Ironically Named Connecticut Warbler Puts on a Rare Show
By Patrick Comins on October 1, 2012, 10:10am
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(Connecticut Warbler Photo by Ed Dettore)
When Ed Dettore first found a Connecticut Warbler along the Laurel Marsh Trail in Manchester on September 16th, birders were thrilled to be able to relocate and get a glimpse of this elusive bird. Generally, when one is found, it briefly pops up, giving one observe a quick view and disappears back into the brush, never to be seen again. Remarkably, Sunday marked two weeks that birders have been able to see the bird nearly daily in the exact same location! David Provencher, one of the most knowledgeable birders in the state, posted recently that this behavior is outside of his experience for this species and that perhaps it finally has “…earned the moniker, The Connecticut Warbler."
Although Connecticut Warblers are named for our state, they are quite uncommon here. A few move through Connecticut each fall, but their shy and skulking nature and overall uncommonness combine to make them one of the most elusive of all of our native birds. Some birders go their entire lives without ever seeing one. Before this bird, I had only seen two in the wild before, both at Salt Meadow Unit of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Westbrook, plus one more bird that had been caught for a banding demonstration at Lighthouse Point Park.
Connecticut Warblers nest from northern Michigan and Wisconsin to Quebec and British Columbia and winter primarily in the Amazon Rainforest. They are a so-called early successional species, nesting in shrubby edges and openings in woodlands, often in or near wetlands. It is in these habitats that they are typically found in migration as well. The power lines off Route 44 in West Hartford and other power line clearings, the Bent of the River in Southbury and aforementioned Salt Meadow Unit are traditional spots to find this species in September in Connecticut, and a few are seen flying by at the Hot Corner at Bluff Point each year. They are almost unheard of on the east coast in spring migration. This bird will likely soon move on, but hopefully will remain for a few more days before continuing on its way to South America.
For more information on the Laurel Marsh Trail, please see:
http://recreation.townofmanchester.org/LaurelMarshTrail.cfm
Directions to the spot can found in this post from Tim Antanaitis on CTBirds, though the truck toy that is mentioned has been moved to the entrance to the loop trail. The tree that has fallen over the trail makes it easy to know you are in the right spot:
http://lists.ctbirding.org/pipermail/ctbirds_lists.ctbirding.org/Week-of-Mon-20120917/035252.html
To aid you in the search for the correct spot, the above photo shows where the bird has been hanging out.
On another note, Evening Grosbeaks were reported at a feeder in Avon over the weekend and there are still Purple Finches and Pine Siskins moving through, so keep an eye on your feeders and you could be in for a treat!
Thank you to Ed Dettore both for finding this bird and for allowing me to use his photo for this story.
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