May 14, 2011

At East Rock Park, New Haven, Ct.

A wood thrush in East Rock Park, New Haven, today. Click to enlarge.

East Rock Park in New Haven is an oasis of green amid an urban environment. Downtown New Haven is only blocks away, busy Whitney Avenue adjacent. During spring migration, it is a special place to walk for birders, as thousands of songbirds migrate through, especially during mid-May. I assume many of these birds have followed the coastline from the south, or perhaps just crossed Long Island Sound, and they pour into the park to refuel, happy to stretch their legs and grab a bite, much like travelers on the interstate highways.

A rose-breasted grosbeak in East Rock Park, New Haven, today. Click to enlarge.

A friend, Steve Kotchko, and I stopped by the park this morning, the first time in years for both of us. Among serious birders the park is well known, and the trails can be thick with them during May. One group of skilled birders passing through the park yesterday logged 18 warbler species alone. Steve and I didn’t come close to that today. We agreed that weather may have been a big factor. Winds came out of the north or northwest in recent days and may have discouraged migrating warblers from heading north. The wind shifted later yesterday, out of the southwest. That might have been all the encouragement the warblers and other songbirds needed to continue moving northward. In any event, our warbler count was confined to common yellowthroat, black and white warbler, redstarts and northern waterthrush. For all we know, another wave of birds could drop in tonight.

Warbers aside, the day belonged to the wood thrushes. Wood thrushes, cousins to the American robin and similar in size, have a cinnamon back and bold dark spots on a whitish belly. Unlike the robin, which loves a suburban lawn, the wood thrush hangs out in the woods.  In our visit of about 2 1/2 hours we saw wood thrushes repeatedly, even got some decent photographs, and heard their pleasant song time and again. A rose-breasted grosbeak was accommodating enough to drop down to a lower branch, becoming another photo-op. We didn’t see nearly the number of species we have seen other visits, but the temperature was in the high 60s, the dogwoods were in bloom, the trees just leafed out, the birds plentiful enough, while we walked and talked for much of the morning. Not a bad way to begin a weekend.

May 5, 2011

Purple trillium along the Appalachian Trail in Kent, Ct. Click to enlarge

The 2,175-mile-long Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine can be very steep in places.

Leslie Gordon will lead a yoga session on a flat, grassy area below Kent Falls in Kent Falls State Park. Click to enlarge

But there is a stretch of the trail as it passes through Kent, Ct., that is about 3 miles long and best described as gentle ups and downs as it hugs the west bank of the Housatonic River. It is a most pleasant walk any time of the year, but no more so than in May, when the trees leaf out and songbirds migrate north along the river by the thousands. Walk this section of the trail on a nice morning in late May and the songbird chorus might be the best a cappella performance you’ve ever heard. Bird watchers are crazy about this place.

How about a hike on this magical section of the trail, followed by a session of muscle-and-soul-soothing outdoor yoga on the grass at nearby Kent Falls State Park? Leslie Gordon and I will host the hike, Leslie will lead the yoga session. It is May 22, from 8 a.m. until about 3 p.m. Pre-registration required. We’ll hike about 4 miles round-trip, look at the wildflowers and warblers, follow it with yoga and a bring-your-own bag lunch at the park. Cost is $40 per person. Time permitting, we’ll also stop at Bantam Bread Company on the way back, where they have wonderful artisan breads and sweets. Details on the Enlightened Way Wellness Center website, where Leslie is the director of yoga programs.

Rain will cancel; we’ll likely make a decision the day before. Wear comfortable clothing suiting for hiking and yoga, bring water and snacks and a picnic lunch. We’ll car-pool from Enlightened Way, but hikers can meet us in Kent by prior arrangement. If you have binoculars you might want to bring them. If not, we will share. In addition to the birds, there should be bountiful wildflowers along the trail.

April 22, 2011

The Farmington Canal, which ran from New Haven, Ct., to Northampton, Ma., was completed in 1835. Despite the enormous work and expense involved, in practically no time it was obsolete as railroads emerged and flourished – and then, in the 20th Century, declined themselves. Kind of like what cell phones did to beepers.

At the edge of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Cheshire is one of the original locks for the canal, built in the early 19th Century. Click to enlarge

Today, the canal, its towpath and the rail line that succeeded the old canal have morphed into the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, a still-being-developed path for foot and bicycle travel. The goal is an unbroken 84-mile corridor between New Haven and Northampton. In Connecticut, 72 percent of the trail is done; in Massachusetts, 45 percent is done.

Two long stretches, New Haven north through much of Cheshire and from Farmington to Suffield, are paved and heavily used. It already has become an invaluable recreational resource used by many thousands of people – even a commuter path for some people.

I often ride my bike on a section of the trail in Farmington and Avon. It is tree-lined, flat and closed to motor vehicles. Just be careful when crossing roads and it makes for a most pleasant walk or bike ride.

My “Walkabout” Column in the Hartford Courant this month takes a look at the Canal Trail. It appears tomorrow, April 23, on the cover of the Features section.

Information on the Farmington Canal Heritage Greenway is available at www.farmingtoncanal.org and www.fvgreenway.org. On April 29, the East Coast Greenway Alliance will sponsor a 45-mile bike ride from New Haven to Simsbury to showcase the canal trail as part of the alliance’s national meeting in Simsbury next weekend. For registration and information, see www.greenway.org or e-mail info@greenway.org or search Facebook for “New Haven to Simsbury.” Phone is 401-789-4625.