecticut, attaining an MS cover made observation very difficult. In females for 55.2%, but daily variation in degree in Biology. He worked for the Con Bertin, R.I. 1975. MS. Factors influencing two attempts covering three hours, I did not feeding by the two sexes was considerable. necticut D.E.P. and the U .S. Soil Conser the distribution of the Wood Thrush and see a female leave the nest. At one nest the male fed the young 44.1% of vation Service before returning to the Veery in western Connecticut woodland. I recorded details on the feeding of young the time, 53.3% and 36.4% on each ofthree University of Conn. to complete his doctoral 138 pp.-a detailed analysis of habitats Louisianas on six occasions during thirteen successive days. It therefore seems likely work on waterthrushes, which was com used in Litchfield County during one hours of observation at three nests. All my that both sexes feed the young about equally. pleted in 1981. Among his publications is breeding season; a portion of this study data were from nests at roughly the same Fecal sacs were removed from the nest on the Field Checklist of the Birds of Storrs, appeared in The Condor 79:303-311 CT. stage of development, so the results were 35.3% of the visits. (1977). 46 47 Welton, M. J. 1979. MS. Territoriality in fourteen he began to discover that religion Boettger, R. W. 1955. MS. An ecological ducklings on a Connecticut pond. 46pp. study of a typical Connecticut stream: Captive reared birds are tame and unwary the Song Sparrow: a comparison of three would be his calling. At age twenty, while hypotheses. 33 pp. from coastal visiting in Virginia, he became seriously ill, factors affecting furbearers and related and hence not favorable for release into -data but an unexpectedly rapid recovery confirmed animals. 155 pp.-includes information the wild (see also Martin, below). Massachusetts. on the Black Ducks and Wood Ducks of Martin,J. T. 1971. MS. A laboratory study Wetherbee, D. K. 1959. PhD. Artificial his belief in God. At age 24 he taught school at Guilford the Salmon Brook watershed in Hartland, of wildness in the duck (Anas p/atyrhyn incubation of wild birds' eggs and develop mental condition of neonates. 143 pp. academy for six hours a day and continued Granby, and East Granby. chos). 79 pp.-If stocking is to be part of Craig, R. J. 1975. MS. Distributional ecol the management program, then the wildest includes much information on the eggs his own studies for another eight to twelve ogy of marsh birds of the Connecticut possible stock should be used. and young of Connecticut species. hours daily. He then entered Yale's seminary River. 62 pp.-contains considerable McCamey, F . 1962. PhD. Survival and Wilder, N . G . 1941. MS. A study of the but continued to teach, sometimes as far away as Bedford, N.Y., to help provide information on plants and birds of marshes age structure in a sample population of the pheasant on typical ranges in Connecticut. along the Connecticut River in Connec Black-capped Chickadee. 114 pp.-based 132 pp.-observations from a number of necessary income. His associates considered towns. him a gifted scholar. He recited Hebrew and ticut; the birds were observed for 6 to 9 on 2000 banded birds in a five square mile soon turned his attention to philosophy, hours per day during the period 16 May to area over five years; the data supports the Dr. George Clark, Jr. graduated from Amherst 2 August 1974. idea that mortality rate in small passerines chemistry, mineralogy, and astronomy. He College and attained his Ph.D . in 1964 from graduated from Yale with honors in Septem Craig, R. J. 1981. Phd. Comparative ecol is relatively constant for birds that survive Yale University. He is currently an Associate ogy of the Louisiana and Northern Water to their first January. Professor at the University of Connecticut and ber, 1817. thrushes. 116 pp-Study covering three Proctor, N . S. 1976. PhD. Effects of shore President of the Northeast Bird Banding Assoc. He was hired by the Bedford Academy breeding seasons in northeastern Connec birds on dispersal and growth of algae in The author of more than 40 ornithological immediately after graduation, and later be ticut indicates that direct competition Connecticut. 78 pp.-evidence that bird publications, Dr. Clarke is the State Ornithol came principal of the academy. Many lasting between these two species is not very droppings with algae provide nutrients ogist and a member of our Editorial Advisory friendships were formed during these years. important in determining their ranges or that facilitate local algal blooms. Board. He continued his studies even as he taught abundance. school, mastered French, and increased his Reynolds,R.P.l974. MS. BlueJay(Cyano knowledge of theology. Cronan, J. M., Jr. 1955 MS. A study of citta cristata) feeding deterred by methio LINSLEY Scaup Duck wintering in Long Island carb, an avian repellent. 36 pp.-Field In 1818 he married the daughter of a Sound. 127 pp-biology and manage and laboratory studies indicate the poten SCHOLAR, military officer, one Sophia B. Lyon. Although ment recommendations based primarily tial effectiveness of the chemical methio he must have had the constitution of an ox, on studies from Old Saybrook to Bridge carb for repelling birds from fruits (see PREACHER, Linsley remained prone to severe attacks of port. also Whitmore, below); includes also near-fatal hemorrhaging from the lungs, and Gorski, L. J. 1969. PhD. Systematics and information on American Robin, Starling, ORNITHOLOGIST may thus have had tuberculosis. Each time, ecology of sibling species of Traill's Fly and Northern Oriole. his recovery was considered little short of catcher. 82 pp.-no evidence for inter Shepherd, J . D . 1980. PhD. An analysis by Carl J. Trichka miraculous. In 1821 he moved to Stratford breeding between Willow and Alder Fly of proposed avian perching mechanisms. and established a boarding school for chil catchers over three breeding seasons at 80 pp.-Contrary to traditional beliefs, We have already mentioned that the dren preparing for college entrance. Litchfield; parts of this study appeared in all evidence points to the lack of any "bible" on Connecticut bird life was the work In 1831 he was ordained as minister and Bird-banding 41:204-206 (1970) and automatic perching mechanism in birds. of Sage, Bishop and Bliss. This 1913 report began to preach throughout Connecticut. But The Auk 86:745-747 (1969), 88:429- Smith, C. F . 1978. MS. Distributional is still the only book to encompass the bird something in his life and beliefs soon changed 431 (1971). ecology of Barred and Great Horned life of the entire state. and he began to doubt his calling and his faith Hall, A. E., Jr. 1947. MS. Ecological Owls in relation to human disturbance. However, seventy years earlier, a paper in himself as a preacher. His torment caused aspects of some salt marsh duck food 104 pp-Studies at Mansfield, CT, and published by the Reverend James H . Linsley, him to abandon teaching so that he could organisims and their waterfowl manage Hebron, NH , indicate that these species shortly before he died, commented generally concentrate on rededicating himself to God. ,,/ ment significance. 7 6 pp-emphasis on do react in their habitat selection to on the birds of Connecticut although it was As time passed, his faith restored itself and Barn Island, including the birds found human activity even in primarily rural concerned mostly with the area between he undertook a preaching circuit that carried there. areas . Stratford and New Haven. This paper was him as far south as Virginia. Several times Hungerford, K . E. 1940. MS. A wildlife Suchecki, J. 1975. MS. Seasonal energetics therefore the forerunner in Connecticut orni during this period he suffered attacks of management plan for the Natchaug State of a woodland avifauna in northern Con thology. Our readers may thus be curious illness that left him incapacitated for long Forest. 96 pp.-Woodcock and Ruffed necticut. 56 pp.-Censuses throughout a about this predecessor. periods. Grouse in Windham County. year in two forest tracts in Union, CT, Linsley was born on May 5, 1787 in Not until 1835, when he was 48, did Mahler, P. 1976. MS. Ecology of park were used to estimate the total energy Northford, Connecticut. The first of ten mention ofbirds appear in hisjournals. While Mallards. 36 pp.-Breeders around the required by all birds present. children, he was the son of a farmer, and the attending a convention in Richmond, Virginia, Storrs campus suffered relatively little Wanless, D . D . 1968. MS . An appraisal family held membership in the Baptist church he made note of seeing a "bald headed eagle" reproductive mortality from predators. of waterfowl habitat development in Con in North Haven. His early years were spent which flew over the Potomac River. Linsley Marinaccio,J. l968. MS. Thesurvivaland necticut. 50 pp.-recommendations on on the farm, assisting with chores as all farm considered it an omen, and it seemed to say behavior of artificially-propagated Mallard how to appraise habitats. children did in those days , but by the age of to him that the symbol of our country was 48 49 Welton, M. J. 1979. MS. Territoriality in fourteen he began to discover that religion Boettger, R. W. 1955. MS. An ecological ducklings on a Connecticut pond. 46pp. study of a typical Connecticut stream: Captive reared birds are tame and unwary the Song Sparrow: a comparison of three would be his calling. At age twenty, while hypotheses. 