Chickadee Chatter • March 2012Chickadee Chatter

May/June 2014 Litchfield Hills Audubon Society Newsletter Volume 59 / Issue 3

The mission of the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats, for the benefit of the community, through conservation, education and research.

President’s MessageBy Fran Zygmont

What a Winter …. Now Migrate Outside!

Hopefully, by the time this newslet-ter is published, winter weather will be well past us. This winter was a rough and long-lasting season, but it brought the best opportunity to see a snowy owl in Con-necticut in almost 50 years. The snowies now are well on their way north to their breeding grounds, and species of birds that breed here are pouring into our state. I have always found the migration of birds fascinating and one of the most incredible natural wonders we can experience locally.

Most birds migrate at night, and if the weather patterns are optimal, tens of thousands of birds can pass through the state in just one evening. Radar is the best way to track concentrations of birds as they take flight just after dusk. One of the best websites to see this phenomenon is the base reflectivity radar loop of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, found online at radar.weather.gov. Accessing this just after dark will show an explosion of color at radar sites, indicating large concentrations of birds making their way north in spring or south in fall. If you do see radar activity in our area, step outside and listen. Migrating birds often make short “chip” or “zeet” calls. Why they do this is unknown, but it may be to communicate with other migrating birds or possibly to echolocate so they can maintain a safe flight height.

Another site I would recommend taking a look at is a wind map found at hint.fm/wind. This radar tracks wind direction and speed across the country. Birds use wind to their advantage by reducing the amount of energy they

ProgramsMay 5 — Swift Decline Needs Swift Conservation. Speaker: DEEP’s Shannon Kearney-McGee.June 2 — Annual Meeting / In the Eye of an Eagle. Speaker: Lawrence (Larry) B. Fisher Jr. July 7 — Walking Where Dragons Fly. Speaker: bi-ologist Kirsten Martin, Ph.D.August 4 — Annual Picnic / Raptors: Hawks and Owls. Speaker: Sharon Audubon’s Erin O’Connell.

EventsMay 3 — Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. Leader: Debbie Martin.May 4 — Bird Walk at Boyd Woods. Leader: David Zomick.May 10 — Bird Walk at Great Mountain Forest. Leader: Dave Tripp.May 10 — Wigwam Work Party. Leader: John Baker.May 11 — Bird Walk at WMCC. Leader: Donna Rose Smith.May 17 — Bird Walk at Kalmia. Leader: Fran Zygmont.May 18 — Bird Walk at WMCC. Co-leaders: Marie Kennedy and Ray Belding.May 25 — Bird Walk at WMCC. Leader: Olaf Soltau.May 31 — Dawn Chorus and Nature Walk at WMCC. Leader: Fran Zygmont.June 1 — Bird Walk at WMCC. Leader: Ann Orsillo.June 7-8 — Summer Bird Count. Leader: Dave Tripp.

There are additional trips listed on page 8.

Upcoming Programs & Events(See Calendar, pages 6-8, for details)

(continued on page 3)

Chickadee Chatter2 ! May/June 2014

LHAS OfficersPresident ! Fran Zygmont ! 860-379-4461Vice President ! Harry Ainsworth! 860-777-8012Treasurer ! Marie Kennedy ! 860-567-5487Rec. Secretary ! Liz Frazier-Zygmont! 860-379-4461Corresp. Secretary Pam Hicks ! 860-491-1417

Board of DirectorsAngela Dimmitt ! 2014 ! 860-355-3429Nancy Nichols ! 2014 ! 860-354-5114Robyn Dinda ! 2014! 860-567-0738John Baker! 2015! 860-567-8427Nicki Hall! 2015! 860-379-8917Heather Shirlock! 2015! 860-307-8347Ray Belding ! 2016! 860-482-4046Susanne Ainsworth!2016! 860-484-4273David Zomick! 2016! 860-584-2824

Committee ChairpeopleBoyd Sanctuary ! Debbie & Rich Martin ! 860-584-5706Conservation ! Nicki Hall ! 860-379-8917Education ! Donna Rose Smith ! 203-706-0474Facebook! Liz Frazier-Zygmont! 860-379-4461Field Trips ! David Zomick ! 860-584-2824Fundraising ! Janet Baker* ! 860-567-8427Historian ! Angela Dimmitt* ! 860-355-3429Hospitality ! Carol Perrault ! 860-589-8023Junior Audubon ! Robyn Dinda ! 860-567-0738Kalmia Sanctuary ! Bob & Doreen Orciari !860-485-1347Membership ! Doreen Orciari ! 860-485-1347Newsletter ! Diane Edwards ! 860-485-9319Program ! Heather Shirlock ! 860-307-8347Publicity ! Shirley Gay ! 860-482-0819Scholarships ! Marcia McGowan ! 860-274-2089Website! Rich Martin ! 860-584-5706Wigwam Brook Sanctuary ! John Baker ! 860-567-8427

ResearchChristmas Count ! Ray Belding ! 860-482-4046Summer Count ! Dave Tripp ! 860-693-6524

* Seeking Replacement

Chickadee Chatter was printed by

959 Migeon AvenueTorrington, CT 06790

860-482-9388www.rainbowpressonline.com

Special thanks to Doreen Orciari and Janet Baker for helping to proof-read this newsletter.

The next LHAS Board Meeting will be onTuesday, May 20

at 7:15 PMin White Memorial’s A.B. Ceder Room

The Chickadee Chatter is published in January, March, May, July, September, and November. For the July/August 2014 issue, all articles must be received by the editor no later than June 1. Please email items for publication in the newsletter to Diane Edwards at edwardsd68@charter.net or mail them to her at 68 Shingle Mill Road, Harwinton, CT 06791. Send other business to the appropriate chairperson at LHAS, P.O. Box 861, Litchfield, CT 06759-0861 or lhasct@me.com.

Scan the QR code above with your smartphone to go to www.lhasct.org.

LHAS website QR code

This newsletter and other LHAS features can be seen IN LIVING COLOR on the LHAS Web page: www.lhasct.org.

May/June 2014! ! 3Chickadee Chatter

Welcome New MembersBy Doreen Orciari, Membership Chairperson

.............................................Harry Ackerman Riverton...............................................Diane Bisson Watertown

.........................................Jeannette Brodeur Terryville.................................Marion Buice-Hubert* Plymouth

.....................................Dorothy Dalton* New Milford............................................Richard Gordon Litchfield

.....................................Dan Lufkin Washington Depot.................................Kathleen Mackeiwicz* Terryville

........................................Kristina Smith New Hartford..............................................Diane Trivella Torrington

................................................John Wagner Northfield..............................................Adrienne Weik Litchfield

LHAS membership is now at 746.

If your newsletter is addressed incorrectly or if you fail to receive one, send a postcard to LHAS, P.O. Box 861, Litchfield, CT 06759-0861 or send an email to Doreen Orciari at doreen.orciari@gmail.com.

* Welcome back

MEMBERSHIPexpend in flight — but only if it travels in the direction they want. Northwesterly winds in spring are not conducive to migration, but a warm front with winds from the southwest is.

The outdoor activities we have planned in May and June will offer many opportunities for you to mi-grate out the door and into nature. Two recommendations: First, visit Boyd Woods to see the impressive result of the phase-one work to restore habitat for the New England cottontail and several bird species that rely on this type of habitat. (See Debbie Martin’s arti-cle about this on page 9.) Second, attend any of the spring bird walks we have scheduled throughout May. Our expe-rienced leaders will point out the many bird gems in our region, and if the weather conditions are ripe for migra-tion, you may see more than you had anticipated.

President’s Message (continued from page 1)

Help Wanted: LHAS Historian

Volunteer needed to fill position of Historian. No particular skills required, though flair with scrapbooking highly desirable. Duties include maintaining up-to-date records of all LHAS ac-tivities reported in local newspapers, flyers from special functions, photographs taken on trips (birding, kayaking, and otherwise), also obituar-ies, etc. Attendance at LHAS monthly meetings and bimonthly Board meetings encouraged. If interested, please contact President Fran Zygmont at 860-379-4461 or current Histo-rian Angela Dimmitt at 860-355-3429.

Fundraising 2013-2014By Janet Baker, Chairman

This year, fundraising was very difficult, as our guiding star and popular chair, Judy Bekasi, became ill and passed away. We all felt at a loss, but we finally pulled ourselves together and got the Annual Appeal under way. We are delighted to report we have exceeded our goal of $6,000 (by a small amount), but we have not received all the do-nations yet. If your contribution is among the missing, we can accept your donation until April 30, when we close the books on this fiscal year.

We are indebted to all our members who helped with the Annual Appeal mailing. We are especially grateful to all of our loyal donors who have mailed in their generous donations. We received a 25% response rate to our mail-ings this year, which is the best we have ever done. Thank you!

If you would like to help with the 2014-2015 Annual Ap-peal later this year, please don’t hesitate to sign up. We adhere to the old adage that “many hands make light work” and will welcome you with open arms. If anyone has any questions, suggestions, or comments, please let me know at 860-567-8427 or berryledges@optonline.net.

Barn swallowDrawing: Steven D’Amato

Chickadee Chatter 4! May/June 2014

Pleasures and TreasuresBy David Zomick, Field Trips Chairperson

My Arizona Trip, Part Two

After an early-morning attempt to locate the Williamson’s sapsucker proved unsuccessful, we traveled to historic and infamous Tomb-stone, site of Boot Hill, OK Cor-ral, bullet holes, cowboys, sa-loons, and bawdy women. Next destination: Bisbee, Arizona, a funky, old mining town, and then on to White Water Draw in Ari-zona’s southeast corner. Thou-sands of sandhill cranes converge

at White Water Draw each winter. Unwittingly our timing — arriving at dusk — was perfect. The cranes were massed by the tens of thousands, silhouetted by the burnt-orange and purple Arizona desert sunset. On occasion, they would arise en masse, filling the sky, then landing softly for the night.

At dawn’s first light, crowds of cranes and awestruck admirers gathered again. Loudly and noisily, the cranes split off in small groups, creating a cacophony of clacking calls and whirring wing beats. As far as the eye could see, large skeins of sandhill cranes slashed against the sky, forming long irregular V’s, till they disap-peared into the fields to forage and feed. A sight to relish indeed — but the sandhill cranes were not my main focus. Two po-tential targets were possible here.

It took time, patience, and persistence, but I finally found my ferruginous hawks and ruddy ground doves. A couple hours farther north, there had been sightings of ... you

guessed it ... William-son’s sapsucker. Several hours later, after we scoured the new terrain, the Williamson’s sap-sucker still eluded me as it had in the mountains of Tucson. Yet the pursuit led me to the Chiricahua Mountains Scenic Na-tional Monument, full of

hoodoos and sculpted rock for-mations, where Geronimo, ghost-like, eluded capture by the U.S. Cavalry for 11 years.

There had been but five reported sight-ings of the Sinaloa wren in the entire USA — and TWO were in Arizona at the time of my visit! So, of course, I had to see this rarity. My first attempt to find the Sinaloa wren proved unsuccessful, so I returned on a cold canyon morning to the huge army base at Fort Huachaca. While there, a fellow birder walked her dog right into the nearly dry streambed where the wren had regularly been sighted! UNBELIEVABLE. Fearing she had scared it away for a while, I took off to search for the Pacific wren, recently split from our house wren. No luck there, but when I re-turned to the streambed, she had seen it! **%$#! Oh boy,

was I p….d off! Long story short, that lit-tle guy proved very cooperative, and within the hour I had long great looks at it with enough time left to visit the fort’s Buffalo Soldier Museum.

Well, it was dark now and time to head to Phoenix. But, since we were passing through Tucson, I decided to stay the night, arise early and give the sapsucker one final chance. Racing up the sinuous Catalina Highway, I arrived at the Bear Picnic Area to find a Kansas couple, necks angled back, glasses up, staring at my

bird! Yay! That was a treat indeed.

Phoenix was great. Fellow birders whom I had met during my meanderings gladly took me to their local spots. Bing! Bang! Boom! Le Conte’s thrasher; sagebrush, Bell’s and golden-crowned sparrows; rosy-faced lovebird — all these tar-gets were now on my life list.

What was it about this business of chasing birds? I can recall one of my first out-of-state birding trips, when my companion askedme what my targets were. I had

(continued on page 11)Rosy-faced lovebird.Photo: David Zomick

Bell’s sparrow.Photo: David Zomick

LeConte’s thrasher.Photo: David Zomick

Pond in Papago Park, Phoenix.Photo: David Zomick

There had been but five reported sightings of the

Sinaloa wren in the entire USA — and

two were in Arizona at the time of my visit!

May/June 2014! ! 5Chickadee Chatter

In My Garden – A Journal – March 2014By Angela Dimmitt

The 6th of March, and already three mornings at 0 de-grees. Today brilliant sun, not an iota of cloud, haze, or pollution! The birds are singing up a storm — titmice, chickadees, cardinal, Carolina wren, song sparrow, jun-cos; woodpeckers drumming — they really think spring is here, because the days are getting longer. Their num-bers are down a bit, but with enough food most of our locals survive the winter.

People are reporting bluebirds eating at their feeders “for the first time ever” — these might be early migrants rather than those that overwintered here and will head back north to breed. One pair was seen inspecting a nest box! Shelter, perhaps, rather than egg-laying. My stream has entertained 20 or so robins recently (huge flocks have been reported everywhere), and this week 20 to 50 cedar waxwings have joined them eat-ing privet berries (berries of last resort) and drinking from the stream, which has been partially open all along. Also along the stream recently: pairs of mallards and black duck. The first-of-year turkey vul-ture flew over February 22.

For the past week a red-shouldered hawk has been screaming around territorially, sometimes in competition with a red-tailed hawk, and yesterday I actually saw a pair of “shoulders” doing the-what-comes-naturally on a branch 100 feet away!

Yup — we too should think spring (regarding cleaning, anyway) — although it’s hard to begin garden cleanup when there is still 2 feet of crusted snow everywhere. Maybe the house — dust bunnies behind the sofa, etc., etc.

An ice dam formed on my roof, and twice guys came and shoveled the snow off — it is still up to the windowsills at the back of the house, and with the little melt we have had, is now solid

frozen ice. The last time the plowman came to do my drive, he arrived with a huge back-hoe instead of the plow and had to move the mounds along the drive be-fore he could add more. If we have heavy rain when

this huge snow mass melts, my garden will surely be flooded and the bridge once more put in jeopardy.

Four-legged denizens are just beginning to emerge! I’ve not seen the bobcat, but the red fox was here last week.

