Non-traditional Geese, A Heron's Crab Feast, and More

Yesterday morning's trip to Silver Sands State Park was full of surprises. There were no nesting shorebirds (which is what I was actually supposed to be looking for), but the many other awesome creatures roaming the beaches and marshes more than made up for it.

A group of about 40 Brant (our small dark geese) was hanging out on the shore. That in itself wasn't too surprising, since these birds are in Connecticut in the summer (although I don't see them very often), but wait, what's up with those two weird-looking white and gray geese in there?

I'm still not exactly sure what to do with these two geese, but they are unquestionably something unusual. Parts of them look so similar to the Brant (which are on the right hand side and in the back of the above picture), but they've also got those splotchy white patches and orangey-pink legs (but dark beaks), which is, well, weird. And from other views, they don't really look much like Brant at all:

I circulated my pictures among some Connecticut bird people, and the consensus seems to point to a hybrid between Brant and Snow Goose. I can definitely see some Snow Goose in these birds. And I think this is really pretty cool. However unlikely it might actually be (and according to my internet searches, Brant x Snow Goose hybrids have happened before, but they are extremely unlikely), and even though it'd be pretty difficult to know for sure that this is what's going on here, I just really like the idea that somewhere, at some point, there was a Snow Goose who looked at a Brant and thought, "Hey, that is one attractive goose," and the Brant thought so, too, and so what if you're only supposed to mate with geese that look like you. It seems to have worked out, if these two unusual birds are any indication.

So that was pretty awesome. I'll probably never see another Brant x Snow Goose, and these guys are absolutely one of a kind.

In other parts of the beach, tiny Semipalmated Sandpipers pattered over the low-tide sand:

And then flew off on little wings when they thought I was too close (I was crouched in one spot, so really they were the ones who got too close to me):

In the marshes near the beach, a Yellow-crowned Night Heron was feasting on the little Fiddler Crabs that live in the mud, and I had a great time watching this graceful hunter close up:
 

There were tons of crabs all over, and the heron was busy snatching them up. There was a lot of crunching (note the crab's shadow in this next picture):

I had way too much fun taking pictures of this gorgeous bird as it danced and posed. I love the pattern of feathers on its back and the fancy marks on its face:
 

The heron was really very good at what it was doing. Oh little crab, I don't think you're going to be around much longer:
 

Nope, there you go:
 

Down the hatch!
 

Mmm, a satisfied heron:

Speaking of crabs, this little spiky creature caught my eye as it scuttled through a quickly-moving stream to the ocean:

I scooped it up to check it out, and it turned out to be a Hermit Crab! It immediately rushed back to the water, quickly enough that I couldn't quite keep it in focus:

And although not technically a crab (actually in a group of its own, separate from crustaceans), this Horseshoe Crab had buried itself in a swirled depression in the wet sand. I assume it's still alive, although I didn't disturb it to find out for sure:

The hot weather is really coming in now, and what better way to start off another season of summer weather than with an awesome and eventful trip to the beach!

Redpolls! And Other Foggy Shore Sights

Today was full of surprises. First, I had planned to head out to the beach this morning, but then I woke up to find an unexpectedly thick fog outside. And I mean thick -- the weather forecast said visibility was at 0.2 miles, but I think it might have been less than that at some points. Even so, I was eager to get outside and take advantage of the brief warmth (today's high was over 50 degrees), so after some waffling, I grabbed my chance and set off into the fog. I had another off-putting surprise, however, when I reached my planned destination, Silver Sands State Park, only to find the park's gates closed. Well, OK then!

As a final attempt to get to the shore, I headed off next to Milford Point, and as it turned out, that was the perfect place to be. Even though the day started with two unfortunate surprises, it was all good surprises from then on -- walking in the quiet, enveloping fog was a great experience, and there were a ton of very active creatures around. And the best surprise came as soon as I got out of my car. What are all those little birds hopping around in the weeds on the edge of the parking lot? Oh! Redpolls!

