Sunday, 4/14 Juvenal's DWs

[Clay Taylor]

Hi all -

    The morning started out nicely, as my resident Louisiana Waterthrush arrived overnight and was loudly staking claim to his stretch of the brook.   Welcome back!   

    After a few hours of spring yardwork, Jonathan and I biked over to Echo Farm State Park in Moodus (East Haddam) to enjoy the warmth, sunshine and new greenery.   Saw a few Clouded Sulphurs on the way out to the lower overlook, and stopped by the sandpit pond to watch a dark butterfly zigging across the dirt road.   It was a fairly small Juvenal's Duskywing that was landing only briefly on twigs and vines, apparently looking for territorial defense perches.  A minute of two later a much larger Dusky flew in and landed on a dandelion - more strongly patterned and browner overall than the first dusky, but it didn't strike me as a good candidate for a Horace's (isn't it too early for an H.?).   So make that two Juvenal's Duskywings.

    We pedaled down to the big sandpit and listened to all the birdsong, including an irritated Belted Kingfisher in the first sandbank after the lightning-shattered conifer (possible nest site?), but no butterflies.

    On to the lower lookout, where a succession of Clouded Sulphurs and then two Orange Sulphurs cruised by the edge, stopping briefly to visit the dandelions.  A Red Admiral also passed by.   Up in the top of a Hemlock was a singing male Eastern  Bluebird, and a male American Kestrel was sitting atop a broken Hemlock top halfway down the field.

    The ride back out found no new leps, although singing American Goldfinches, Pine Warblers, and an Eastern Meadowlark made for a pleasant trip.

Butterfly roundup;

Clouded Sulphur - 11
Orange Sulphur - 2
Red Admiral - 1
Juvenal's Duskywing - 2

Clay Taylor
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