The first chipmunk emerged on the back porch February 26; an opossum feasted for more than two hours under the feeders, and March 5 a mink was gamboling along the stream, running, sliding along the ice and swimming; such a fun sight. No deer in a month, and the snow between the house and the stream has absolutely no animal tracks at all. I worry about them! But next door to the north, it appears two trees have been chomped down by bea-vers: The trees are on top of the snow with fresh pale wood. No beavers on my prop-erty for a while, but the pond with its lodges farther up the valley is seriously

overgrown with phragmites, so perhaps they are explor-ing down here. I hope not!

Thrill a minute chez Dimmitt: Recently 19 turkeys checked out the feeders, the first since October! All beardless, but one displayed most elegantly. Now they have come almost every day, usually a tom and seven hens, or one tom, one jake and seven hens, probably two groups. The opossum comes every day at different times, eats for two hours, and waddles up into the woods to the big rocks. I seem to spend the day migrating around the house looking in every direction for some new action. On March 18, two deer appeared, the first since the heavy snow fell. No housework gets done, paperwork is shuf-fled except for Mad Gardeners stuff, which consumes me now: membership renewal, the annual symposium, plan-ning garden tours this summer — lots of LHASers are members, which is a pleasure. Birds and gardens — gar-dens and birds!

Thrill a minute chez Dimmitt: Recently 19 turkeys checked out the feeders, the first since October! All beardless,

but one displayed most elegantly.

Mallard drake.Photo: Diane Friend Edwards

Wild tom turkey Photo: Diane Friend Edwards

Chickadee Chatter

Meetings, Bird Walks and Activities

NOTES: Unless otherwise indicated, General Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at the Litchfield Community Center, Route 202, Litchfield, CT. When the first Monday of the month falls on a holiday, the meeting is held on the second Monday. Refreshments are served at 7 p.m. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m and the program follows. The April and October meetings are Potluck Dinners starting at 6:30 p.m. The June meeting is the Annual Meeting and Dinner held at a local restaurant; it begins at 6 p.m. Our August meeting is the annual Picnic at Boyd Woods Sanctuary; it begins at 6 p.m. Board of Directors Meetings are held at the White Memorial Conservation Center (WMCC), located about a half mile south of the Litchfield Community Center just off Route 202.

MEETINGS..................... ........May 5! Swift Decline Needs Swift Conservation (rescheduled from Feb.)! Monday, 7 PM

Learn about the chimney swift, a unique bird that nests and roosts in chimneys. Chimney swift populations have been declining since the 1980s. The CT DEEP Wildlife Division has initiated citizen-scientist monitoring to assess how the decline in the number of suitable chimneys and the availability of insects for food might be affecting our local populations. This presentation will discuss the nature of the chimney swift, possible reasons for its decline, and how you can get involved in chimney swift conservation. The speaker will be DEEP’s Shannon Kearney-McGee.

.................... ..................................................June 2! Annual Meeting / In the Eye of an Eagle ! Monday, 6 PMOur Annual Meeting speaker, Lawrence (Larry) B. Fischer Jr., will present “In the Eye of an Eagle,” about bald eagles’ return as wintering birds to Connecticut in the 1970s. Larry also will present “Climbing to an Eagle’s Nest,” a talk il-lustrated with slides. He will share his thoughts during the climb and the interactions between him and the eaglets once he reached the nest. Larry is the president of the Western CT Bird Club, a member of the board of directors for North East Hawk Watch, and a long-time member of the CT Bald Eagle Study Group. For more information about the An-nual Meeting and to sign up, see the insert in the center of this issue.

..................... .....................................................................July 7! Walking Where Dragons Fly ! Monday, 7 PMLearn about the hidden world of dragonflies. From their beginnings in the sand and rocks to their final voyage into the air, dragonflies are unique insects. The presentation, by Kirsten Martin, Ph.D., from the Biology Department at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, will focus on the identification, ecology, and behavior of selected species of Connecticut River dragonflies. The presentation will also focus on how riverbank alteration influences dragonflies.

................ ..................August 4! Annual Picnic at Boyd Woods / Raptors: Hawks and Owls ! Monday, 6 PMErin O’Connell, the wildlife rehabilitation and outreach coordinator at the Sharon Audubon Center, will bring live hawks and owls to our annual picnic at Boyd Woods. She will discuss the similarities and differences among these amazing birds of prey. Also, you will learn why raptors and their environment should continue to be protected and re-spected. Erin presents programs to school groups and organizations about birds of prey and other wildlife topics. She

LHAS Calendar — Spring / Summer 2014

MEETING CHANGESOccasionally, it is necessary to cancel or postpone a meeting or event due to inclement weather. If that is the case, check with WFSB TV Channel 3 in Hartford and watch for our listing. It is also broadcast on radio station WZBG at 97.3 FM. But, the best way for us to reach you is by e-mail. If you would like to be added to our e-mail list, please send an e-mail to Janet Baker at berryledges@optonline.net. Then, all you have to do is to remember to check your e-mail.