Common Redpolls are one of those species of northern finches that venture south into our area in the winter, but only in certain years. This happens to be one of those years, but even so, redpolls are fairly uncommon in Connecticut, and this was the first time I'd ever seen them. So I was very happy to get to watch these little stripey birds as they sought out tiny seeds among dried stems:

These redpolls were incredibly bold, too -- they would startle and fly up into the trees every once in a while, but then they'd come right back down to forage within a few feet of me. The whole situation was very cool. And can I just say, I love the outfits on these birds. The males had an extra rosy pink wash down their chests (unfortunately, none of the boys wanted to sit still to have their pictures taken), but the females were gorgeous, too, with those perfect velvety caps (what a fantastic color!) and black goatees -- and is that a tiny blush of pink on this girl's cheeks?

Yes, you are a very pretty little bird. I hope you're enjoying those seeds!

What a great start to this morning's adventure! I spent quite a bit of time with the redpolls (who knows when I'm going to get to see them again), and watched several other small birds foraging in the same area. This Song Sparrow must've been picking through the mud, if that large brown glob on its beak is any indication:

Finally, though, I tore myself away from the parking lot and headed down to the beach, where the fog made much more of a presence. It felt distinctly weird to see the shore fading away into nothing:

(Also weird: ice on the beach! That isn't something I expected to see.)

Large flocks of geese, ducks, and other shorebirds filled the area -- they kept emerging from the fog as I walked, and I could hear the sounds of many more birds out there than I could see. This group of Canada Geese and Brant seemed to be floating in space, with no horizon in sight:

It was cool to see these two types of geese side by side, their similar patterns of dark and light making interesting shapes in the fog (the Brant are the smaller birds in the front):

It still seems strange to me, actually, to see Canada Geese hanging out on the beach, but there you go:

Several large flocks of small shorebirds kept flying up and down the shoreline, and one flock of Dunlin (one of Connecticut's more common dippy winter shorebirds) cruised right by me:

I caught up with some of these guys later on, and I got to marvel at their funky profiles:

And then they flew off again. Dunlin butts!

At one point, the wind started to pick up, and the fog lifted for a few minutes to reveal some stunning views across the marsh:

I really just cannot get over that marsh grass and its fire-like glow. OK, just one more picture before the thick fog descends again:

In the end, I'm very glad that I ended up going for an adventure on this foggy, wondrous day. And I'll close with one last sight.... Out of the thick fog, a strange creature emerges:

(At least, that's how I see it. I suppose it could also be a branch.)

Post-Sandy Shore Sights

I went out to the beach this afternoon, and I have to say, I felt pretty guilty as I drove past the many people (with bulldozers, garbage trucks, or just shovels) working hard to clear away the sand and mud that the ocean dumped in front of their houses during Superstorm Sandy.... And here I was, just going out to look for animals on the beach. Guilt aside, though, my trip to Milford Point (a place I've only visited once before) was fun, and there was a lot to see.

(OK, fine, this is yet another bird-centric post. I need to get out to the woods to get some more variety in this blog soon!)

A bunch of dippy little Sanderlings were combing the rocky shoreline, showing off their pristine gray and white winter plumage:

Quite handsome little birds, no?

This Sanderling found a massive mollusc-y meal:

It worked hard to get the food, flipping that shell around and pulling at the soft stuff inside...

Ah! There we go! (Gulp!)

A group of Brant came cruising in for a water landing...

And then floated toward shore:

They even did a little surfing on the way in:

I actually ended up seeing a bunch of birds I'd never seen before, including a flock of Snow Buntings (adorable little white-black-brown birds that flew by too quickly for me to get pictures), and three Horned Larks with their crazy yellow and black faces:

What a face!

So the storm had some lasting effects (some very serious), but life continues, and that's always good to see.

Paddling Gulls, Fishing Kingfishers, a Hidden Mammal, and Other Beach Sights

Yesterday afternoon, with all that clear blue sky and 50-degree temperatures, I decided to take a trip to the beach. Silver Sands State Park in Milford, when I got there, was practically empty of people and just gorgeous -- it was a great day for an adventure!