33 pp. from coastal visiting in Virginia, he became seriously ill, factors affecting furbearers and related and hence not favorable for release into -data but an unexpectedly rapid recovery confirmed animals. 155 pp.-includes information the wild (see also Martin, below). Massachusetts. on the Black Ducks and Wood Ducks of Martin,J. T. 1971. MS. A laboratory study Wetherbee, D. K. 1959. PhD. Artificial his belief in God. At age 24 he taught school at Guilford the Salmon Brook watershed in Hartland, of wildness in the duck (Anas p/atyrhyn incubation of wild birds' eggs and develop mental condition of neonates. 143 pp. academy for six hours a day and continued Granby, and East Granby. chos). 79 pp.-If stocking is to be part of Craig, R. J. 1975. MS. Distributional ecol the management program, then the wildest includes much information on the eggs his own studies for another eight to twelve ogy of marsh birds of the Connecticut possible stock should be used. and young of Connecticut species. hours daily. He then entered Yale's seminary River. 62 pp.-contains considerable McCamey, F . 1962. PhD. Survival and Wilder, N . G . 1941. MS. A study of the but continued to teach, sometimes as far away as Bedford, N.Y., to help provide information on plants and birds of marshes age structure in a sample population of the pheasant on typical ranges in Connecticut. along the Connecticut River in Connec Black-capped Chickadee. 114 pp.-based 132 pp.-observations from a number of necessary income. His associates considered towns. him a gifted scholar. He recited Hebrew and ticut; the birds were observed for 6 to 9 on 2000 banded birds in a five square mile soon turned his attention to philosophy, hours per day during the period 16 May to area over five years; the data supports the Dr. George Clark, Jr. graduated from Amherst 2 August 1974. idea that mortality rate in small passerines chemistry, mineralogy, and astronomy. He College and attained his Ph.D . in 1964 from graduated from Yale with honors in Septem Craig, R. J. 1981. Phd. Comparative ecol is relatively constant for birds that survive Yale University. He is currently an Associate ogy of the Louisiana and Northern Water to their first January. Professor at the University of Connecticut and ber, 1817. thrushes. 116 pp-Study covering three Proctor, N . S. 1976. PhD. Effects of shore President of the Northeast Bird Banding Assoc. He was hired by the Bedford Academy breeding seasons in northeastern Connec birds on dispersal and growth of algae in The author of more than 40 ornithological immediately after graduation, and later be ticut indicates that direct competition Connecticut. 78 pp.-evidence that bird publications, Dr. Clarke is the State Ornithol came principal of the academy. Many lasting between these two species is not very droppings with algae provide nutrients ogist and a member of our Editorial Advisory friendships were formed during these years. important in determining their ranges or that facilitate local algal blooms. Board. He continued his studies even as he taught abundance. school, mastered French, and increased his Reynolds,R.P.l974. MS. BlueJay(Cyano knowledge of theology. Cronan, J. M., Jr. 1955 MS. A study of citta cristata) feeding deterred by methio LINSLEY Scaup Duck wintering in Long Island carb, an avian repellent. 36 pp.-Field In 1818 he married the daughter of a Sound. 127 pp-biology and manage and laboratory studies indicate the poten SCHOLAR, military officer, one Sophia B. Lyon. Although ment recommendations based primarily tial effectiveness of the chemical methio he must have had the constitution of an ox, on studies from Old Saybrook to Bridge carb for repelling birds from fruits (see PREACHER, Linsley remained prone to severe attacks of port. also Whitmore, below); includes also near-fatal hemorrhaging from the lungs, and Gorski, L. J. 1969. PhD. Systematics and information on American Robin, Starling, ORNITHOLOGIST may thus have had tuberculosis. Each time, ecology of sibling species of Traill's Fly and Northern Oriole. his recovery was considered little short of catcher. 82 pp.-no evidence for inter Shepherd, J . D . 1980. PhD. An analysis by Carl J. Trichka miraculous. In 1821 he moved to Stratford breeding between Willow and Alder Fly of proposed avian perching mechanisms. and established a boarding school for chil catchers over three breeding seasons at 80 pp.-Contrary to traditional beliefs, We have already mentioned that the dren preparing for college entrance. Litchfield; parts of this study appeared in all evidence points to the lack of any "bible" on Connecticut bird life was the work In 1831 he was ordained as minister and Bird-banding 41:204-206 (1970) and automatic perching mechanism in birds. of Sage, Bishop and Bliss. This 1913 report began to preach throughout Connecticut. But The Auk 86:745-747 (1969), 88:429- Smith, C. F . 1978. MS. Distributional is still the only book to encompass the bird something in his life and beliefs soon changed 431 (1971). ecology of Barred and Great Horned life of the entire state. and he began to doubt his calling and his faith Hall, A. E., Jr. 1947. MS. Ecological Owls in relation to human disturbance. However, seventy years earlier, a paper in himself as a preacher. His torment caused aspects of some salt marsh duck food 104 pp-Studies at Mansfield, CT, and published by the Reverend James H . Linsley, him to abandon teaching so that he could organisims and their waterfowl manage Hebron, NH , indicate that these species shortly before he died, commented generally concentrate on rededicating himself to God. ,,/ ment significance. 7 6 pp-emphasis on do react in their habitat selection to on the birds of Connecticut although it was As time passed, his faith restored itself and Barn Island, including the birds found human activity even in primarily rural concerned mostly with the area between he undertook a preaching circuit that carried there. areas . Stratford and New Haven. This paper was him as far south as Virginia. Several times Hungerford, K . E. 1940. MS. A wildlife Suchecki, J. 1975. MS. Seasonal energetics therefore the forerunner in Connecticut orni during this period he suffered attacks of management plan for the Natchaug State of a woodland avifauna in northern Con thology. Our readers may thus be curious illness that left him incapacitated for long Forest. 96 pp.-Woodcock and Ruffed necticut. 56 pp.-Censuses throughout a about this predecessor. periods. Grouse in Windham County. year in two forest tracts in Union, CT, Linsley was born on May 5, 1787 in Not until 1835, when he was 48, did Mahler, P. 1976. MS. Ecology of park were used to estimate the total energy Northford, Connecticut. The first of ten mention ofbirds appear in hisjournals. While Mallards. 36 pp.-Breeders around the required by all birds present. children, he was the son of a farmer, and the attending a convention in Richmond, Virginia, Storrs campus suffered relatively little Wanless, D . D . 1968. MS . An appraisal family held membership in the Baptist church he made note of seeing a "bald headed eagle" reproductive mortality from predators. of waterfowl habitat development in Con in North Haven. His early years were spent which flew over the Potomac River. Linsley Marinaccio,J. l968. MS. Thesurvivaland necticut. 50 pp.-recommendations on on the farm, assisting with chores as all farm considered it an omen, and it seemed to say behavior of artificially-propagated Mallard how to appraise habitats. children did in those days , but by the age of to him that the symbol of our country was 48 49 keeping watch over the ashes of Washington the abundance and distribution of birds in the and references used at the time of the obser and that the city would once again rise to state. To fulfill this goal we need the cooper vation. The more detail presented, the better power. He also made note of many "turkey ation of all birders in the state and request the report can be evaluated. Also include buzzards" on this trip, but recorded only one your help to provide us with as much infor your name, address and telephone number so eagle. mation as possible. we may contact you for further details if His health in continuous decline, he sought The committee consists of Dr. George needed. solace by traveling south to get away from the Clark, Paul Desjardins, Robert Dewire, harsh winters of New England, but to no James Mockalis, Dr. Noble Proctor, Fred Hypothetical List-Species observed in Connecticut lacking a specimen or avail. He returned home in 1837, having Sibley, Joseph Zeranski, Art Gingert and photograph. abandoned his preaching and teaching. He Maury Covington. The first meeting was \ Arctic Loon California Quail Brown-headed Nuthatch had earlier studied botany and later taught held on October 24, 1981 at the Peabody Manx Shearwater Chukar Bewick's Wren the subject, but had apparently given little Museum in New Haven and the following White-tailed Tropicbird Whooping Crane Sprague's Pipit thought to the other natural sciences. Now plan of action was devised. White Pelican Corn Crake Bohemian Wax wing Brown Pelican Long-billed Curlew Bell's Vireo he began to study all over again, devoting The bird list was divided into two sections, Brown Booby Greenshank Swainson's Warbler himself first to ornithology. He had acquired species confirmed in the state by specimen or Wood Stork Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Black-throated Gray Wl\fbler a few bird specimens during his trips south, photograph and those recorded by observa American Flamingo Rufous-necked Sandpiper Hermit