Mattabeseck Audubon Society: Welcome!

Our Mission: The Mattabeseck Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, is committed to environmental leadership and education for the benefit of the community and the earth's biodiversity.

deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, Connecticut 06457

May 5 (Saturday 8 a.m.)
David Titus Memorial Annual Warbler Walk
Blowhole State Park

May 12 (Saturday 7:30 a.m.)
Meshomasic Forest Spring Migrants
Meshomasic Forest, Portland

May 26 (Saturday 8:00 a.m.)
Canoe / Kayak Trip—Salmon River
Salmon River, East Haddam

July 7 (Saturday 7:30 a.m.)
Machimoodus State Park and Hurd Park
With Hartford Audubon

August 18 (Saturday 2:30 p.m.)
An Afternoon at the Helen Carlson Sanctuary
Link to Bog page with maps

The deadline for items to be included in the Summer/Fall Issue is Wednesday, May 28, 2011. We expect subscribers to receive their copies about June 23. Please send items to Pat Rasch, 24 Elm Road, Cromwell, CT 06416, or email to <mattabeseck@mac.com>

The Board of Directors will meet at 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown.

Two Birding Programs at Cromwell Belden Public Library
From Board Member Luella D. Landis
Mattabeseck Audubon Society and the Friends of Cromwell Belden Public Library are collaborating on an Introductory Birding Program on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the library’s Arch Room, which is located on the first floor at 39 West Street, Cromwell. A presentation on basic birding, including identification, bird calls, habitats, and feeders, will be given by Kasha Breau, Educator and Naturalist at the Connecticut Audubon Center in Glastonbury. Kasha is also a Licensed Migratory Bird Rehabilitator. This dynamic program will be of interest to both children and adults.

Participants are also invited to attend one, or both, of two birding walks sponsored by MAS in Cromwell on May 5 (Warblers, led by Larry Cyrulik) and May 6 (Migrants, led by Joe Morin). Please see Upcoming Field Trips (page 2) for details.

In addition to Mattabeseck Board Members, Larry and Joe, MAS would also like to thank the Friends of Cromwell Belden Public Library, as well as Mercy High School student volunteer, Talia Staiger, for all their help in this collaborative effort. A second birding-related program is being held at the library’s Arch Room on Wednesday, April 18 at 2:00 p.m. The presenter is Jerry Connolly, and his program is titled, “Namibia and Botswana: A Speculator Birding Safari”. His program shows the abundant and diverse birding in these parts of Africa, as well as various mammals—leopards, lions, elephants, giraffes, and rhinoceros, etc. Jerry and his wife, Janet, opened The Audubon Shop of Madison in 1986. A naturalist friend of mine highly recommends him, and I passed the info along to the library.

Spring Migration at Portland Fairgrounds
From Board MemberJoanne Luppi
I hope you are all enjoying the early migration this spring. As I write this (April 2), there is a lot of activity at the Portland Fairgrounds. Anywhere from 2 to 15 Wilson’s Snipe have been reported, Killdeer, Great Blue Heron, Mallards, Canada Geese, even a Bluebird today. Pine Warblers, one of the earliest to arrive, are being reported in Conn. Other warblers can’t be far behind. If you are stopped in traffic on the Arrigoni Bridge, despair not! Look for Peregrines. I saw one the last week of March, chasing a Rock Dove. A few days before that, a pair of Peregrines were reported there on the CT Bird Alert. Perhaps they will nest on the railroad bridge, as they have in the past.

Helen Carlson Sanctuary Update
From Board MemberJoanne Luppi
The Helen Carlson Sanctuary (the Cranberry Bog) has become a lake. The water is higher than ever. We are still hoping to have some sort of bridge constructed so that we can access the viewing platform without boots! There was a Great Blue Heron there, too, just the other day, as well as a Canada Goose. Perhaps the Geese will nest there as they did last year. The unusual Muscovy Duck that had been living at the Sanctuary for several months, came to a sad end. No one really knows if a coyote, fisher cat, or what killed it, but the outcome was that two mature Bald Eagles came to feast on the remains. The neighboring children are mourning the demise of the King of the Bog, as they called the duck.

Volunteers Needed
From Alison Guinness, MAS President
MAS has received a request from the Girl Scouts to participate in their 100th anniversary gathering at the Durham Fairgrounds on May 19 (unfortunately, it’s the same day as our Bark Workshop). Volunteers need to be at the Fairgrounds between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to talk to people about birding and birds. Anyone interested, if so, please contact Alison Guinness.

The David Titus Memorial Bird Card is now available for a $3 donation. We will have them at MAS activities or request by email to mattabeseck@mac.com. Many thanks to Pat Rasch for putting it all together and wildlife illustrator, Mike DiGiorgio, for his beautiful illustrations, many of which were painted specifically for this bird card. The card is a very inexpensive way to own some of the best bird art you’ll ever see.

It is extra heavy-duty, all-plastic laminate, printed in full color on both sides. Twenty-four birds are identified by their common name and Latin name, along with the length of the bird and the seasons that they are usually seen in our area. In species that have visual differences between the sexes, both sexes are portrayed.

If you find a baby bird or other animal, it's best to leave it alone. Chances are the parent is nearby and will take care of the baby when you leave the area. If not or you have some other wildlife problem, contact the CT Wildlife Rehabilitators Association at http://www.cwrawildlife.org/ where you can find a rehabilitator in your area or someone to address your problem.

We encourage everyone to buy Duck Stamps each fall. The funds the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the State of Connecticut receive from the sale of Duck Stamps goes directly to conservation of habitat that supports not only waterfowl but many other species of birds and other animals and indigenous plants. You may purchase Federal Duck Stamps at the Post Office, and State of Connecticut Duck Stamps at your local town hall.