Haddam CT

Posted on April 21, 2013April 21, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Since my Riverquest cruise left from the boat dock at Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam, I thought it might be worthwhile to check out this little town while I was here. It seems there’s something for everyone.

Sportsmen can go fishing on the Connecticut river or boaters can go boating.

Birders can take the Riverquest cruises and look for eagles and osprey and other birds of sea and shore.

Architecture buffs can lose themselves in the Village of East Haddam, filled with beautifully maintained historic homes and businesses.

The premier example is the Goodspeed Opera house still a fully functional theater located right on the river.

Engineers can marvel over the Haddam Swing Bridge, a steel, movable truss bridge composed of two main spans crossing the Connecticut River.

Of course East Haddam is home to the unique Gillette Castle and Gillette Castle State Park. Picnic, walk trails and explore the grounds. The intricate architecture and beautiful surroundings seem to appeal to all.

Nature is represented everywhere in East Haddam. There’s nothing like a sunset dinner while watching the world go by on the Connecticut River.

For a sleepy little town there’s plenty to do. Other attractions close by include Nathan Hale House and the oldest bell in America. ( housed in the belfry of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.)

The Nature Conservancy calls East Haddam “One of the last great places.” So take some time to drop in for a visit to a classic New England Village and surroundings.

Ospreys and Eagles …Oh My!

Posted on April 20, 2013April 20, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Time to head to the docks or should I say a dock. I’m heading out on an Eagle/Osprey cruise. I last went on one of these trips on a cold day in February 2011. Of course I picked the coldest day of the year to go at that time. https://aroundustyroads.com/2011/03/04/eagles-on-the-connecticut-river/

This time the weather seems a bit warmer even with the stiff breeze.

The cruise leaves from the dock at Eagle Landing State Park which is located in Haddam across the river from the Goodspeed Opera House.

I am always impressed by how personable and knowledgeable the crew of Riverquest is about the sights along the river and the birds that can be seen. They are the ones who first pointed out Gillette Castle and gave a thumbnail history. They also knew the ID and history of the impressive building that turned out to be St. John’s. Plus they have “eagle” eyes when it come to spotting birds!

Today the cruise is billed as an Eagle and Osprey tour and we certainly got to see Osprey. We also got off to a quick start with the eagles. Barely out from the dock 4 birds were spotted circling very high up. Binoculars came out and a discussion ensued but finally it was determined that there were 4, possibly 5 juvenile eagles soaring on the thermals.

Juvenile eagles are not as distinctive as their more mature counterparts. They start out brown and progress through stages as they age. An eagle expert can tell the age of a juvenile by how much “mottling” the feathers show. They don’t get the trademark white head until they are 5 years old.

We started watching Osprey right at the dock. A pair are trying to build a nest on the center tower of the swing bridge but are having a tough time because of the wind.

As we headed down the river it seemed like every buoy or marker had a pair of Osprey trying to build a nest. It was clear that there is a thriving population of Osprey on this section of the Connecticut River.

We also saw double crested cormorants, a peregrine falcon buzzed the bow of the boat, and even a red-shouldered hawk (as opposed to a red tail hawk) took to the thermals watching for prey. Common mergansers with their funny “bad hair day ” crest floated on the river while Black Backed gulls patrolled the skies.

We passed a mute swan and spotted a loon. And then we saw the large eagle nest on an island ahead of us. The captain brought the boat in as close as he could but even then it was pretty far away. At least it wasn’t hidden by leaves yet so we had a clear line of sight and there they were. Two adult eagles , fully mature, with their white heads gleaming in the afternoon sun. As one moved off the nest to a nearby tree we could just make out the head of a baby eagle above the edge of the nest.

The pictures aren’t great because of the distance but lack of pictures didn’t dampen the excitement of seeing these gorgeous birds in the wild.

All in all it was a successful and enjoyable trip down the Connecticut River and I will continue my quest for that iconic photo of an eagle in the wild. Maybe I’ll get a chance in Alaska!

Around the grounds of Gillette Castle

Posted on April 18, 2013April 18, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I’ve written about Gillette Castle before. https://aroundustyroads.com/2011/03/05/gillette-castle-and-state-park/

But up until now I’ve never had time to visit the actual grounds. I’ve always viewed the castle from the river.

I rolled into Haddam about 1pm and my River Cruise wasn’t until 4 pm so with time on my hand I followed the signs to Gillette Castle and State park.. The roads and entrance are well-marked making it easy to find.

The drive in is quite pretty even this early in the spring. There’s a little pond with a picturesque stone bridge just before you reach the main parking lot. You can pull in here and park or continue on to the visitor center and Castle itself.

I was still here too early in the season. Nothing was open except the grounds so you could walk around the castle, enjoy the views and follow the trails but the Welcome Center was closed as was the interior of the Castle and the snack bar.

That’s ok with me.

There will be plenty more to explore when I get back this way again.

The Flume Gorge, A Tale of Misadventure

Posted on April 13, 2013April 13, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Bad weather and bureaucracy have stolen my blogging time this week. I thought I’d Share one of my most popular posts from the past . This was once “Freshly Pressed” I hope you enjoy the repeat.

Allens Pond Trails

Posted on April 12, 2013April 12, 2013 by Dusty Roads

A few days ago I started telling you about a new Wildlife Sanctuary, well new to me anyway…Allens Pond in Westport. So much happened between my first post about Allens Pond and this installment that it’s hard to believe its been less than a week.

Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary is 595 acres that includes a coastal salt-pond, a salt marsh, a barrier beach, shrublands , forested wetlands and grasslands.

The sanctuary consists of 6 miles of trails where you can wander along the Buzzards Bay Shoreline, cross an old pasture or climb among giant boulders.

On my visit the sun was shining but the wind off the bay was blustery and made it cold in spite of the sunshine. Because of this I only explored half of the Beach Loop trail which was only a tiny part of the trail system.

The section I explored took me along a dirt road with Allens Pond on my left and Buzzards Bay on my right. Most of the time I could see the pond but the view of the bay was blocked by the shrublands or what I would call shrubland. These low but thick bushes are nesting areas for several protected species of birds. Piping Plovers and a couple of species of terns are known to nest here and the area is clearly marked as protected.

As you first encounter the pond from the trail you will see an Osprey nesting platform. To my right were smaller nest boxes more suitable for Eastern Bluebirds or other small, grassland birds. I saw plenty of ducks including a merganser with its fluffy looking head of feathers but no action at the Osprey Nest while I was there.

A bit farther along it was clear that the swans were here. About 6 white spots floated on the blue water just beyond my camera’s range. In the soft sand in the road I spotted the distinctive split hoof print of a deer.

It must have passed through just before I came along because the way the wind was blowing the print wouldn’t stay visible for long. In fact by the time I had turned back it was gone, filled in by the sifting, blowing sand.

By now I was pretty wind burned but it had been a nice little walk. I didn’t walk back along the shore because the round rocks were pretty unstable underfoot and I was only wearing sneakers so I retraced my steps back along the road.