A Bird Sanctuary In Killingworth, CT Pt. IV

A Bird Sanctuary In Killingworth, CT Pt. IV



Young birds became a rewarding event at Casa Almeida in Killingworth, Connecticut, in the 2017 summer season.

 

A Bird Sanctuary In Killingworth, CT Pt. IV
The juvenile Blue Jay above (image 1) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

On the eve of the parade to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the naming of the town of Killingworth, CT, flags drape the utility poles around the center of town. Many are at half-mast at municipal buildings to show respect for a Connecticut sailor who perished in a maritime disaster earlier this month.

7724

The Great Crested Flycatcher above (image 2) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7725

The Common Grackle above (image 3) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7726

The Red-winged Blackbird above (image 4) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7727

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 5) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7728

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 6) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7729

The Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly above (image 7) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7730

The juvenile Downy Woodpecker above (image 8) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

The destructive impact on the wildlife in Texas and the southeast due to Hurricane Harvey will certainly never be known. A headline seen near the time of this writing notes that 350+ new species including one bird have been discovered in the Amazon offering a great contrast to nature’s wrath.

7731

The juvenile Downy Woodpecker above (image 9) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7732

The Eastern Gray Squirrel above (image 10) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7734

The Cabbage White Butterfly above (image 11) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7735

The Silver-spotted Skipper above (image 12) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7736

The Great Black Wasp on Sea Holly above (image 13) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7737

The moth above (image 14) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7738

The Blinded Sphinx Moth above (image 15) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

In the relative microcosm of the Killingworth sanctuary there was a transformation well noticed with the advent of a new generation of birds of species that have been seen with near regularity. There was an obvious doubling and tripling in numbers of several bird species observed at the feeders.

7739

The immature House Finch above (image 16) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7740

The Chipping Sparrow above (image 17) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7741

The American Goldfinch above (image 18) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7742

The juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeak above (image 19) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7743

The juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeak above (image 20) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7744

The 1st Summer Red-winged Blackbird above (image 21) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7745

The juvenile Northern Flicker above (image 22) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

At the peak of the frenzy when juvenile birds would vocally beg their parents for food, it was almost an annoyance. A few weeks went by and things quieted down. There was evidence of failed nesting attempts that were possibly retried successfully resulting in obviously very young birds observed as recently as yesterday (American Goldfinch and House Finch).

7746

The Meadow Vole above (image 23) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7747

The federally banded American Goldfinch above (image 24) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7748

The Carolina Wren above (image 25) was photographed at Casa Almeida in July 2017.

7749

The Painted Lady Butterfly above (image 26) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7750

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 27) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7751

The Carolina Wren above (image 28) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7752

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 29) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

While an occasional surprise species would arrive, an undesirable visitor returned in increasing numbers. My high count for the Common Grackle was at 130 a few days before this publication. It’s my hope that their numbers continue to go down as their migration instincts take hold.

7753

The immature White-tailed Deer above (image 30) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7754

The Tufted Titmouse above (image 31) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7755

The House Finch with juvenile above (image 32) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7756

The juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 33) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7757

The Red-bellied Woodpecker feeding juvenile above (image 34) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7758

The molting Northern Cardinal above (image 35) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7759

The Wild Turkey above (image 36) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

The grackles are a very active and dominant species often described as bullies in a bird feeder area. They have regularly consumed more than ten suet cakes in mere hours which were offered to attract other species including Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. My solution to this has been to offer only a couple of suet cakes at a time (broken among all the feeders) giving the woodpeckers an opportunity to feed without being completely overwhelmed with competition throughout the day. The grackles unfortunately also have a great appetite for dried mealworms and Black Oil sunflower seeds.

7760

The Blue Jay with duel beaks above (image 37) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7761

The American Redstart above (image 38) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7762

The juvenile Baltimore Oriole above (image 39) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7763

The juvenile Baltimore Oriole above (image 40) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7764

The Eastern Wood-Pewee above (image 41) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7765

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher above (image 42) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7766

The Canada Warbler above (image 43) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

With regret there were several juvenile birds observed with physical afflictions. The eyes were possibly injured by sibling rivalry in the nest while a Blue Jay had a particularly unusual beak disfigurement. Birds merely in molt of their feathers should not be mistaken as disfigured.

7767

The Worm-eating Warbler above (image 44) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7768

The juvenile House Finch above (image 45) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7769

The Cooper’s Hawk above (image 46) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

In addition to all of the species documented through photography in this multi-part effort, it was exciting to add to the “yard list” a pair of Common Nighthawk which were observed flying south at high altitude over Casa Almeida the day before this publication.

7770

The Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly above (image 47) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7771

The juvenile Northern Parula above (image 48) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

I hope you did not overlook the federally banded American Goldfinch seen in image #24, nor the Canada Warbler which is a newly added species for this blog (not to mention most of the non bird critters). Without assistance, the species seen in image #14 remains unidentified.

7772

The immature female Rose-breasted Grosbeak above (image 49) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

7773

The immature House Finch above (image 50) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

Please be sure to be reminded about this Wildlife Blog with the email gadget located at the top of the page.

7774

The American Goldfinch feeding juvenile above (image 51) was photographed at Casa Almeida in August 2017.

 

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter

 

Dive in!

Discover hidden wildlife with our FREE newsletters

We promise we’ll never spam! Read our Privacy Policy for more info

Bob Pelkey

Bob Pelkey

This blog is updated every Friday (preferably) and randomly, primarily on the subject of wildlife observation in the state of Florida. This blog is in conjunction with my secondary photo site at http://www.pbase.com/jkrnm5/

Bob Pelkey

Bob Pelkey

This blog is updated every Friday (preferably) and randomly, primarily on the subject of wildlife observation in the state of Florida. This blog is in conjunction with my secondary photo site at http://www.pbase.com/jkrnm5/

Share this post with your friends




Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments