Greg Hanisek

Waterbury

Columnist at Republican-American

A nature blog written by Waterbury Republican-American columnist Greg Hanisek

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Articles

CT sightings of ravens are rising while ruffed grouse are declining

2 weeks ago | ctinsider.com | Greg Hanisek

Significant changes in local bird populations can occur rather quickly. Using my arrival as a Connecticut resident in the early 1990s as a gauge, I would cite as examples - both increases and declines - ravens and grouse. When I got here, I quickly learned that known nesting sites for northern ravens could be counted on one hand. They were all on remote cliffs. Since then a remarkable expansion has occurred. I hear ravens on most days when I'm out birding for any significant amount of time.
CT sightings of ravens are rising while ruffed grouse are declining

2 weeks ago | ncadvertiser.com | Greg Hanisek

A ruffed grouse is seen in its favored habitat in Litchfield County. Greg Hanisek/For Hearst Connecticut MediaSignificant changes in local bird populations can occur rather quickly. Using my arrival as a Connecticut resident in the early 1990s as a gauge, I would cite as examples — both increases and declines — ravens and grouse. When I got here, I quickly learned that known nesting sites for northern ravens could be counted on one hand. They were all on remote cliffs.
Connecticut sightings of Canada warblers surprisingly continue into June

3 weeks ago | ctinsider.com | Greg Hanisek

The schedule of bird activities provides information that plays a role in identification by humans. When trying to figure out the species, observers can take into account the nesting season, where it spends the winter and its typical seasonal migration windows. One of my favorite examples involves two very similar species of flycatcher - the great crested flycatcher and the ash-throated flycatcher. The former is a common woodland nester in our area. The latter is a rare visitor from the Southwest.
Chatter of chipmunks, squirrels and frogs makes it tougher to identify bird sounds

3 weeks ago | milfordmirror.com | Greg Hanisek

Generally the term “bird calls” is used to encompass sounds of any kind, but to anyone with a deeper interest, songs and calls are different things. Songs are primarily the products of passerine species, more generally known as songbirds. These are relatively complex, learned vocalizations specifically aimed at attracting mates and discouraging rivals of the same species. Calls are more terse sounds, signalling things like food and alarm.
Chatter of chipmunks, squirrels and frogs makes it tougher to identify bird sounds

3 weeks ago | ctinsider.com | Greg Hanisek

If you are interested in birds, you really have to be interested in birds songs - and really any kind of sounds birds make. Generally the term "bird calls" is used to encompass sounds of any kind, but to anyone with a deeper interest, songs and calls are different things. Songs are primarily the products of passerine species, more generally known as songbirds. These are relatively complex, learned vocalizations specifically aimed at attracting mates and discouraging rivals of the same species.
Chatter of chipmunks, squirrels and frogs makes it tougher to identify bird sounds

3 weeks ago | sheltonherald.com | Greg Hanisek

Generally the term “bird calls” is used to encompass sounds of any kind, but to anyone with a deeper interest, songs and calls are different things. Songs are primarily the products of passerine species, more generally known as songbirds. These are relatively complex, learned vocalizations specifically aimed at attracting mates and discouraging rivals of the same species. Calls are more terse sounds, signalling things like food and alarm.
Cliff swallows' mud nests in Waterbury show birds can do a lot more than fly

1 month ago | ctinsider.com | Greg Hanisek

What is the most remarkable thing about birds? It would be close to unanimous if posed as a general question: the ability to fly. Even though we see them do it every day with apparent ease, just a moment's reflection underscores the physical achievement. I won't dispute the obvious, but as one who studies birds with a broader scope of interest, I'm amazed at another ability that takes more effort to appreciate: the building of nests.
Watertown, Woodbury sites draw not-so-solitary sandpipers and other shorebirds

1 month ago | milfordmirror.com | Greg Hanisek

If you've never seen — or even heard of — a solitary sandpiper, the name alone may seem suggestive. To hear someone say, for instance, 15 solitary sandpipers, that may bring to mind the incongruity of something like jumbo shrimp. But anyone with an ardent interest in birds knows names are often arbitrary or based on things that may not be obvious. Article continues below this adFor every perfectly named scarlet tanager there's a denizen of a northern bog named palm warbler.
Watertown, Woodbury sites draw not-so-solitary sandpipers and other shorebirds

1 month ago | ctinsider.com | Greg Hanisek

If you've never seen - or even heard of - a solitary sandpiper, the name alone may seem suggestive. To hear someone say, for instance, 15 solitary sandpipers, that may bring to mind the incongruity of something like jumbo shrimp. But anyone with an ardent interest in birds knows names are often arbitrary or based on things that may not be obvious. For every perfectly named scarlet tanager there's a denizen of a northern bog named palm warbler.
A trip to Italy includes the wonder of seeing shearwater birds on the open sea

1 month ago | ctinsider.com | Greg Hanisek

The diversity of birds in North America is a marvel, but when taking into account tropical areas around the world, the variety becomes overwhelming. There are whole families of birds that are found nowhere near our continent, and there are groups plying our own waters that the general public knows almost nothing about. A broad category lumps a variety of families as pelagic birds, meaning they live their lives on the high seas, coming on land only to breed.