Visit from Forester and Audubon Scientist

Yesterday, we were visited by Eric (Forester) and Corrie (Audubon scientist) to do a bird identification and count in our forest that consists of approximately 25 acres located to the east side of our vineyard. We put in an application for the Connecticut Audubon Habitat Assessment program last year and were selected to participate in it. Eric and Corrie and our friend, Frost, whom we invited to join us, gathered on the property at 9 a.m. yesterday. For a day in May, it was unseasonably cold and threatening to rain.

Walking the forest with Eric and Corrie was like having our own personal tree and bird expert to whom we could ask all kinds of questions. Korrie would listen and say, "Did, you hear that, that was the sound of a bluewinged warbler". According to Corrie, it makes a "bee buzz" call that she picked up, as soon as we approached the forest.

Bluewinged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera Call: bee-buzz
Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla Call: Like a bouncing ball coming to rest
Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus Call: drink-your-tea
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens Call: Pik,whinny and drum
Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus Call: fee-bee
American Goldfinch Spinus tristis Call: po-ta-to chippppp
Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla Call: teacher teacher
Woodthrush Hylocichla mustelina Call: ee-oo-lay
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius Call:
Tufted titmouse Baeolophus bicolor Call: peter-peter (I hear it as Jeeter Jeeter, and I am not a Yankee fan)

Frost and I thought that it was a very interesting and educational day which we really enjoyed. More details on what we saw in the forest will follow in a future blog.
References:
All of the photos and information in the bird table were retrieved from:
1. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.