More sights from the Charter Oak State

My sister, Deb, who rescued a wren from a glue trap a few years ago, suggested we visit the Broad Brook Reservoir on the east side of town this morning. It was another nice, clear day, so we got out nice and early, but failed to anticipate the fog coming off the water. Even with the fog, however, we could see that the trees on an island were full of cormorants and a few huge nests.

Closer to shore, we could see a couple ruddy ducks diving for their breakfasts. I’ve seen them in Port Washington, the Horicon Marsh, and on Lake Michigan, but not yet in Estabrook. The strip across the cheek marks that one as a female or an immature male.

There is a cause way that splits the reservoir in about half, and we parked at one end and hiked to the middle. In the few feet between the guardrail and the water, this Canada goose managed to squeeze in her nest. Deb wondered how the goslings would fair so close to the road, but I bet she’ll have them swim to a nicer location just as soon as they’re all hatched.

Eventually the sun came over the hills and started burning off the fog, at which point this chickadee took a moment in the sun to fluff up its feathers.

Then my first eastern kingbird of the season stopped in. It does not appear that anyone has spotted one in Estabrook yet this year.

Deb says that she usually sees some swans on the water in the summer, but neither of us expected to see them fly back and forth over the cause way like cats that can’t decide if they want to be in or out.

I would not guess that such big birds take to the air on a whim.

Once the fog was finally gone, we could see a whole raft of ruddy ducks out on the water.

Luckily for me, a couple were foraging on the bottom close to the cause way so I could get portraits when they came up for air. Here’s a non-breeding male in brown, …

and here’s a breeding male in chestnut.

I was pleasantly surprised to find my first spotted sandpiper as well. Still none at Estabrook yet, but soon enough.

Finally, those nests on the island we could barely make out through the fog earlier, turn out to belong to great blue herons, and here’s a pair getting reacquainted after one returned from a fishing expedition. Sweet!