Hammonasset State Park

Hammonasset State Park is a gorgeous stretch of preserved shoreline habitat in Madison, CT. Michael and I went out today hoping to catch a glimpse of some wintering shorebirds. Here's what we saw:

• American Black Duck
• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Mockingbird
• European Starling 
• Golden-crowned Kinglet 
• American Robin
• * Merlin
• * Red-breasted Merganser 

The Merlin and the Red-breasted Merganser were new to us! We had a hard time deciding of the Merlin was a Merlin or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. We eventually decided it must be a Merlin because of it's small size, as well as its habitat. The Merlin was perched on a high tree in the scrub vegetation scanning the dunes for prey, a common characteristic of the species. Merlins also usually winter in marshy areas, while Sharp-Shinned Hawks are typically strictly forest dwellers.

Awesome!