For Predator Birds, Connecticut's A Popular Dining Spot In Late Winter

[Donna]

With more snow on the way and many of the state's lakes dotted with ice-fishing shacks, it's hard to think of Connecticut as a sort of Florida for wintering birds.

But that's exactly the role the state plays this time of year, with thousands of predator birds, ducks and water fowl commuting here to escape frigid habitats in Maine, Canada and even above the Arctic Circle.

Because most of its rivers empty into Long Island Sound and are tidal for several miles above their mouths, Connecticut becomes an open-water haven for fish-eating eagles and ducks whose northern feeding grounds ice over in early January.

"In fact, this is the best time of year to actually see bald eagles in appreciable numbers," said Andrew Griswold, the director of EcoTravel for the Connecticut Audubon Society, which runs weekday and weekend rides down the Connecticut River this time of year so bird-watchers and tourists can see the species.

Connecticut is home to about 80 resident bald eagles, with about 20 pairs actively nesting and raising their young in the state. But this population is supplemented every year by "wintering" eagles traveling south from neighboring states and Canada in search of open water. More than 80 percent of an eagle's diet consists of fish, and eagles begin to travel south as soon as their northern rivers freeze over. The main source of Connecticut's wintering eagles is believed to be the Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts, which has more than 50 pairs of nesting eagles, but others come from northern New England and Canada.

Many other ducks and water birds also winter in Connecticut. Griswold said that the common merganser and the red-breasted merganser travel from as far away as Minnesota and the Dakotas to find open water here. Red-throated loons come from as far away as Alaska and parts of Canada above the Arctic Circle to feed until spring arrives farther north. Rough-legged hawks and northern harriers, which can also live as far north as the Arctic, are fairly common sights in Connecticut this time of year.

"These birds are all fish-eaters and they're incredibly hardy diving in the cold water," said Griswold. "But as long as the water is open, they can handle it. The Connecticut River is a real magnet for these species."

Caption: One of the eagles spotted aboard the RierQuest, an eagle-watching cruise on the Connecticut River, sponsored by EcoTravel, a division of the Connecticut Audubon Society.