American Kestrel, State Threatened Species, Spotted At Griswold Gate Checking Out The Buffet

News about the arrival of a small, slender falcon with long pointed wings and a long tail at the gates of the Griswold property Monday evening spread quickly among birders in Connecticut Tuesday.

"Yesterday evening at about 5:45, the kestrel was perched about 60ft from the front gate and was facing the meadow," John Pfitzner wrote in an email to his friends Tuesday.

The arrival of the American kestrel, a state threatened species, was heralded as enormous good news by those birders, who praised Madisonites for their vision and tenacity in setting aside a large portion of the Griswold tract for passive recreation.

The site, formerly an airport, was at one point being considered for a development of hundreds of homes, with underground garages that would have been smack dab in the middle of the wetlands, but it was saved through the efforts of local residents, town and state officials, and organizations like The Trust For Public Land, Audubon Connecticut and others.

Ideal habitat for migrants like the kestrel

The property's unique combination of tall grasslands, forests, and salt marsh makes it an ideal place to attract both common species and the showy migrant birds passing through.  "This is exciting," said Patrick Comins, director of bird conservation for Audubon Connecticut. "They have been declining in the northeast quite a bit. You don't see that many of them."

The Griswold property is an ideal location for the American kestrel "because they like to hunt out in the tall grass, adjacent to the marsh." The wide variety of habitats at Griswold is likely to attract more kestrels, Comins said, along with other interesting species.

"You have grasslands, tidal marsh, mature woodlands, and scrub habitat," he said. "And there are two different kinds of woodlands, the wetter forest at the north end of the property, and dry coastal forest on each side of the property."

Comins said the American kestrel is a migratory bird that spends its winter in the southeast United States. They nest throughout North America, but their numbers have dwindled as their habitats have disappeared. "They used to be common, but their numbers declined through the 20th century and that continued in the 21st century," Comins said. "In the past 20 years or so, finding them has become a reportable event."

Bird buffet there for the taking

Comins said kestrels eat the kind of prey that likely is abundant in the grasslands at Griswold, such as small rodents, large insects, dragonflies, big grasshoppers, and, on occasion, a small bird or two.

While this sighting could be a harbinger of more to come when it comes to bird sightings, Comins said this is exciting "in and of itself."

"We haven't had access to this property all that long, so we never know what is going to show up there. This is indicative of a really good grassland habitat."

He said the town, or people in the town, might want to consider putting up a kestrel nest box to see if they could entice more prolonged residency. Unlike osprey nesting platforms, which are heavily regulated since they have to be located in the middle of fragile tidal marsh, kestrel nest boxes are a somewhat less complex undertaking. Still, it would have to be done right, and in the right location, Comins said.

Could be a good time to reach out to Tom

"There are right ways to do it and wrong ways to do it," he said. He recommended Tom Sayers of Tolland, a longtime admirer of the American kestrel, as someone who could guide anyone who is interested in creating a kestrel nesting box. Sayers, as part of the Northeast Connecticut Kestrel Project, is working to rebuild local populations of the American kestrel.

Comins said Sayers has "great kestrel nest box designs and is good about knowing the best places to put them. If this was something the town wanted to do, they could reach out to Tom Sayers."

Comins said the kestrel sighting just confirms the initial enthusiasm he and others had about the Griswold property. "In general, it's just a wonderful conservation victory to have that permanently protected as a municipal park. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the town of Madison to see that it's developed in a way that has tremendous benefit to birds and other wildlife."

Cementing Madison's reputation as a destination for birders

Comins said sightings like this will cement Madison's reputation as a destination for birders, who will come to the area and then spend money on food, gas, lodging, and other necessities.

"Birding has a big financial benefit. Hammonasset Beach State Park is already one of the most popular destinations in Connecticut. This is likely to make it grow," he said. "Griswold adds a different dimension to Hammonasset Beach State Park as a birding destination. It offers different habitats that Hammonasset does not have and different views of the marsh."

Town residents could take simple steps to encourage bird activity in Griswold, Comins said, such as putting out feed plots with sunflower seeds and grains that attract birds in the fall. "That has the potential to attract some really rare birds. That could bring in a lot of people."

Griswold has potential to attract rarities; and look what happens then

By way of example, Comins said, a Fork-tailed flycatcher landed in Cove Island Park Stamford in November 2010, stayed for a while, and drew birders from all over the country. "It stayed for weeks and drew hundreds of people from all over the country, some of them from as far away as California and Texas," Comins said. "That was a really big deal in the birding world. That happens from time to time, and Griswold and Hammonasset are on par with any site that could attract rarities like that. Comins said the Fork-tailed flycatcher is a bird from South America that likely got lost, then decided to stay a while.

"Griswold Airport has that kind of potential," he said. "If the planning is done right and enhancements are made, it has the potential to attract rare birds like that. It could be a real tourist draw."

A step as simple as planting Sunflower patches and other appropriate plants at the edge  of the playing field, and putting up bird houses, could attract a whole range of species.

Griswold, properly managed could attract hard cores and gateway birders

"Average people really enjoy seeing things like hummingbirds, American goldfinches. Butterfly migration on the coast can really be spectacular. You could build Tree swallow boxes, Purple martin boxes," he said. "This site has the potential to attract hard-core birders and the potential to create new birders."

There are twenty seven important bird areas in state, and Hammonasset is one of only two globally important sites. The addition of the adjacent Griswold property makes it even more significant.

Of the more than 300 species recorded at Hammonasset, one is globally significant, Comins said, the Saltmarsh Sparrow. Hammonasset has the second-largest known and documented populations of Saltmarsh Sparrows anywhere in the world. To be a globally important site for the Saltmarsh Sparrow, a site has to hold only 3o nesting areas, Hammonasset may have as many as 1,000. "It's essentially of galactic signficance, it really blows away the threshold," Comins said.

People of Madison "visionary"

Other important species in the Hammonasset area include the state threatened Snowy and Great egrets, Piping Plovers, and the Roseate Tern. Then there are the Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks and, on occasion, a Snowy Owl or two. Horned Larks and Snow Buntings have been seen in the area as well.

But late Monday and early Tuesday, it was all about the American Kestrel at Griswold.

"This is a local conservation action that has a global impact, we're thrilled to have been able to help out with that," Comins said. "The people of Madison were visionary to protect this space."