Cohen Meadows, an eBird Hotspot

Cohen Meadows in Colchester, CT

If you are ever in Colchester, CT, I can recommend a good place to bird. It is just a short drive 2.3 miles from the center of town. Drive south on Route 85 and take the left-hand fork onto Route 354, also known as Parum Road. After crossing Route 2 look for McDonald Road on the right. A short drive through a neighborhood will open up to a country road.

As you come around the bend, you will see the parking lot on the right.

 At the edge of the parking lot is a lovely wooden gazebo.

 You might even find a Barn Swallow perched on the roof!

The main pond is just beyond the gazebo. I have found geese, herons, ducks, cormorants and flycatchers in and around this pond. Sparrows and juncos will hop about on the grass or work their way through the bushes. In the summer swallows gather on the overhead wires.

It's a great place to bring your coffee, or tea and breakfast or lunch and just sit and watch birds.

 Just be prepared to share with the Eastern Bluebirds...

or an Eastern Phoebe! 

You might even find a Pine Warbler overhead,

or find a family of Canada Geese paddling about in the water! 

Of course, it is a great place to bring a birding buddy!

My friend, Dawn, loved this woodland path. Just make sure to bring bug spray in the summer. However, we did find a few warblers and vireos in here as well as a family of Wild Turkeys near the forest edge! Above the forest I have often seen and heard Red-shouldered hawks soaring and screaming. In the forest I have heard Veeries and wood thrushes. It is also possible to see Northern Flickers, Red-bellied, and Downy or Hairy Woodpeckers. White-breasted nuthatches have also been seen climbing the tall pine tree trunks!

 After you have explored the large pond and surrounding meadows and forest, there is always the smaller fishing pond across the road.

In the summer is it dotted with colorful lilypads. 

Many birds like to drink and forage along the stream that tumbles through these culverts.

Cedar Waxwings can be found on both sides of the road. 

as well as Eastern Bluebirds! 

There use to be Bluebird boxes in a small meadow by the fishing pond, but when I was here last summer they had all been taken down. Perhaps it was because too many bees moved in! 

There are open meadows on both sides of the road with several kinds of sparrows along with Common Yellowthroats and possibly bobolinks hiding in the grasses and wildflowers. If you love butterflies and/or dragonflies, this is also the place for you! 

And if you arrive early enough, you might just catch a glimpse of a White-tailed deer slipping into the woods.

As of this writing 49 species have been recorded in eBird at Cohen Meadows Nature Park, but it is an under-birded location. I would love to see more eBirders visit Cohen Meadows Nature Park and submit more data from this peaceful and outstanding birding location. Just a note: This location is called Cohen Meadows Nature Park in eBird but is called the Ruby and Elizabeth Cohen Woodlands on the Colchester Town webpage. For more information or to visit my blogs, just click on one of the links below.

• Ruby and Elizabeth Cohen Woodlands-Colchester town link
• eBird Hotspot Explorer-view eBird Hotspots all across the world!
• Kathie's Birds
• Sycamore Canyon
• Kathie's Poet Tree