6! May/June 2014

May/June 2014! ! 7Chickadee Chatter

also oversees the Sharon Audubon Center’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Program. For the picnic, bring your dinner and a blanket or chair. Meet at 6 p.m. for the business portion of our meeting. The program will begin at 6:30.

BIRDING EVENTS AND FIELD TRIPS ............. ........................................................May 3! Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, Wales, MA ! Saturday, 8 AM

The Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary features a natural history museum and several miles of unique trails meandering through gardens that represent native habitats found throughout New England. A Lime Flower Cobble, a Coastal Kettle Pond Garden, and a Cedar Swamp are just a few of the interesting areas we will explore. Wildflowers are abundant in the spring at this sanctuary, which is right over the state line from Stafford Springs. Bring binoculars, as we are also sure to see many birds. Trails are easy but may be wet, so wear appropriate footwear. Facilities and picnic tables are available. There is no charge. Bring lunch, water, and insect repellant. Meet to carpool at 8 a.m. at the commuter lot on Route 118 (on the EAST side of Route 8 at exit 42, Harwinton/Litchfield exit). Rain date is May 10. For more infor-mation, contact Debbie Martin at 860-819-7462 or barnowl524@hotmail.com.

............. ...........................................................May 4! Bird Walk at Boyd Woods Sanctuary! Sunday, 7:30 AMJoin David Zomick in search of birds at the LHAS Boyd Woods Sanctuary. Meet in the parking lot on Route 254 in Litchfield. For more information, contact David Zomick at 860-584-2824 or dzsurtudo@gmail.com.

.......... ....................................May 10! Bird Walk at Great Mountain Forest, Norfolk/Canaan! Saturday, 7 AMThis trip is open to all levels of birding and is free. Meeting place to be determined. For more information, contact Dave Tripp at dtrippjr@comcast.net or 860-693-6524.

.......... .....................................................................May 10! Wigwam Sanctuary Work Party ! Saturday, 10 AMHelp mulch the native plants in the Demo Plot. Please call John Baker at 860-567-8427 for further information or email him at berryledges@optonline.net.

........... ..........................................................................May 11! Bird Walk at White Memorial! Sunday, 7:30 AMSearch for birds with Donna Rose Smith at White Memorial. Meet in the Museum parking lot. For more information, contact Donna at 203-706-0474 or drsmith006@sbcglobal.net.

.......... ........................................................................May 17! Bird Walk at Kalmia Sanctuary! Saturday, 8 AMFran Zygmont will lead a bird walk at the LHAS Kalmia Sanctuary and adjacent Roraback Wildlife Management Area. For parking, drive by the tenant’s house onto the dirt road and follow signs to the Audubon parking lot on your right. For more information, contact Fran at 860-689-5001 or fzygmont@charter.net.

Many members receive our newsletter by email, as well as notices of field trips that may not be listed in Chickadee Chatter. If you are not getting emailed trip notices, special club announcements, etc., contact David Zomick at 860-584-2824 or dzsurtudo@gmail.com. You can also check our website, www.lhasct.org, for newly scheduled trips.

(continued on page 8)

Wednesdays with RayRay Belding will lead his popular Wednesday morning hikes this spring. The upcoming dates are May 7, 14, 21, and 28. For information on locations and meeting times, email Ray at turaco3000@gmail.com.

Chickadee Chatter 8! May/June 2014

.......... ..........................................................................May 18! Bird Walk at White Memorial! Sunday, 7:30 AMMarie Kennedy and Ray Belding will co-lead this walk. Meet in the Museum parking lot. For more information, con-tact Marie at 860-567-5487 or mariekennedy226@gmail.com, or Ray at 860-482-4046 or turaco3000@gmail.com.

.......... ..........................................................................May 25! Bird Walk at White Memorial! Sunday, 7:30 AMJoin Olaf Soltau on this bird walk at White Memorial. Meet in the Museum parking lot. For more information, con-tact Olaf at 917-297-0443 or osoltau@aol.com.

.......... ..........May 31! Dawn Chorus & Nature Walk, White Memorial! Saturday, Chorus - 4 AM, Walk - 7 AMFran Zygmont will lead a nature-filled morning starting with a dawn bird chorus followed by a nature walk. Chorus: Listening to the transition from night-calling birds (owls, rails) to diurnal birds (cardinals, robins, thrushes, etc.) is a magical nature event you must experience! Walk: For “late” risers, a nature walk will follow on local trails. Meet at the White Memorial Museum parking lot at 4 a.m. for the dawn chorus, 7 a.m. for the nature walk. Rain cancels. For more information, contact Fran at 860-689-5001 or fzygmont@charter.net.

........... ..........................................................................June 1! Bird Walk at White Memorial! Sunday, 7:30 AMMeet in the Museum parking lot for this walk led by Ann Orsillo. For more information, contact Ann at 910-880-1518 or spoonbill@optonline.net.

........ ....................................................................June 7-8! Summer Bird Count ! Saturday-Sunday, Time TBDCaptains are already lined up and need your help. If you’re interested in participating, contact Dave Tripp, preferably by email to dtrippjr@comcast.net, or by phone, 860-693-6524.

