Connecticut birders have been treated to a spate of cool rarities over the past 6 months or so. The rarest were first state records of Brewer’s Sparrow in November last year at Hammonasset and Townsend’s Warbler in Hartford in April.
The Townsend's Warbler is the Western counterpart to the Black-throated Green Warbler of the Eastern coniferous forest. (Compare here:https://flic.kr/p/H7ZM2c)
Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) - Cedar Hill Cemetery Hartford
A Western Meadowlark was a second state record* at Sherwood Island in October of 2019. Very similar and difficult to distinguish from the Eastern Meadowlark except by vocalizations, which this bird did not provide. But several experts analyzed the bird and photos to determine its true identity.
These were preceded by a Black-legged Kittiwake at Sherwood Island also in October 2019 (18th state record). Typically a seabird that usually only comes ashore at nesting time, this vagrant remained available for viewing for several days, apparently tuckered out as evidenced by bouts of sleeping and yawning.
Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) - Sherwood Island SP
In between were slightly more regular occurrences of Western Tanager in Torrington and Harris’s Sparrow at Hammonasset (5th state record since 1987). This colorful young male tanager visited a backyard feeder in a rather densely developed neighborhood. Interestingly, in April of 2020, just before this writing, another Western Tanager was seen for a few days in a similar setting in Stratford.
Harris's Sparrows are birds of the central plains of the US in winter and Canada during nesting season. A large, handsome sparrow, they are closely related to the common White-throated Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrows that frequent our feeders and weed patches in Winter.
Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) - Hammonasset Beach SP
Most recently, a more or less regular (as its range expands northward) but still rare Yellow-throated Warbler was found at Mondo Ponds in Milford.
Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) - Mondo Ponds Milford
Congrats and thanks to the intrepid and committed birders who find these rarities to the benefit of the birding community. There have been others, of course; these are a few of those I've been fortunate enough to photograph.
*state record stats based on latest published ARCC reports and may be incomplete.
All photos © C.S. Wood
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