Warbler and he now pursued the subject with a strong tion only. The confirmed species would then Reddish Egret Pornarine Jaeger Townsend's Warbler desire despite his illnesses. His work was be written up by Dr. Proctor in units of 25 Barnacle Goose Long-tailed Jaeger Western Meadowlark rewarded because he soon became recognized and distributed to the members of the check Cinnamon Teal Mew Gull Brewer's Blackbird by the leading ornithologists of the period. list committee and others with special regional Labrador Duck Gull-billed Tern Painted Bunting In May, 1837, he was made a member of the Swainson's Hawk Arctic Tern European Goldfinch knowledge to be broadly discussed around Gray Sea Eagle Burrowing Owl Green-tailed Towhee Yale Natural Historical Society, and later the state for correction and modification for elected to the Connecticut Academy of Arts Heath Hen White-winged Dove Lark Bunting regional accuracy. The committee will then Greater Prairie Chicken Rufus Hummingbird Golden-crowned Sparrow and Sciences, and the Boston Society of meet to edit each species account with Sharp-tailed Grouse Say's Phoebe Natural History. reference to all modifications to the satisfac Gray Partridge Gray Jay It was said that he collected a cabinet of tion of the full committee. The species account specimens of great beauty and variety will average 100 words and conform to John Species for which all available information is requested. some 300 species of birds-all elegantly Bull'sBirds of the New York Area for criteria Eared Grebe Curlew Sandpiper Black-billed Magpie prepared by his own hands. He added many of abundance. Western Grebe Long-billed Dowitcher Common Raven more species of birds to the Connecticut list For the second group of species, a library All Shearwaters Ruff Carolina Chickadee than did Alexander Wilson, then considered file will be set up at Birdcraft Museum in All Petrels American Avocet Boreal Chickadee the dean of American ornithology. But his Fairfield, CT by Zeranski and Covington to Gannet Black-necked Stilt Sedge Wren passion for knowledge burned brightly and gather information on those and other con Magnificent Frigatebird Red Phalarope Fieldfare Wheatear his interests broadened. He made extensive firmed birds that need more documentation. White Ibis Northern Phalarope collections of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, Whistling Swan Parasitic Jaeger Townsend's Solitare The information, once sorted and organized, White-fronted Goose Lesser Black-backed Gull Northern Shrike and seashells, and his work continued to will go to Dr. Clark who will set up an draw appreciative notice. Fulvous Tree Duck Black-headed Gull Loggerhead Shrike objective three man committee to review all European Wigeon Franklin's Gull Prothonotary Warbler Finally, another attack left him bed-ridden sight records (by criteria to be established) Tufted Duck Little Gull Orange-crowned Warbler and near death. This illness persisted and he and decide which to include in the checklist. Barrow's Goldeneye Black-legged Kittiwake Cerulean Warbler died, at the age of 56, the day after Christmas Those species will then be written up and Harlequin Duck Sooty Tern Yellow-throated Warbler in 1843. included in the checklist. Common Eider Royal Tern Macgillivray's Warbler King Eider Caspian Tern Yellow-headed Blackbird Included below is a list of hypothetical Q Black Vulture Black Skimmer Western Tanager CONNECTICUT'S birds and a list of birds we would like more Swallow-tailed Kite All Alcids Summer Tanager records for. We need more information on Golden Eagle Barn Owl Black-headed Grosbeak FIRST CHECKLIST the location of specimens or photographs of Gyrfalcon Hawk Owl Blue Grosbeak any of these species. Any photos sent in will Peregrine Falcon Great Gray Owl Dickcissel IN 69 YEARS be put in the file for public reference unless Sandhill Crane Boreal Owl Hoary Redpoll King Rail Chuck-will's Widow Grasshopper Sparrow by Dennis V arza otherwise requested. We would like docu mentation for any sight records of those Yellow Rail Red-bellied Woodpecker Henslow's Sparrow Black "Rail Red-headed Woodpecker Lark Sparrow The Connecticut Warbler Editorial Advis species or ones we may have missed, or birds Purple Gallinule Black-backed Three-toed Clay-colored Sparrow ory Board has organized a committee to out of season. Wilson's Plover Woodpecker Harris' Sparrow produce a Checklist of The Birds of Connec Each record should contain the observer( s) Eskimo Curlew Western Kingbird Lincoln's Sparrow ticut by October, 1982. The checklist will name(s ), date, locality, conditions of the Spotted Redshank Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Smith's Longspur summarize all available information about observation, comparisons with other species Baird's Sandpiper Cliff Swallow Chestnut-collared Longspur

50 51 keeping watch over the ashes of Washington the abundance and distribution of birds in the and references used at the time of the obser and that the city would once again rise to state. To fulfill this goal we need the cooper vation. The more detail presented, the better power. He also made note of many "turkey ation of all birders in the state and request the report can be evaluated. Also include buzzards" on this trip, but recorded only one your help to provide us with as much infor your name, address and telephone number so eagle. mation as possible. we may contact you for further details if His health in continuous decline, he sought The committee consists of Dr. George needed. solace by traveling south to get away from the Clark, Paul Desjardins, Robert Dewire, harsh winters of New England, but to no James Mockalis, Dr. Noble Proctor, Fred Hypothetical List-Species observed in Connecticut lacking a specimen or avail. He returned home in 1837, having Sibley, Joseph Zeranski, Art Gingert and photograph. abandoned his preaching and teaching. He Maury Covington. The first meeting was \ Arctic Loon California Quail Brown-headed Nuthatch had earlier studied botany and later taught held on October 24, 1981 at the Peabody Manx Shearwater Chukar Bewick's Wren the subject, but had apparently given little Museum in New Haven and the following White-tailed Tropicbird Whooping Crane Sprague's Pipit thought to the other natural sciences. Now plan of action was devised. White Pelican Corn Crake Bohemian Wax wing Brown Pelican Long-billed Curlew Bell's Vireo he began to study all over again, devoting The bird list was divided into two sections, Brown Booby Greenshank Swainson's Warbler himself first to ornithology. He had acquired species confirmed in the state by specimen or Wood Stork Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Black-throated Gray Wl\fbler a few bird specimens during his trips south, photograph and those recorded by observa American Flamingo Rufous-necked Sandpiper Hermit Warbler and he now pursued the subject with a strong tion only. The confirmed species would then Reddish Egret Pornarine Jaeger Townsend's Warbler desire despite his illnesses. His work was be written up by Dr. Proctor in units of 25 Barnacle Goose Long-tailed Jaeger Western Meadowlark rewarded because he soon became recognized and distributed to the members of the check Cinnamon Teal Mew Gull Brewer's Blackbird by the leading ornithologists of the period. list committee and others with special regional Labrador Duck Gull-billed Tern Painted Bunting In May, 1837, he was made a member of the Swainson's Hawk Arctic Tern European Goldfinch knowledge to be broadly discussed around Gray Sea Eagle Burrowing Owl Green-tailed Towhee Yale Natural Historical Society, and later the state for correction and modification for elected to the Connecticut Academy of Arts Heath Hen White-winged Dove Lark Bunting regional accuracy. The committee will then Greater Prairie Chicken Rufus Hummingbird Golden-crowned Sparrow and Sciences, and the Boston Society of meet to edit each species account with Sharp-tailed Grouse Say's Phoebe Natural History. reference to all modifications to the satisfac Gray Partridge Gray Jay It was said that he collected a cabinet of tion of the full committee. The species account specimens of great beauty and variety will average 100 words and conform to John Species for which all available information is requested. some 300 species of birds-all elegantly Bull'sBirds of the New York Area for criteria Eared Grebe Curlew Sandpiper Black-billed Magpie prepared by his own hands. He added many of abundance. Western Grebe Long-billed Dowitcher Common Raven more species of birds to the Connecticut list For the second group of species, a library All Shearwaters Ruff Carolina Chickadee than did Alexander Wilson, then considered file will be set up at Birdcraft Museum in All Petrels American Avocet Boreal Chickadee the dean of American ornithology. But his Fairfield, CT by Zeranski and Covington to Gannet Black-necked Stilt Sedge Wren passion for knowledge burned brightly and gather information on those and other con Magnificent Frigatebird Red Phalarope Fieldfare Wheatear his interests broadened. He made extensive firmed birds that need more documentation. White Ibis Northern Phalarope collections of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, Whistling Swan Parasitic Jaeger Townsend's Solitare The information, once sorted and organized, White-fronted Goose Lesser Black-backed Gull Northern Shrike and seashells, and his work continued to will go to Dr. Clark who will set up an draw appreciative notice. Fulvous Tree Duck Black-headed Gull Loggerhead Shrike objective three man committee to review all European Wigeon Franklin's Gull Prothonotary Warbler Finally, another attack left him bed-ridden sight records (by criteria to be established) Tufted Duck Little Gull Orange-crowned Warbler and near death. This illness persisted and he and decide which to include in the checklist. Barrow's Goldeneye Black-legged Kittiwake Cerulean Warbler died, at the age of 56, the day after Christmas Those species will then be written up and Harlequin Duck Sooty Tern Yellow-throated Warbler in 1843. included in the checklist. Common Eider Royal Tern Macgillivray's Warbler King Eider Caspian Tern Yellow-headed Blackbird Included below is a list of hypothetical Q Black Vulture Black Skimmer Western Tanager CONNECTICUT'S birds and a list of birds we would like more Swallow-tailed Kite All Alcids Summer Tanager records for. We need more information on Golden Eagle Barn Owl Black-headed Grosbeak FIRST CHECKLIST the location of specimens or photographs of Gyrfalcon Hawk Owl Blue Grosbeak any of these species. Any photos sent in will Peregrine Falcon Great Gray Owl Dickcissel IN 69 YEARS be put in the file for public reference unless Sandhill Crane Boreal Owl Hoary Redpoll King Rail Chuck-will's Widow Grasshopper Sparrow by Dennis V arza otherwise requested. We would like docu mentation for any sight records of those Yellow Rail Red-bellied Woodpecker Henslow's Sparrow Black "Rail Red-headed Woodpecker Lark Sparrow The Connecticut Warbler Editorial Advis species or ones we may have missed, or birds Purple Gallinule Black-backed Three-toed Clay-colored Sparrow ory Board has organized a committee to out of season. Wilson's Plover Woodpecker Harris' Sparrow produce a Checklist of The Birds of Connec Each record should contain the observer( s) Eskimo Curlew Western Kingbird Lincoln's Sparrow ticut by October, 1982. The checklist will name(s ), date, locality, conditions of the Spotted Redshank Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Smith's Longspur summarize all available information about observation, comparisons with other species Baird's Sandpiper Cliff Swallow Chestnut-collared Longspur

50 51 Whip-poor-wills, and Hermit Thrushes. A CHOICE Songbirds animate the ecotonal edge between the steep ridge west of the river and its brushy BREEDING BIRD floodplain. Acadian Flycatcher, Golden winged Warbler, and both W aterthrushes AREA occur in this west bank area. Pileated Woodpeckers often call from the hemlock forest above the east bank, and not by Christoper S. Wood far from a brushy intersection in these woods one June day, a Winter Wren burst into song The birding " hot spots" most familiar to as we drove by while a pair of agitated American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) Connecticut birders are generally associated Goshawks circled low over the trees. Another Photo courtesy of Norwich Bulletin with migratory pathways, whether river val year a long walk to a secluded reach of the leys, ridge lines, or coastal "funnels" such as river rewarded us with an enigmatic female Linsley, who wrote, "The oystercatcher is East Rock Park in spring and Lighthouse Common Merganser preening itself quietly, now rare here, but fifteen years since they Point in autumn. A breeding bird "hot spot," and along the way the hemlocks yielded Red were not very uncommon in autumn." however, requires a different set of ecological breasted Nuthatch, Blackburnian Warbler, In the 1950s, however, oystercatchers were conditions to promote diversity, and in western Black-throated Green Warbler, and Canada on the move, extending their nesting range Connecticut one location which meets these Warbler. northward. They first nested on Long Island criteria is Steep Rock Park in the town of Adding to the park's habitat diversity is an in 1957, and in the early 1970s they nested Washington. To find this park, go to the arrested succession zone, a transmission on Monomoy Island, at the elbow of Cape intersection of Routes 47 and 109, called right-of-way, in or near which some forty Cod. In 1977 the first nest was discovered Washington Depot, and follow the Shepaug species are regularly recorded. From a high on Fisher's Island, in New York but only River's west bank southward until you reach vantage point on this line, Turkey Vultures, three miles from the Connecticut shore. Rhode the park. Sharp-shinned Hawks, Broadwings, Redtails, Island's first nesting record was in 197 8, Coverage of this area in our June Counts and Kestrels have been seen. when the birds nested on Block Island. during the last three years yielded a total of The park represents no more than 10% of We have therefore expected nesting since seventy species, nearly all of whom are likely our section of the count circle, but the species about 1970 when oystercatchers became breeding birds. The park straddles a particu seen here in 1981 amounted to 75% of the 86 yearly visitors, with one or two birds observed laly spectacular stretch ofthe Shepaug River, species found that day, and more than 50% in the Mystic area, at the mouth of the with steep wooded banks and hemlocks that of the 117 species for the entire 15-mile Housatonic River, and on theN orwalk Islands. hide Barred Owls and Great-horned Owls, diameter circle. A NEW NESTING In 1980 an island off the Mystic-Noank shore had a nesting pair but it failed to produce SPECIES FOR young because of predation by Great Black backed Gulls. CONNECTICUT Finally, on June 12, 1981 , David Sparling, John Williams, and Mary Jean Dewire and I by Robert C. Dewire found a pair with two young on Ram Point in Mystic, Connecticut. To our knowledge, The striking American Oystercatcher this is the first confirmed production of young (Haematopus palliatus) nests on open sandy in the State and the first nesting on the beaches where it can see predators at a great mainland. Ram Point is a small spit of distance and move away from the nest before pebble beach jutting from Mason's Island approaching disturbers realize that a nest is into the Mystic River from the east. The present. This habit gave rise to the notion land is private property and accessible only that oystercatchers incubate only at night by boat. Unattractive as a swimming or and during rainy weather, since no one ever clamming beach, it has, fortunately, little seemed to see them sitting on a nest. current human use. The oystercatcher young As late as the rnid-1960s the oystercatcher we found appeared to be about ten days was considered of accidental occurrence in old. The adults were aggressive in defense. Connecticut. One had to go to New Jersey We twice watched them chase and harass to add it to one's life list. Sage et al, in the Herring Gulls which flew near the young. Oystercatcher Nest 1913 book, The Birds of Connecticut, could Can the Black Skimmer be far behind as a Photo by do no more than quote an 1843 comment by breeding bird? Dennis Varza 52 53 Whip-poor-wills, and Hermit Thrushes. A CHOICE Songbirds animate the ecotonal edge between the steep ridge west of the river and its brushy BREEDING BIRD floodplain. Acadian Flycatcher, Golden winged Warbler, and both W aterthrushes AREA occur in this west bank area. Pileated Woodpeckers often call from the hemlock forest above the east bank, and not by Christoper S. Wood far from a brushy intersection in these woods one June day, a Winter Wren burst into song The birding " hot spots" most familiar to as we drove by while a pair of agitated American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) Connecticut birders are generally associated Goshawks circled low over the trees. Another Photo courtesy of Norwich Bulletin with migratory pathways, whether river val year a long walk to a secluded reach of the leys, ridge lines, or coastal "funnels" such as river rewarded us with an enigmatic female Linsley, who wrote, "The oystercatcher is East Rock Park in spring and Lighthouse Common Merganser preening itself quietly, now rare here, but fifteen years since they Point in autumn. A breeding bird "hot spot," and along the way the hemlocks yielded Red were not very uncommon in autumn." however, requires a different set of ecological breasted Nuthatch, Blackburnian Warbler, In the 1950s, however, oystercatchers were conditions to promote diversity, and in western Black-throated Green Warbler, and Canada on the move, extending their nesting range Connecticut one location which meets these Warbler. northward. They first nested on Long Island criteria is Steep Rock Park in the town of Adding to the park's habitat diversity is an in 1957, and in the early 1970s they nested Washington. To find this park, go to the arrested succession zone, a transmission on Monomoy Island, at the elbow of Cape intersection of Routes 47 and 109, called right-of-way, in or near which some forty Cod. In 1977 the first nest was discovered Washington Depot, and follow the Shepaug species are regularly recorded. From a high on Fisher's Island, in New York but only River's west bank southward until you reach vantage point on this line, Turkey Vultures, three miles from the Connecticut shore. Rhode the park. Sharp-shinned Hawks, Broadwings, Redtails, Island's first nesting record was in 197 8, Coverage of this area in our June Counts and Kestrels have been seen. when the birds nested on Block Island. during the last three years yielded a total of The park represents no more than 10% of We have therefore expected nesting since seventy species, nearly all of whom are likely our section of the count circle, but the species about 1970 when oystercatchers became breeding birds. The park straddles a particu seen here in 1981 amounted to 75% of the 86 yearly visitors, with one or two birds observed laly spectacular stretch ofthe Shepaug River, species found that day, and more than 50% in the Mystic area, at the mouth of the with steep wooded banks and hemlocks that of the 117 species for the entire 15-mile Housatonic River, and on theN orwalk Islands. hide Barred Owls and Great-horned Owls, diameter circle. A NEW NESTING In 1980 an island off the Mystic-Noank shore had a nesting pair but it failed to produce SPECIES FOR young because of predation by Great Black backed Gulls. CONNECTICUT Finally, on June 12, 1981 , David Sparling, John Williams, and Mary Jean Dewire and I by Robert C. Dewire found a pair with two young on Ram Point in Mystic, Connecticut. To our knowledge, The striking American Oystercatcher this is the first confirmed production of young (Haematopus palliatus) nests on open sandy in the State and the first nesting on the beaches where it can see predators at a great mainland. Ram Point is a small spit of distance and move away from the nest before pebble beach jutting from Mason's Island approaching disturbers realize that a nest is into the Mystic River from the east. The present. This habit gave rise to the notion land is private property and accessible only that oystercatchers incubate only at night by boat. Unattractive as a swimming or and during rainy weather, since no one ever clamming beach, it has, fortunately, little seemed to see them sitting on a nest. current human use. The oystercatcher young As late as the rnid-1960s the oystercatcher we found appeared to be about ten days was considered of accidental occurrence in old. The adults were aggressive in defense. Connecticut. One had to go to New Jersey We twice watched them chase and harass to add it to one's life list. Sage et al, in the Herring Gulls which flew near the young. Oystercatcher Nest 1913 book, The Birds of Connecticut, could Can the Black Skimmer be far behind as a Photo by do no more than quote an 1843 comment by breeding bird? Dennis Varza 52 53 Shrikes, Common Redpolls, and Snow Bunt purpose of conserving living birds; for ex salvage of dead birds, their parts, abandoned BIRDING IN ings occur. ample, preserved specimens have often been eggs or nests, should be done only with One of the sure indicators that an area used for chemical analyses in cases of sus proper legal permits issued to banders for SOUTH WINDSOR merits designation as an outstanding birding pected chemical pollution. Another contin salvaging dead birds. spot is the number of rarities it produces. ual use of collections is as a reference source Listed below are examples of exceptional by Paul Desjardins Station 43 has produced an impressive list for identifying feathers and other parts found records documented by salvaged specimens which includes the White Pelican, Wood in the field. now in the University of Connecticut Museum Connecticut is a small state but we are Stork, Glossy Ibis (rare inland), Whistling Two major historic collections of Connec (UCM) at Storrs; the numbers following the fortunate that it still contains good birding Swan, Barrow's Goldeneye, King Eider, museum abbreviation are unique catalog habitats, some waiting to be explored. One ticut birds were those of John Hall Sage, now Black Vulture, Golden Eagle, Sandhill housed at the University of Connecticut in numbers for each specimen. I thank Robert of the best of these in north central Connecticut Crane, Purple Gallinule, Wilson's Plover, Dubos for comments on an earlier version of is one local birders call Station 43 in South Storrs, and of Louis Bennett Bishop, whose Black Guillemot, Hawk Owl, Western King specimens now reside in the Field Museum this report. Windsor. It measures only eight tenths of a bird, Fish Crow, Hoary Redpoll, Sharp mile from east to west and one and a half in Chicago. Another major assemblage of Horned Grebe, ? near the Willimantic River, tailed Sparrow, and Clay-colored Sparrow. Connecticut specimens is in the Yale Uni miles from north to south. It is between Come and see us. Willimantic, CT; 12 Jan. 1977 (UCM Main Street and the Connecticut River, and versity Peabody Museum ofNatural History 7492). bounded on the south by Vibert Road, and by Paul Desjardins lives in Windsor Locks, is a in New Haven. Other museums with notable Cattle Egret, ? , off Bassett Bridge Road, Strong Road on the north. To reach it from member of our Editorial Advisory Board, and holdings of Connecticut specimens include Mansfield, CT; 5 April1981 (UCM 7779). the south, take Route 91 north to the Bissel has helped make Station 43 the hot spot it is. the American Museum of Natural History Swallow-tailed Kite, ? , from a field at Staf Bridge exit in Windsor. Cross the river and (New York City), Harvard University ford, CT; 3 June 1976 (UCM 7479). turn left (north) on Route 5. Passing Larry's Museum of Comparative Zoology (Cam Sooty Tern, ? , Gales Ferry, Ledyard, CT; Auto Bay, turn left at the traffic light onto bridge, Mass.), National Museum ofN atural 7 Sept. 1979 (UCM 7725). Newberry Road and continue about half a CONNECTICUT History (Washington, D.C.), British Mu Sooty Tern, ? , Westerly, Rl; 6 Sept. 1979 mile to the intersection of Main Street. A seum (Natural History) at Tring, England, (UCM 7774). and the University of Iowa Museum of dirt road leading to Station 43 lies straigh~ BIRDS IN Common Murre, unsexed, Connecticut Turn ahead of you off Main Street. It may be wise Natural History (C.M. Jones Collection) in pike Exit 8, Stamford, CT; 8 Jan. 1977 to park at this intersection because the dirt COLLECTIONS Iowa City. Numerous other institutions have (UCM 7490). small numbers of specimens from Connec road is often rough. Dovekie, o, on a road, Abington-Eastford, The diversity of habitats in this small area by Dr. George A. Clark, Jr. ticut, but no complete tabulation is available. CT; 11 Nov. 1968 (UCM 2001). In most cases curators welcome the use of the is remarkable. It has deciduous woodlands, Dovekie, o , in a corn field, Brooklyn, CT; 5 old fields, marsh, and thickets, as well as the During the past 80 years ornithology has collections by responsible individuals con Nov. 1969 (UCM 4195). ducting serious ornithological studies. river itself. There are sand bars in the river, changed from an emphasis on preserved Dovekie, unsexed, Rippowam River, Stam and every spring a small pool with mudflats specimens to the substantial predominance Major advances in recent decades in bin ford, CT; 15 Nov. 1974 (UCM 7281). develops in one ofthe fields, producing ideal of studies of living birds. Increased public oculars, telescopes, field guides, cameras, Barn Owl, unsexed, one of 3 mummified in a shorebird habitat. Breeding birds include awareness of the numerous problems in bird films, lenses, tape recorders, banding tech power plant dust bin, South Meadows, Green Heron, Least Bittern, Common Gal conservation has led to greater federal and niques, etc., now facilitate reasonable docu Hartford, CT; 1980 (UCM 7688). linule, Sora and Virginia Rails, Willow Fly state regulation of the possession of wild mentation for most records without collection Barn Owl, unsexed, Killingworth, CT; 20 catcher, Marsh Wren, Warbling Vireo, Bobo birds, whether dead or alive, and along with of specimens. However, when birds of spe Jan. 1977 (UCM 7547). link, Meadowlark, Savannah Sparrow, and these changes, the maintenance of collections cial interest are found dead, preservation is Bam Owl, unsexed, died in chimney, Middle others. of preserved birds has increasingly become desirable. Even isolated feathers or eggshell town, CT; 23 July 1978 (UCM 7648). But the migrations produce the most excit the responsibility of scientific and educational fragments can often be of value for documen Barn Owl, ? , Galstonbury, CT; 26 Jan. ing lists. Spring brings occasional Snow institutions rather than individuals. There is tation of records. Wing, tail, and body 1978 (UCM 7509). Geese, Northern Shovelers, Gadwall, and much yet to be learned from collections feathers are remarkably specific for most Common Flicker, o, Mansfield, CT; 2 June Canvasback. Double-crested Cormorants which provide exceptional opportunities for species, and in many cases even a single 1974 (UCM 7220); this bird found dead are common. In autumn, Snow Geese occur evaluating additional characters for use in feather can be correctly identified by com on a road shows both pink and yellow again, plus Golden Plover, Upland Sand systematics, identification, aging, and sexing, parison with a reference collection. Recently feathers in both the wings and tail; L.L. piper, and Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Ruby for determining plumage succession, time of deceased specimens are usually best kept Short, who has studied hybrid flickers exten throated Hummingbirds and Bobolinks are breeding, and the migration routes of popula frozen in plastic bags. At a minimum, the sively, kindly examined color slides of this numerous, and several species of hawks drift tions. In addition, specimens including skele date and place of discovery should be recorded bird and termed it an introgressant individual. by. The Connecticut Warbler occurs during tons and birds preserved in fluid, are of with each specimen; other details including Varied Thrush, o, hit a window, Riverside, September and October, and one may observe special value for improving our very incom habitat and possible time and causes of death Greenwich, CT; 17 Dec. 