......... ...............................................June 21! Summer! Boyd Woods Bunnies! Desserts!! Saturday, 6:30 PMJoin Boyd Woods Co-chairs Rich and Debbie Martin for an enjoyable first evening of summer. We’ll begin with deli-cious desserts as we gather around the picnic table at the Plash. A short walk to the New England Cottontail Initiative clearcut will follow. Lovely bird songs and the soothing calls of frogs and toads will fill the balmy summer air. Will we catch a glimpse of a bunny in one of the brush piles? If you will attend, please let us know. If you can bring a des-sert, please contact us by June 18 so we can plan to have enough refreshments for all. Wear sturdy walking shoes, and bring a lawn chair and flashlight. Meet at the Boyd Woods parking lot at 6:30, or walk directly down the hill to the Plash. Contact Debbie at barnowl524@hotmail.com or 860-819-7462. Rain cancels this event.

......... ........................June 29! Edwin Way Teale Memorial Sanctuary and Bafflin Sanctuary ! Sunday, 8 AMOur first stop will be in Hampton, CT, where we’ll walk the trails surrounding the former home of the Pulitzer-prize-winning author and naturalist Edwin Way Teale. During his lifetime, Teale traveled extensively and wrote many well-known books about nature, the seasons, and the places he journeyed to. He and his wife, Nellie, finally settled at this beautiful 168-acre property, which they called Trail Wood, and he wrote a book (A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm, pub-lished in 1974) about their experiences there. The Connecticut Audubon Society (CAS) now owns this land and main-tains its interesting trails. On our visit, we will see Teale’s writing cabin, Nellie’s Summerhouse, the Starfield, Wood-cock Pasture, and other unique features. Next, we’ll drive a short distance to Pomfret, to visit CAS’ Center for Grass-land Conservation, where we’ll picnic while being serenaded by eastern meadowlarks. At the center’s Bafflin Sanctu-ary, we’ll walk the Bog Trail. Bring your binoculars and camera, lunch, drinks, and snacks. Meet at 8 a.m. in Thomas-ton to carpool. Directions: At exit 39 off Route 8 in Thomaston, follow Route 6 east (toward Plymouth/Terryville). Proceed a VERY SHORT distance and turn left onto Pleasant Street. You will immediately see the commuter lot, where we will meet, across from Dunkin’ Donuts. Rain will cancel this field trip. Contact Debbie Martin at barnowl524@hotmail.com or 860-819-7462.

Calendar (continued from page 7)

May/June 2014! ! 9Chickadee Chatter

The Boyd Woods Bunny Project and a Big Change of HeartBy Debbie Martin

A little over a year ago, many LHAS members (especially my husband, Rich, and I) were strongly opposed to a New England Cottontail (NEC) Initiative clearcut that had been suggested for our Boyd Woods Sanctuary. We love trees and had even named the sanctuary Boyd WOODS for the beautiful woodlands that covered about 90% of the prop-erty. We realized a clearcut that we’d created in 2005 (2 1/2 acres for early successional habitat, and 2 1/2 acres for a conifer plantation) had been a good thing because it now attracted important bird species: field sparrows, in-digo buntings, chestnut-sided warblers, blue-winged war-blers — to name a few. But this new initiative was rec-ommending another 25 acres be cut. No way! Those bun-nies would just have to find someplace else to go. At one of our LHAS meetings, I pleaded with the audience, “Don’t let this happen!” I was practically in tears (as were many of you) as we considered this possible mass destruction of our beloved Boyd woodlands.

But a date had already been set. The “experts” were com-ing out to walk the Boyd property ... to educate us about their “Bunny Project”! To change our minds!

A large group representing LHAS (most of whom op-posed the clearcut) attended this walk. We had seen these “rabbit habitats” created at other sanctuaries and on state

lands, and they were terribly ugly: scraggly brush piles scat-tered haphaz-ardly about the landscape; huge, jagged stumps jutting from the earth; majestic trees toppled and left to die where they fell. It looked like a bomb had hit. We cer-tainly didn’t want that mess at Boyd Woods.

Second ThoughtsI’m actually sorry to say I was very defensive as we be-gan this informative walk. I soon realized I had no reason to feel this way. Our guides, Lisa Wahle, NEC project wildlife specialist; Jack Berlanda, NEC project forester; and Todd Bobowick, resource conservationist, USDA-NRCS, were the nicest people! The first thing they did was assure us we DIDN’T have to do this! We DIDN’T have to cut 25 acres (10 or 11 might be sufficient). They let us know this would be OUR project (if we decided to go for it), and WE would decide (with their recommenda-tions) exactly where it would take place. And we learned it didn’t have to look as messy as other sites we had vis-ited. As we listened to our Bunny Project guides, things sounded better and better. We could ...

(continued on page 10)

A bunny peers out of a newly created brush pile at Boyd Woods.

