Big freeze finally hits SW Connecticut

I’ve been spoiled this winter so far with the warmer temperatures keeping most of the water free of ice. Even many smaller freshwater ponds remained unfrozen throughout December and early January. That all changed this weekend. Even the Norwalk River, which I overlook from my office, is frozen over with only a small pool of water open under the I-95 bridge.

Mallards were the only species I saw this morning taking advantage of that small pool. By the afternoon a small grouping of hooded mergansers had joined the mallards. I had lunch down at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk and scoped out plenty of long-tailed ducks, red-breasted mergansers, and even a few scaup. Brant were plentiful and gulls, of course, were high in number.

The cold weather, however, may push some songbirds to our feeders. Many people’s feeders have been scarcely visited this winter as natural food sources persisted with the warm weather. Now all we need is a little snow and it will really feel like winter. (Note I said “a little” snow.)

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