Birds and Wildlife

The Quinnipiac River tidal marsh is a globaly important bird area, accrording to to Audubon Connecticut. This section is home to ducks, osprey, canada geese, various gulls and sand-pipers, greater and lesser yellowlegs, snowy egrets and great egrets, and occasionally king rail or a least bittern. Kingfishers and ospreys are once again common in the marsh, and bald eagles winter here.

The Quinnipiac Meadows Preserve offers ideal birding opportunities. Nesting platforms in the marsh are home to several osprey couples.

Along the non-tidal middle and upper sections of the river from Plainville to Hamden, common species include: great blue heron, common merganser; spotted sandpiper, wild turkey, killdeer, various other songbirds, white-tailed deer, river otter and muskrats

Tips

Early morning is the best observation time because wildlife are foraging for the first time that day and have not been disturbed by human activity.

Autumn is a good time to see avariety of birds during the migration.