Enthusiasts Respond To Rare Bird Alert

MILFORD (AP) — It wasn’t quite an emergency, but zealous birdwatchers from all around the East Coast descended on Milford last Saturday in response to a “rare bird alert” for a glimpse and a photo of the tiny Red-necked stint.

Birders traveled from as far south as Delaware and Florida and as far north as Vermont following the alert from the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milford Point Education Center.

“This is only the third time we’ve ever seen one of these birds here,” said Frank Gallo, director of education at the Audubon Center. The previous two occasions were in 2000, he said.

For nearly two hours, 20 bird lovers trained their binoculars over their surroundings and consulted bird-identification books to match the Red-necked stint. A few birders jotted down notes in diaries, listing the date, time and sighting place for the more unusual birds they see.

“This is a life bird, a bird you see once in your life,” said Carl Ekroth, 62, of Ellington, a state environmental worker.

Other rare birds were sighted. To an untrained eye, the sandpiper from Siberia looked about the same as any sandpiper on the beach at Milford Point. Experienced birders were delighted to see it.

The Red-necked stint was laying over in Milford because of stormy weather and to eat seafood and insects during its long journey home from China or Siberia to Australia, birders said.

An abundance of seafood and insects to satisfy avian diets is what makes Milford Point a prime site for bird sightings.

Nick Bonomo, 22, of Orange, was the first to notice the stint on July 16. In a few days, birders flocked to Milford Point. They arrived at 7:30 am Saturday with coffee and bagels and set up their optical gear.

One stint, perhaps an exhibitionist, broke from a group of sandpipers less than two hours later to let the birders get a picture of it.

“Birding is exciting,” said Bruce Finnan, 43, of Waterbury, a mechanical engineer.

It was his second time viewing the stint. “He’s being very cooperative.”

Gordon Gover, 53, was elated. “I drove up here from New Jersey and I saw him, so I guess it’s a good day,” he said.