Winter on the Sound

Long Island Sound is full of life at this time of year and very few people get a chance to see it. Chris Evers, director & founder of Animal Embassy often spends time on the Sound in the winter, observing and photographing migratory birds. While some of our summer residents have moved as far away as South America, others come to stay, many from their arctic nesting grounds.

Pictured above, Longtail breeding habitat includes tundra pools, marshes, coastal areas and mountain lakes in the North Atlantic region, Alaska, northern Canada

A Harbor seal in Greenwich is pictured above.

Bufflehead ducks are pictured above.

Longtail ducks are pictured above.

Loons are very common on the Sound in the winter. Many of us in the Northeast are familiar with the haunting call and beauty of this magnificent bird. However. we typically associate the Loon with the lakes and ponds of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Many fly hear to enjoy the nutrient rich waters of Long Island Sound until their freshwater breeding grounds thaw in spring. 

During the winter, Coots take up residence around docks and marinas in the area. In spring, they head back to the Arctic.

Above, a Purple sand piper hunting for tiny crustaceans and mollusks along the tidal rocks.

Above, Morus bassanus - Northern gannet. This interesting visitor from the North Atlantic is likely cashing in on the abundant Atlantic herring population.

The Westport lighthouse is pictured above.

Pictured above is the American Widgeon - Anas americana. The majority of the population breeds on wetlands in the Boreal Forest and subartic river deltas of Canada and Alaska.

Razorbill (Alca torda)

Known to range as far south as Virginia in the Winter these birds have been turning up in historic numbers on the Long Island Sound this winter. Fat with herring or other small schooling fish this bird bounced along the surface as it struggled to take off.

The diversity of life on the Sound in the winter abounds!