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Capistrano may have the return of the swallows, but the Turners Falls village of Montague has the return of birds that are undoubtedly among the most beautiful on the planet – cedar waxwings.
In the late winter and early spring, huge flocks of waxwings return to feast on the small fruits of crabapple trees planted in abundance along the streets and in the parks of Turners Falls near the Connecticut River in Franklin County.
via Return of cedar waxwings is sign that spring is near in Conn. River Valley – MassLive.com.
According to Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist at the state Department of Environmental Protection, there have been numerous bobcat sightings in the Granby area. He said when people think they’ve seen a mountain lion — which disappeared from New England in Colonial days — it is usually a case of mistaken identification. Rego said what people actually spot are coyotes and bobcats, or sometimes even large dogs.
via Despite ‘Sightings,’ Mountain Lions Remain Elusive In Connecticut – Courant.com.
Stonington – Kathy Baker was taking her daily walk through her Shawondasee Road neighborhood Tuesday afternoon when something flashed by her face and cut the left side of her head.
The hawks are now entering breeding season, a time in which their hormone levels are high and they are engaging in courtship and nest building. As part of the courtship ritual and to show females they will protect the chicks, males can engage in dramatic aerial displays and try to scare off people who walk by.
via Aggressive red-tailed hawk taking no prisoners in Stonington | The Day.
STRATFORD — The long-awaited project to clear more than 40 vacant cottages from Long Beach West has been launched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which expects to complete a temporary road to the sweeping barrier beach within the next few days.
via Long Beach road work gets under way – NewsTimes.
NEW HAVEN — Medications leaking into groundwater are producing strange effects on the frogs of Connecticut, effects that could be a harbinger of safety concerns for humans, too, researchers say.
via For frogs, and perhaps humans, there’s something strange in the water – GreenwichTime.
Numbers of the elusive birds are dropping in Connecticut by about 4 percent annually, experts say, with the possibility they could all but disappear from the state in a few decades unless the trend is reversed.
via State population of chimney swifts mysteriously declines – NewsTimes.
With no natural predators, the deer population has grown from an estimated 12 — yes, 12 — in all of New England in 1896 (following the years of land clearance for farming) to approximately 150,000 today. The author of this article, Peter Knight, describes himself as “a concerned citizen,” and says it is intended to provide Westporters with specific information to help them formulate their own opinions.
via Opinion: Westport deer — a special case – Westport News.
Coyotes feed primarily on small rodents, but will kill cats and lap dogs, so be aware, especially if you live in rural areas. These mid-sized dogs are secretive, extremely smart and wary predators that are seldom seen. Their kills and howls at night are all that give away their constant presence in our woodlands.
via Outdoors: Coyotes a fact of life in Connecticut – Norwich Bulletin.
Knight said the idea for the petition started over concern about his grandchildren playing in the yard or in parks. This got him thinking about the precautions that have to be taken to guard against ticks.
via Westport petitioner seeks measures to curb deer population – Westport News.
Groton – After dark last Wednesday, when Bluff Point Coastal Reserve was closed to dog-walkers, bird watchers, bikers, hikers and cross-country skiers, a team of hunters from the state Department of Environmental Protection entered the park to finish what’s become routine maintenance.
via Annual deer hunt under way to thin herd at Bluff Point | The Day .
Should the government systematically slaughter highly intelligent but plentiful crows to preserve endangered and delicate piping plovers on the Cape Cod National Seashore? That’s just what seashore and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials are suggesting for two Cape beaches this summer.
via Crows face unnatural deselecting | The Day.
Of all New Jersey’s invasive species, one of the biggest pests might be the starling — a cheeky little bird once beloved but now largely detested around the globe.
via Of New Jersey’s invasive species, the starling’s story is perhaps the strangest – pressofAtlanticCity.com : Latest News.
Hawks might be unobtrusive neighbors, but, make no mistake they are an integral part of life in Connecticut.
“They’re around us every day,” said Carol Kratzman, education coordinator at the Connecticut Audubon Society in Fairfield. “We might not see them, but they’re there.”
Children and families can learn about these mysterious birds of prey Saturday as the Fairfield Audubon spotlights hawks in the latest installment of its “Meet the Birds” series.
via Hawk talk at Fairfield Audubon – NewsTimes.
AVON – Having crossed one bridge of concern about the impact a “wild and scenic” designation might have on a proposed river project, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted Feb. 9 to send a letter of endorsement to the town council.
The Farmington River Watershed Association has led the effort for conducting a Wild & Scenic Study of the Lower Farmington River/Salmon Brook. All 10 area towns — Avon, Bloomfield, Burlington, Canton, East Granby, Farmington, Granby, Hartland, Simsbury and Windsor — are involved with the study.
via Planning and Zoning OK ‘wild and scenic’ designation | The Avon News .
MILFORD — Work on the Walnut Beach boardwalk is under way, after the project had been marred by numerous delays.
The state had approved funds for the $1.9 million project in 2006. Construction almost started in 2008, but nests of piping plovers, a species of bird protected by state and federal regulations, were found in the proposed path of the boardwalk.
via Walnut Beach boardwalk work finally begins – The New Haven Register.
Every so often somebody says something that makes me want to stand up and cheer while other people want to throw rocks.
My new hero is Anne Roberts-Pierson, president of the Avalonia Land Conservancy, who put elements of a hostile crowd in its place the other night in Stonington during a forum that highlighted one of my favorite topics: the so-called rights of people vs. the need to protect wildlife.
First, some background.
via Birds vs. People on Sandy Point | The Day.
Colchester, Conn. — What it means: The National Wildlife Federation has named Colchester the first municipality in the state and 36th in the country to be designated as a Community Wildlife Habitat. The designation from the country’s largest private nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization comes after more than a year of work by town residents, businesses and local government and nonprofit organizations to certify more than 130 properties as community wildlife habitats. They include 110 homes, four schools, four farms, including a vineyard, three businesses, one place of worship and 14 parks or preserves.
via Colchester designated Community Wildlife Habitat – Norwich Bulletin.
The Art and Science of Rare Bird Identification will be one of many topics discussed at the Connecticut Ornithological Association’s 26th annual meeting 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 20, 2010, in Chapman Hall, at Middlesex Community College, in Middletown, CT.
via Connecticut Ornithological Association.
Norwich, Conn. — Bird lovers will be out in force in the next four days in the interest of fun and science as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count. Sponsored by the Audubon Society, the event compiles sightings, numbers and species of birds in various locations. Participants are asked to choose at least one 15-minute period between today and Sunday, and to use a checklist available online based on ZIP code.
via Audubon Society looking for bird watchers – Norwich Bulletin.
The fisher, a native species until hunting and loss of habitat extirpated the animal from Connecticut, has rebounded since its reintroduction in the western half of the state in 1988. Today, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, the state population of fishers runs between 800 and 1,200.
via Fishers On The Rebound Since Their Reintroduction Here – Courant.com.
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Haiku a coyote drifts
through leftover woods
invisible
~ by Connecticut Poet Donna Fleischer
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