1977 (UCM eight or nine species of sparrows before the plete knowledge of the many anatomical can also be valuable. Well wrapped speci 7517). hunting season starts. Common Mergansers differences among birds and how these are mens will keep satisfactorily in a freezer for Black-headed Grosbeak, o, Gales Ferry, are always present on the river in winter, and related to differences in habits. Collections many weeks if necessary until they can be Ledyard, CT; 18 Mar. 1978 (UCM 7726). occasional Rough-legged Hawks, Loggerhead have also proved to be of great value for the presented to an appropriate institution. Such Sharp-tailed Sparrow, subspecies caudacuta; 54 55 Shrikes, Common Redpolls, and Snow Bunt purpose of conserving living birds; for ex salvage of dead birds, their parts, abandoned BIRDING IN ings occur. ample, preserved specimens have often been eggs or nests, should be done only with One of the sure indicators that an area used for chemical analyses in cases of sus proper legal permits issued to banders for SOUTH WINDSOR merits designation as an outstanding birding pected chemical pollution. Another contin salvaging dead birds. spot is the number of rarities it produces. ual use of collections is as a reference source Listed below are examples of exceptional by Paul Desjardins Station 43 has produced an impressive list for identifying feathers and other parts found records documented by salvaged specimens which includes the White Pelican, Wood in the field. now in the University of Connecticut Museum Connecticut is a small state but we are Stork, Glossy Ibis (rare inland), Whistling Two major historic collections of Connec (UCM) at Storrs; the numbers following the fortunate that it still contains good birding Swan, Barrow's Goldeneye, King Eider, museum abbreviation are unique catalog habitats, some waiting to be explored. One ticut birds were those of John Hall Sage, now Black Vulture, Golden Eagle, Sandhill housed at the University of Connecticut in numbers for each specimen. I thank Robert of the best of these in north central Connecticut Crane, Purple Gallinule, Wilson's Plover, Dubos for comments on an earlier version of is one local birders call Station 43 in South Storrs, and of Louis Bennett Bishop, whose Black Guillemot, Hawk Owl, Western King specimens now reside in the Field Museum this report. Windsor. It measures only eight tenths of a bird, Fish Crow, Hoary Redpoll, Sharp mile from east to west and one and a half in Chicago. Another major assemblage of Horned Grebe, ? near the Willimantic River, tailed Sparrow, and Clay-colored Sparrow. Connecticut specimens is in the Yale Uni miles from north to south. It is between Come and see us. Willimantic, CT; 12 Jan. 1977 (UCM Main Street and the Connecticut River, and versity Peabody Museum ofNatural History 7492). bounded on the south by Vibert Road, and by Paul Desjardins lives in Windsor Locks, is a in New Haven. Other museums with notable Cattle Egret, ? , off Bassett Bridge Road, Strong Road on the north. To reach it from member of our Editorial Advisory Board, and holdings of Connecticut specimens include Mansfield, CT; 5 April1981 (UCM 7779). the south, take Route 91 north to the Bissel has helped make Station 43 the hot spot it is. the American Museum of Natural History Swallow-tailed Kite, ? , from a field at Staf Bridge exit in Windsor. Cross the river and (New York City), Harvard University ford, CT; 3 June 1976 (UCM 7479). turn left (north) on Route 5. Passing Larry's Museum of Comparative Zoology (Cam Sooty Tern, ? , Gales Ferry, Ledyard, CT; Auto Bay, turn left at the traffic light onto bridge, Mass.), National Museum ofN atural 7 Sept. 1979 (UCM 7725). Newberry Road and continue about half a CONNECTICUT History (Washington, D.C.), British Mu Sooty Tern, ? , Westerly, Rl; 6 Sept. 1979 mile to the intersection of Main Street. A seum (Natural History) at Tring, England, (UCM 7774). and the University of Iowa Museum of dirt road leading to Station 43 lies straigh~ BIRDS IN Common Murre, unsexed, Connecticut Turn ahead of you off Main Street. It may be wise Natural History (C.M. Jones Collection) in pike Exit 8, Stamford, CT; 8 Jan. 1977 to park at this intersection because the dirt COLLECTIONS Iowa City. Numerous other institutions have (UCM 7490). small numbers of specimens from Connec road is often rough. Dovekie, o, on a road, Abington-Eastford, The diversity of habitats in this small area by Dr. George A. Clark, Jr. ticut, but no complete tabulation is available. CT; 11 Nov. 1968 (UCM 2001). In most cases curators welcome the use of the is remarkable. It has deciduous woodlands, Dovekie, o , in a corn field, Brooklyn, CT; 5 old fields, marsh, and thickets, as well as the During the past 80 years ornithology has collections by responsible individuals con Nov. 1969 (UCM 4195). ducting serious ornithological studies. river itself. There are sand bars in the river, changed from an emphasis on preserved Dovekie, unsexed, Rippowam River, Stam and every spring a small pool with mudflats specimens to the substantial predominance Major advances in recent decades in bin ford, CT; 15 Nov. 1974 (UCM 7281). develops in one ofthe fields, producing ideal of studies of living birds. Increased public oculars, telescopes, field guides, cameras, Barn Owl, unsexed, one of 3 mummified in a shorebird habitat. Breeding birds include awareness of the numerous problems in bird films, lenses, tape recorders, banding tech power plant dust bin, South Meadows, Green Heron, Least Bittern, Common Gal conservation has led to greater federal and niques, etc., now facilitate reasonable docu Hartford, CT; 1980 (UCM 7688). linule, Sora and Virginia Rails, Willow Fly state regulation of the possession of wild mentation for most records without collection Barn Owl, unsexed, Killingworth, CT; 20 catcher, Marsh Wren, Warbling Vireo, Bobo birds, whether dead or alive, and along with of specimens. However, when birds of spe Jan. 1977 (UCM 7547). link, Meadowlark, Savannah Sparrow, and these changes, the maintenance of collections cial interest are found dead, preservation is Bam Owl, unsexed, died in chimney, Middle others. of preserved birds has increasingly become desirable. Even isolated feathers or eggshell town, CT; 23 July 1978 (UCM 7648). But the migrations produce the most excit the responsibility of scientific and educational fragments can often be of value for documen Barn Owl, ? , Galstonbury, CT; 26 Jan. ing lists. Spring brings occasional Snow institutions rather than individuals. There is tation of records. Wing, tail, and body 1978 (UCM 7509). Geese, Northern Shovelers, Gadwall, and much yet to be learned from collections feathers are remarkably specific for most Common Flicker, o, Mansfield, CT; 2 June Canvasback. Double-crested Cormorants which provide exceptional opportunities for species, and in many cases even a single 1974 (UCM 7220); this bird found dead are common. In autumn, Snow Geese occur evaluating additional characters for use in feather can be correctly identified by com on a road shows both pink and yellow again, plus Golden Plover, Upland Sand systematics, identification, aging, and sexing, parison with a reference collection. Recently feathers in both the wings and tail; L.L. piper, and Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Ruby for determining plumage succession, time of deceased specimens are usually best kept Short, who has studied hybrid flickers exten throated Hummingbirds and Bobolinks are breeding, and the migration routes of popula frozen in plastic bags. At a minimum, the sively, kindly examined color slides of this numerous, and several species of hawks drift tions. In addition, specimens including skele date and place of discovery should be recorded bird and termed it an introgressant individual. by. The Connecticut Warbler occurs during tons and birds preserved in fluid, are of with each specimen; other details including Varied Thrush, o, hit a window, Riverside, September and October, and one may observe special value for improving our very incom habitat and possible time and causes of death Greenwich, CT; 17 Dec. 1977 (UCM eight or nine species of sparrows before the plete knowledge of the many anatomical can also be valuable. Well wrapped speci 7517). hunting season starts. Common Mergansers differences among birds and how these are mens will keep satisfactorily in a freezer for Black-headed Grosbeak, o, Gales Ferry, are always present on the river in winter, and related to differences in habits. Collections many weeks if necessary until they can be Ledyard, CT; 18 Mar. 1978 (UCM 7726). occasional Rough-legged Hawks, Loggerhead have also proved to be of great value for the presented to an appropriate institution. Such Sharp-tailed Sparrow, subspecies caudacuta; 54 55 mummified on a road by the Willimantic For organizational purposes, the State River, South Willington, CT; 12 June 1973 will be partitioned into seven regions, each to (UCM 7123); an exceptional inland record consist of several United States Geological for this subspecies. Survey 7lh minute quadrangles. These are the nation's standard maps. Each quadrangle is in turn quartered with the intent of getting individual coverage of at least one quarter NOTES each year. Some areas may receive heavier coverage because they have, or attract more birders. We especially need lots of workers &NEWS during the first four years. The fifth year will be devoted to up-dating, special coverage, and general tieing up of loose ends. THE BREEDING BIRD Regional coordinators will soon be appointed