I'm starting to understand why birders hang out at the shore, especially in the winter. My recent walks in the woods have been mostly quiet, a time to relax and ramble and see cool things every now and then; by comparison, this place was bursting with activity. Besides the hundreds of gulls flying around everywhere, there were several other interesting creatures out and about, like this flock of Brant, a small goose that breeds in the summer at the very top of the continent and comes down here to spend the winter:

This is the first time I've seen these birds in Connecticut, and it's always fun to meet new visitors.

Speaking of new birds, I watched a group of dippy little Sanderlings foraging on a sandbar at low tide -- I like how there's one bird taking a bath all the way on the right of this picture, while the rest of his friends are hard at work:

I'm sure I must have seen Sanderlings at some point in my life before now, it's just that this is the first time I've been able to call them something more than just "little dippy birds".

At a pool near the beach, a Belted Kingfisher was doing his thing -- no orange on his sides, so this is definitely a "he":

I have never met such a bold kingfisher before! There's a female Belted Kingfisher who lives at the lakes in Naugatuck State Forest, and I see (and hear!) her just about every time I visit there -- but almost without fail, she stays on the very opposite end of a big body of water from me. This guy had no such reservations. He wasn't about to come land right next to me, but he didn't fly half a mile away when I walked by his tree, either:

I think Belted Kingfishers are quite majestic (appropriately enough), but they can also look a little goofy, if the wind blows their big fancy crest the wrong way:

This kingfisher was making good use of the pool. I watched him dive into the water, snatch up a little fish, and then do a victory lap (or at least, that's what it seemed like to me) while he swallowed the fish in midair:

I love how he got perfectly arrow-shaped as he cut through the air:

So that was awesome -- I don't know when I'll get to hang out with a kingfisher like that again!

On the bank of the kingfisher's pool, a Song Sparrow was hopping around in a small tree, and that drew my attention for a little while. By random chance, though, my eyes wandered down from the sparrow to a thick tangle of brush below the tree, and then I realized... there was something in there looking back at me!

Hello! You're a bunny!!

I always wonder how well wild rabbits get along in the winter -- my own pet bunnies are here running around their comfy apartment, eating a constant supply of fresh hay and pellets, and what do the wild rabbits have to eat now? Twigs and bark? (To be fair, my bunnies like those, too.) In any case, though, this bunny probably isn't doing too badly, especially with such an excellent hiding place and superior camouflage on its side. I really never would've noticed this creature inside that mass of branches if the light hadn't been at just the right angle, and if I hadn't been standing in exactly the right place:

(Incidentally, I don't know for sure what species of rabbit this is, but my guess is that it's the more common of our two Connecticut rabbit species, the Eastern Cottontail.)

My final sight from yesterday's beach trip has to do with gulls. I still mostly think that gulls are boring, but I'm finding that the more I pay attention to them, the more I notice them doing cool things. Down at the edge of the water, where the sand was all fine and muddy, several gulls, including this Ring-billed Gull, were doing a bizarre dance that I've never seen before (and I apologize for all the wind in this video):

This behavior is officially known as "foot-paddling", and from what I've been able to find out (the internet isn't providing me with a lot of material on this topic, other than a name), it seems like this is probably a way for the gull to stir up little creatures out of the mud so it can eat them. I'm sure the gull's dance is useful, whatever it's purpose, but I can't help also finding it kind of hilarious -- I inevitably break out laughing about halfway through this video. (Paddle paddle paddle paddle!)

Between the sounds of little gull feet flip-flapping in the water, and more gulls dropping shells from the air onto the rocks, it was quite the percussion concert at the water's edge! And I guess gulls aren't so boring after all. :P

So many cool things! My favorite place is still the woods, of course, but more and more I'm coming to appreciate what the shore has to offer. It's nice, every once in a while, to take a walk on the beach.