Fall Storms Mean Good Birding!
By Patrick Comins on September 17, 2012, 10:50am
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We’re in for our first real fall storm this week and storms that coincide with bird migration can make for good birding. The best storms have easterly winds that can blow birds that would normally take an overwater route southwards into Long Island Sound . Some of these birds, such as the Hudsonian Godwit pictured above, will fly directly from Maine or Cape Cod to the tropics without ever touching land again until the reach South America. A good fall storm can mess up those plans though and bring those birds to Connecticut. This time of year, many of the shorebirds that are moving through are juveniles, hatched this summer in the Arctic breeding grounds. Most of the adults have already passed through and the young birds are on their own to find the wintering grounds that they have never been to before. This makes them prone to being blown off course.
This storm will feature strong southerly winds, the beginnings of which are already showing up in the wind maps (as of Monday morning) http://hint.fm/wind/ . The winds are going to increase as the system approaches, perhaps reaching gale force by Tuesday night. Such systems can hold their own surprises! The last time we had a southerly flow, several rare birds showed up in the Northeast, with a Crested Caracara (normally from Florida or Texas) seen in New Jersey, a Loggerhead Shrike in Massachusetts, an American Avocet seen in Stratford and a juvenile White Ibis seen at Sandy Point in Stratford. More southern butterflies were also seen in the state, with reports of long-tailed skippers , good numbers of cloudless sulphurs and a few little yellows. Things with wings can get blown off course!
What will this storm bring? It is always tough to know for sure, but one thing is certain; it will be a good time to get out and look for birds, especially along the coast or at large inland lakes. American Golden-Plovers or Buff-breasted Sandpipers will be a good bet at places like Hammonasset Beach State Park, Rocky Hill Meadows or Sikorsky Airport, as will increased numbers of our regular customers, such as Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, Sanderlings and Semipalmated Sandpipers. We could also have better chances to see Pectoral Sandpipers or even some rare birds such as Hudsonian or Marbled Godwits, Whimbrels or Stilt Sandpipers. It could be a good time to look for southern vagrants such as Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Brown Pelicans or Blue Grosbeaks.
If the (much needed) rain materializes it will be even better and we could reap the benefits for several days afterwards as rain pools up on the lawns or bare areas at the above locations. Rain pools are always a favorite for migrating shorebirds and rainy days are the best time to visit Hammoansset Beach State Park for shorebirding, as the shorebirds will come right up onto the lawn parking areas at Meigs’ Point Nature Center. Other places worth a look might include The Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milford Point Coastal Center (best at or near high tide), or their facility at Stratford Point, Menunketesuck Flats in Westbrook, Colebrook Reservoir, Bantam Lake in Litchfield or Mansfield Hollow Reservoir. After this storm has passed and winds turn back to the north and will be back to the regularly scheduled migration and hawk watches or migrant traps could be worth a look during the day on Wednesday or Thursday morning and day(please see the last column for information on this).
To find out what Audubon and our partners at the Connecticut Audubon Society are doing to help and monitor shorebirds, please check out our blog at: http://ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com/ or like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Audubon-Alliance-for-Coastal-Waterbirds/168520783251234
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