ATLAS PROJECT and the next step will be the assignment and training of territory captains, each to be by Christopher Wood responsible for one quadrangle for the year. ©Kevin Byron These territory captains, with the help of Amost certainly, there are many favored regional coordinators, will organize full THE CHIMON ISLAND breeding bird areas in Connecticut, like coverage in their territories, collate data, and HEINZ MENG Steep Rock Park, and those who read this transmit it to regional coordinators. They FALCON LECTURE PROJECT will assign blocks to anyone who knows birds journal are most likely to be aware ofthem or Dr. Heinz Meng ofthe Peregrine Founda and is willing to help. The final rules will be by Sandra Erskine best-equipped to discover them. This is your tion was the first person to successfully breed opportunity to contribute to the most ambi printed and distributed prior to January, Peregrine Falcons in captivity and is chiefly tious compilation of Connecticut ornitho 1982, when some hawks and owls begin their Chimon Island is one of that chain of responsible for their return to wild breeding islands known collectively as the Norwalk logical information since Sage, Bishop and breeding cycle. status in the White Mountains of New Bliss (1913). The Audubon Council of VOLUNTEER TERRITORY CAP Islands which also include Grassy, Betts, Hampshire. Copps, Ram, and Sheffield Islands. These Connecticut, assisted by the Northeast TAINS ARE NEEDED NOW! You, the Dr. Meng will present a lecture entitled Regional Office of the National Audubon readers of Connecticut Warbler, are among remnants of a former glacial moraine are The Falcons Return on Saturday, November Society, are well along with plans to initiate a the State's most able and active birders. The approximately one mile south of the entrance Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA) in 1982. This BBA Project needs your talent and time if the 21 , 1981 at 8:00P.M. It will be held at the to Norwalk Harbor and are used extensively Tomlinson Jr. High School in Fairfield, CT. will be a five-year project to map the distribu Project is to succeed. Please contact Elsa by fishermen, boaters, and other recreation Admission is $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for tion of our breeding birds and clarify their Jennings at the NAS Northeast Regional seekers. persons under 16. For more information call numerical status, and will culminate in a Office, Sharon Audubon Center, Rt. 4, Chimon Island is presently owned by the 259-0416. Sharon, CT06069 (tel. 364-5989); or Chris William Garafalo family who intend to sell publication that should establish invaluable A feature of the evening lecture will be the baselines of bird life to help assess and guide Wood, Quanopaug Tr., Woodbury, CT it. It might therefore be developed for private flying of his live falcons in the auditorium. homes, though an Island Conservation Zone Connecticut environmental programs. 06798 (tel. 263-5331). limits dwellings to one per two acres. FIRST ALL-COMERS This summer the Natural History Services Department of the Connecticut Audubon CHRISTMAS COUNT Society initiated a study of Connecticut's On Sunday, January 3, 1982, the first ever most important heronry on Chimon. A sea TORRe sonallease was secured from the owner and a •HTFD team competition will be held in an area of eWILL northeastern Connecticut. The count will warden assigned to protect and study the begin at midnight and end at 5:00 P.M. area from late May to mid-August. In this Each team ( 1 to 6 members per car) can visit initial year of the study our objectives were 1) WTBVe eNORW all areas of the standard 15 mile diameter to identify all the nesting species; 2) to make count circle to find birds. This count is an accurate count of the nests of the dominant planned as a friendly competition to familiar species; 3) to band as many of the nesting ize people with a poorly birded area of the birds as possible; and 4) to color-dye the state. Get a team together and join in the white herons to track their dispersal from the fun. Call Fred Sibley (453-9345) or Jim island. Mockalis (295-9937) for details including Our study yielded 510 Black-crowned the site and the location where the compilation Night Heron nests; two nests of the Yellow crowned Night Heron; 217 of the Snowy Breeding Bird Atlas Regions will be held. 56 57 mummified on a road by the Willimantic For organizational purposes, the State River, South Willington, CT; 12 June 1973 will be partitioned into seven regions, each to (UCM 7123); an exceptional inland record consist of several United States Geological for this subspecies. Survey 7lh minute quadrangles. These are the nation's standard maps. Each quadrangle is in turn quartered with the intent of getting individual coverage of at least one quarter NOTES each year. Some areas may receive heavier coverage because they have, or attract more birders. We especially need lots of workers &NEWS during the first four years. The fifth year will be devoted to up-dating, special coverage, and general tieing up of loose ends. THE BREEDING BIRD Regional coordinators will soon be appointed ATLAS PROJECT and the next step will be the assignment and training of territory captains, each to be by Christopher Wood responsible for one quadrangle for the year. ©Kevin Byron These territory captains, with the help of Amost certainly, there are many favored regional coordinators, will organize full THE CHIMON ISLAND breeding bird areas in Connecticut, like coverage in their territories, collate data, and HEINZ MENG Steep Rock Park, and those who read this transmit it to regional coordinators. They FALCON LECTURE PROJECT will assign blocks to anyone who knows birds journal are most likely to be aware ofthem or Dr. Heinz Meng ofthe Peregrine Founda and is willing to help. The final rules will be by Sandra Erskine best-equipped to discover them. This is your tion was the first person to successfully breed opportunity to contribute to the most ambi printed and distributed prior to January, Peregrine Falcons in captivity and is chiefly tious compilation of Connecticut ornitho 1982, when some hawks and owls begin their Chimon Island is one of that chain of responsible for their return to wild breeding islands known collectively as the Norwalk logical information since Sage, Bishop and breeding cycle. status in the White Mountains of New Bliss (1913). The Audubon Council of VOLUNTEER TERRITORY CAP Islands which also include Grassy, Betts, Hampshire. Copps, Ram, and Sheffield Islands. These Connecticut, assisted by the Northeast TAINS ARE NEEDED NOW! You, the Dr. Meng will present a lecture entitled Regional Office of the National Audubon readers of Connecticut Warbler, are among remnants of a former glacial moraine are The Falcons Return on Saturday, November Society, are well along with plans to initiate a the State's most able and active birders. The approximately one mile south of the entrance Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA) in 1982. This BBA Project needs your talent and time if the 21 , 1981 at 8:00P.M. It will be held at the to Norwalk Harbor and are used extensively Tomlinson Jr. High School in Fairfield, CT. will be a five-year project to map the distribu Project is to succeed. Please contact Elsa by fishermen, boaters, and other recreation Admission is $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for tion of our breeding birds and clarify their Jennings at the NAS Northeast Regional seekers. persons under 16. For more information call numerical status, and will culminate in a Office, Sharon Audubon Center, Rt. 4, Chimon Island is presently owned by the 259-0416. Sharon, CT06069 (tel. 364-5989); or Chris William Garafalo family who intend to sell publication that should establish invaluable A feature of the evening lecture will be the baselines of bird life to help assess and guide Wood, Quanopaug Tr., Woodbury, CT it. It might therefore be developed for private flying of his live falcons in the auditorium. homes, though an Island Conservation Zone Connecticut environmental programs. 06798 (tel. 263-5331). limits dwellings to one per two acres. FIRST ALL-COMERS This summer the Natural History Services Department of the Connecticut Audubon CHRISTMAS COUNT Society initiated a study of Connecticut's On Sunday, January 3, 1982, the first ever most important heronry on Chimon. A sea TORRe sonallease was secured from the owner and a •HTFD team competition will be held in an area of eWILL northeastern Connecticut. The count will warden assigned to protect and study the begin at midnight and end at 5:00 P.M. area from late May to mid-August. In this Each team ( 1 to 6 members per car) can visit initial year of the study our objectives were 1) WTBVe eNORW all areas of the standard 15 mile diameter to identify all the nesting species; 2) to make count circle to find birds. This count is an accurate count of the nests of the dominant planned as a friendly competition to familiar species; 3) to band as many of the nesting ize people with a poorly birded area of the birds as possible; and 4) to color-dye the state. Get a team together and join in the white herons to track their dispersal from the fun. Call Fred Sibley (453-9345) or Jim island. Mockalis (295-9937) for details including Our study yielded 510 Black-crowned the site and the location where the compilation Night Heron nests; two nests of the Yellow crowned Night Heron; 217 of the Snowy Breeding Bird Atlas Regions will be held. 56 57 Egret; 28 of the Great Egret; 17 of the horizontal stripe) were put on each of the Cattle Egret; 23 of the Glossy Ibis; 12 of tagged birds. the Green Heron; and 13 of the Little Blue If you see a Common Tern with a pink or Heron. orange wing tag, please report the place, date We banded 341 young birds as follows: 98 and color of the tag. If possible, also record Black-crowned Night Herons, 7 Yellow the combination of numbers or letters on the crowned Night Herons, 171 Snowy Egrets, tag (the two tags on any bird have the same 13 Cattle Egrets, 21 Great Egrets, 6 Glossy color and the same combination ofletters and Ibis, 6 Green Herons, and 19 Little Blue numbers) and note which legs the plastic and Herons. Ofthese 341 birds, lOOwere color metal leg bands are on. All reports will be dyed with a picric acid solution which pro acknowledged and should be sent to: duces a yellow stain. We dyed 77 Snowy Bird Banding Office What our subscribers say: Egrets, 10 Great Egrets, 11 Cattle Egrets, Canadian Wildlife Service and 2 Little Blue Herons. Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA In addition, we surveyed the outlying KIA OE7 "Glad to see Joan Lee Faust's article in the Sunday, October 4th issue of the New islands-Grassy, Betts, and Copps-and York Times about your new birding venture, The Connecticut Warbler .. . The article banded 103 Herring Gull chicks and 33 reflects a true understanding of the purpose of your journal. Congratulations to the Great Black-backed Gull chicks. THE EFFECTS OF volunteer staff for tackling this tough task. I, for one, think you are doing a great job and This initial year of study on Chimon URBANIZATION ON I'm pleased to see the Times thinks so too." Island was a productive one. We hope to J.D.M continue our work next spring with the BREEDING BIRDS Fairfield, CT cooperation of the owner, assessing our 1981 Gregory S. Butcher, writing in a recent work, and continuing the study of the heronry issue of Oecologia , an international journal, in particular. Since this is the only major "Today is my bosses birthday and I want you to know that he will be one surprised and reports on the loss of species resulting from happy man to receive a gift subscription to the Connecticut Warbler." heronry in Long Island Sound there is need to the shrinking of habitats as mankind continues study the implications of development, lest A.K.S. to partition the planet for human uses without Newington, CT. the birds be forced to desert. consideration of the needs of other species. Butcher's paper is entitled "Equilibrium Bio Sandra (Sandy) Erskine is a student at the University of Colorado and the first CAS geography and the Size of Nature Preserves: "Just heard that your new magazine, The Connecticut Warbler, is done entirely by a warden at Chimon Island. An Avian Case Study," and reports on field volunteer staff who are doing this work because oftheir love of birding and a real concern work done at the Bolleswood Natural Area of for Connecticut wildlife. In these times of "what's in it for me?" this is an unusually Connecticut Arboretum in New London, commendable movement and I'm glad to be able to support it. Keep those issues where Professors William Niering, Richard coming." COMMON TERN COLOR H . Goodwin, and William J. Barry have R.B.B. encouraged study of this problem for two Milford, CT. MARKING BY THE decades. CANADIAN WILDLIFE This study documents a growing awareness that several bird species of the eastern deci SERVICE duous forest are "interior" or "deep forest" nesters and abandon sites or fail to produce During 1981, Dr. Hans Blokpoel of the young when large woodland blocks are cut by Canadian Wildlife Service color marked roads or otherwise reduced in size, making Common Terns at two large colonies in the them "islands" of woodland in a spreading Great Lakes region with the objective of suburbia instead of true forests as formerly. determining their migration routes and where The Connecticut bird species which are they winter. Adult terns were trapped on declining because of this "island effect" their nests at the eastern headland of the include the Eastern Wood Pewee, Red-eyed Toronto Outer Harbor (Lake Ontario) and at Vireo, Hooded Warbler, and American Red Tower Island on the Niagra River. Orange start. It is suspected that several other species plastic tags were attached to both wings of are also affected. the birds. In addition, young terns were Such studies are throwing new light on the marked with pink plastic wing tags at the need for large blocks of habitat if the full same colonies. One metal leg band and one complement of indigenous species is to be colored plastic leg band (yellow with a black protected for the future . 58 Egret; 28 of the Great Egret; 17 of the horizontal stripe) were put on each of the Cattle Egret; 23 of the Glossy Ibis; 12 of tagged birds. the Green Heron; and 13 of the Little Blue If you see a Common Tern with a pink or Heron. orange wing tag, please report the place, date We banded 341 young birds as follows: 98 and color of the tag. If possible, also record Black-crowned Night Herons, 7 Yellow the combination of numbers or letters on the crowned Night Herons, 171 Snowy Egrets, tag (the two tags on any bird have the same 13 Cattle Egrets, 21 Great Egrets, 6 Glossy color and the same combination ofletters and Ibis, 6 Green Herons, and 19 Little Blue numbers) and note which legs the plastic and Herons. Ofthese 341 birds, lOOwere color metal leg bands are on. All reports will be dyed with a picric acid solution which pro acknowledged and should be sent to: duces a yellow stain. We dyed 77 Snowy Bird Banding Office What our subscribers say: Egrets, 10 Great Egrets, 11 Cattle Egrets, Canadian Wildlife Service and 2 Little Blue Herons. Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA In addition, we surveyed the outlying KIA OE7 "Glad to see Joan Lee Faust's article in the Sunday, October 4th issue of the New islands-Grassy, Betts, and Copps-and York Times about your new birding venture, The Connecticut Warbler .. . The article banded 103 Herring Gull chicks and 33 reflects a true understanding of the purpose of your journal. Congratulations to the Great Black-backed Gull chicks. THE EFFECTS OF volunteer staff for tackling this tough task. I, for one, think you are doing a great job and This initial year of study on Chimon URBANIZATION ON I'm pleased to see the Times thinks so too." Island was a productive one. We hope to J.D.M continue our work next spring with the BREEDING BIRDS Fairfield, CT cooperation of the owner, assessing our 1981 Gregory S. Butcher, writing in a recent work, and continuing the study of the heronry issue of Oecologia , an international journal, in particular. Since this is the only major "Today is my bosses birthday and I want you to know that he will be one surprised and reports on the loss of species resulting from happy man to receive a gift subscription to the Connecticut Warbler." heronry in Long Island Sound there is need to the shrinking of habitats as mankind continues study the implications of development, lest A.K.S. to partition the planet for human uses without Newington, CT. the birds be forced to desert. consideration of the needs of other species. Butcher's paper is entitled "Equilibrium Bio Sandra (Sandy) Erskine is a student at the University of Colorado and the first CAS geography and the Size of Nature Preserves: "Just heard that your new magazine, The Connecticut Warbler, is done entirely by a warden at Chimon Island. An Avian Case Study," and reports on field volunteer staff who are doing this work because oftheir love of birding and a real concern work done at the Bolleswood Natural Area of for Connecticut wildlife. In these times of "what's in it for me?" this is an unusually Connecticut Arboretum in New London, commendable movement and I'm glad to be able to support it. Keep those issues where Professors William Niering, Richard coming." COMMON TERN COLOR H . Goodwin, and William J. Barry have R.B.B. encouraged study of this problem for two Milford, CT. MARKING BY THE decades. CANADIAN WILDLIFE This study documents a growing awareness that several bird species of the eastern deci SERVICE duous forest are "interior" or "deep forest" nesters and abandon sites or fail to produce During 1981, Dr. Hans Blokpoel of the young when large woodland blocks are cut by Canadian Wildlife Service color marked roads or otherwise reduced in size, making Common Terns at two large colonies in the them "islands" of woodland in a spreading Great Lakes region with the objective of suburbia instead of true forests as formerly. determining their migration routes and where The Connecticut bird species which are they winter. Adult terns were trapped on declining because of this "island effect" their nests at the eastern headland of the include the Eastern Wood Pewee, Red-eyed Toronto Outer Harbor (Lake Ontario) and at Vireo, Hooded Warbler, and American Red Tower Island on the Niagra River. Orange start. It is suspected that several other species plastic tags were attached to both wings of are also affected. the birds. In addition, young terns were Such studies are throwing new light on the marked with pink plastic wing tags at the need for large blocks of habitat if the full same colonies. One metal leg band and one complement of indigenous species is to be colored plastic leg band (yellow with a black protected for the future . 58 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE 1 EDITORIAL 43 Carl J. Trichka BREEDING BIOLOGY OF WATERTHRUSHES 44 CONNECTIClJT Dr. Robert J . Craig