Canada Goose (1327)Mute Swan (24)Black Duck (78)Mallard (267)Ring-neck Duck (77)Lesser Scaup (7)Greater Scaup (1)Bufflehead (1)Common Goldeneye (2)Hooded Merganser (60)Common Merganser (45)Red-breasted Merganser (1)Ruddy Duck (15)Great-blue Heron (count week)Black Vulture (6)Bald Eagle (4)Sharp-shinned Hawk (4)Cooper’s Hawk (3)N. Harrier (1)Red-shouldered Hawk (8)

Red-tailed Hawk (25)Ring-necked Pheasant (3)Wild Turkey (33)Coot (6)Ring-billed Gull (35)Herring Gull (5)Iceland Gull (1)Rock Pigeon (66)Mourning Dove (152)Screech Owl (3)Great-horned Owl (4)Barred Owl (4)Saw-whet Owl (2)Belted Kingfisher (4)Red-bellied Woodpecker (66)Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (14)Downy Woodpecker (115)Hairy Woodpecker (24)N. Flicker (22)Pileated Woodpecker (15)Eastern Phoebe (1)

Blue Jay (328)Crow (512)Raven (7)Horned Lark (41)Black-capped Chickadee (832)Tufted Titmouse (310)Red-breasted Nuthatch (1)White-breasted Nuthatch (150)Brown Creeper (10)Carolina Wren (24)Winter Wren (7)Golden-crowned Kinglet (29)Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)E. Bluebird (122)Hermit Thrush (24)Robin (448)Gray Catbird (2)N. Mockingbird (4)E. Starling (668)

Cedar Waxwing (136)Tree Sparrow (104)Chipping Sparrow (1)Field Sparrow (2)Song Sparrow (80)Swamp Sparrow (11)Fox Sparrow (3)White-throated Sparrow (292)Dark-eyed Junco (860)N. Cardinal (117)Red-winged Blackbird (2)Common Grackle (107)Brown-headed Cowbird (49)Purple Finch (14)House Finch (153)Pine Siskin (1)Goldfinch (242)House Sparrow (209)Mallard hybrid (1)

Total: 78 species,1 hybrid

Birds of the 2013 Christmas Count Submitted by Ray Belding

Chickadee Chatter 10! May/June 2014

Junior Audubon Update By Robyn Dinda, JA Chairperson

Animal Tracking

On February 9th, Andy Dobos of Three Red Trees School of Natural Living led us on a very informative

animal tracking program at Boyd Woods Sanctuary. Debbie Martin informed us about the trails that were blazed. How lucky we were to begin our tracking adventure at Boyd Woods with a big “highway” lead-ing us to the cottontail rabbit clearcut project. As we began our tracking, Andy pointed out bird and mouse tracks in the knee-deep snow. Along the way, we identified different trees, the animals that live in them, and the food they can find to survive in

winter. We also learned how to determine direc-tion by looking at melting snow pat-terns.

We headed into the open field to find more tracks, and we did. From Monarch Meadow, we took the Windy Wood trail and followed lots of rabbit tracks. One set of tracks seemed to go on forever, from trees to bushes. Because of the deep snow, those tracks were hard to identify. Andy taught the Jr. Audubon kids to sniff the scent left on the bushes and trees: It was from a bobcat! That was the highlight of their tracking adventure.

We ended our day at the Plash picnic table, where we en-joyed hot chocolate and cookies; rested our legs, which were tired from the deep snow tracking; and talked of our exciting day.

Led by Andy Dobos, Junior Auduboners learn about animal tracks in the snow. Photo: Robyn Dinda

Andy Dobos shows Junior Auduboners how to find clues to the identity of animals that have been in that spot.Photo: Robyn Dinda

maybe ... do this, I thought. The importance of a clearcut really hit home for me when Lisa said there are 58 spe-cies of “greatest conservation need” (including the New England cottontail) that depend on this type of habitat for survival. (A list of these species can be found at www.youngforest.org.) Although a clearcut doesn’t look like much at first, the grasses, blackberry brambles, shrubs, and saplings that quickly fill in provide cover and food for many birds, animals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.

As more information about the NEC initiative became available, many of us enthusiastically embraced the idea of taking advantage of the funds available to create this beneficial habitat. We agreed to cut 8 acres this past win-ter (2013-14) and another 3 acres next winter (2014-15) adjacent to our existing 2005 clearcut.

Enthusiasm BuildsThis was exciting! We had gone from fighting this clear-cut to being eager to get started. At first, as winter began,

the weather was TOO warm. (Look-ing back over the season, I know that’s hard to be-lieve.) Alan and Ron Re-meika (who had worked for Margery Boyd FOREVER) would be creating the clear-cut for us, and they required hard, frozen ground to be able to move their heavy equipment in. When freezing temps finally took hold, the big machines were parked in the Monarch Meadow, ready to work. Unfortunately, now the morning temperatures were TOO COLD, and the feller-buncher, skidders, and other equipment wouldn’t start. A generator had to be brought in. Despite the ups and downs in the weather, the Remeikas and their crew made progress. Day after day, as John Baker and I visited the work site, we saw huge piles

Bunny Project (continued from page 9)

(continued on page 11)

An overview of part of the clearcut area.Photo: Rich Martin

May/June 2014! ! 11Chickadee Chatter

Junior Audubon Calendar — Spring/Summer 2014Junior Audubon provides an opportunity for grade-school children to learn about nature, the environment, and the creatures that live there. It is sponsored by the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society and is FREE. To get on the Junior Audubon email list or for more information, contact Robyn Dinda at 860-567-0738 or lhasjunior@gmail.com.

.................... ................May 18 Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy Sunday, 1 PMNick Tiberio, the conservancy’s director of aviculture, will lead us on a walk around the beautiful grounds to see colorful waterfowl from all parts of the world. Meet at the conservancy, which is on Duck Pond Road in Litchfield. Directions: From Litchfield Center, take Rt. 202 west 0.8 mile to the traffic light (just past Stop & Shop) and turn right on Milton Road. Take third left onto Duck Pond Road. Proceed 0.5 mile, crossing a small bridge, to the LRWC driveway on the right marked with a wooden sign.

..................... ..........................................June 8 Bluebird Box Day Sunday, 1 PMMarie Kennedy will lead us on a walk at Wigwam Brook Sanctuary to view the bluebird nestlings and look for other nesting birds. Meet in the Wigwam Brook Sanctuary parking area on Lipeika Road, just off Route 254 about 1 mile south of Route 118.

................... ...................................June 29 Insect Critter Catch Sunday, 1:30 PMLaura Castro Rogers, from the DEEP’s Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area in Burlington, will guide us on a walk through fields with huge nets to collect insects and critters that Laura will identify for us. Directions: Sessions Woods is located on Route 69, about three miles south of Route 4 in Burlington and three miles north of Route 6 in Bristol.

.................... .........................................July 20 Salamander Day Sunday, 1-4 PMWe will look for salamanders at the DEEP’s Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area on Route 72 in Burling-ton. Watch for more details in the next newsletter, or check the LHAS website, www.lhasct.org.

to ask him what he meant! Every bird was new to me then, and they were ALL targets. The excitement over “target hunting,” the elation when a long-sought-after, never-before-seen bird is finally found is undeniable. But to yours truly, so is the letdown and

frustration when the desired bird decides “not today.”

Having just finished reading Kenn Kauffman’s Kingbird Highway, I realized that perhaps birding is less about accumulating numbers and compiling a list but more about seeing the beauty of the birds in their natural sur-roundings, learning of their habits and behaviors, and reveling in it all.

Pleasures and Treasures (continued from page 4)

Redhead duck.Photo: David Zomick

of logs waiting in the “staging area” at the meadow. The perfect, straight ones were cut to a certain length to be made into boards. Crooked logs, or those containing knots, would be used as firewood or were put through a chipper, on site, to be used as mulch. “Nothing goes to waste,” Alan assured us. As long as “the highway” (shown as “The Lane” on the Boyd Woods trail map) remained frozen, all of the wood products were loaded, daily, onto trucks, and hauled to the Remeikas’ farm.

Everyone complained about the frigid temperatures we endured all season, but I knew we were fortunate to have them. On those rare days when bright sunshine brought the temps above freezing, “the highway” over which the Remeikas travelled through Boyd’s steep hayfield quickly became a slick river of mud. Treacherous! Thanks to our arctic winter, only a few work

Bunny Project (continued from page 10)

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days were lost due to “warmth.” One or two snowstorms also slowed progress, but not for long. This unbearably cold winter turned out to be a blessing for this two-and-half-month-long project.

As spring approached, the cutting was done, but one more important task remained: the construction of 24 brush piles. From atop a stonewall, I watched as two big yellow machines (skidders) worked together, pushing,

dragging, and piling brush and logs into future wild-life homes. I knew that inside these machines, Andrew and Steven were care-

fully considering the size and perfect placement of every log and stick they added to each of the large piles. From my lookout I glanced up and noticed four red-tailed hawks circling against a sapphire sky. Beautiful! This was a good sign!

... On a sunny spring day, I sit on a sawed-off tree stump, surveying our new wildlife habitat. I don’t recognize this land — but I like it! Landscape features that were previ-ously hidden by the woodland — crumbling stonewalls, a large rounded rock, a steeper hillside — are now revealed to me. The lack of tall treetops also allows for a view of the distant Zwick farm. Everything is more open, brighter — better. I can clearly see turkey vultures, ravens, a kill-deer, flying overhead. A variety of woodpeckers work on the preserved dead snags, while bluebirds and chickadees flit about nearby. There is movement in that brush pile ... a white-throated sparrow and ... a New England cottontail rabbit??

Thanks to all of you who showed an interest in the NEC initiative and helped to make this beneficial habitat a re-ality at Boyd Woods. I’m so glad we had a change of heart. Good things are on the horizon!

Bunny Project (continued from page 11)

Logs from the Boyd Woods clearcut fill up the Remeikas’ truck.