Hammonesset Beach State Park, Madison,CT

Howdee all,

Third and final post of the BwBTC outing. We left Stratford and headed toward Hammonesset and lunch.

Stopped off at Great Meadows Marsh in Stratford...to see the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. We saw several prancing around the marsh.hunting and eating crab.

We also happened upon a pair of Monk Parakeet building a huge nest in a residential area. They were not the only occupants ..we saw house sparrows fly in and out of the lower section. Then on to lunch at Marnick's

The Lobster rolls were great. Chunks of lobster drizzled with butter on a bun. no filler nothin.. Delicious!

Hammonesset Beach State Park..

Hung out here at the pond for a bit and birded before heading to the shore.

I didn't get decent bird pics but…Dan got some great shots when he went back the next day with his family. Check out his photos. Ok..another challenge for the Sicksta…very interesting grass that Bev pointed out.

I took a close up…flowering grass.

I usually eat this red clover (Below) when i see it. its quite sweet and tasty.

“Clovers in general are healthy to eat in any way, basically: in salad, as a cooked green, ground to flour, or blended with another tea. Clover is high in protein! The most common things to eat on the Clover are the flowerheads and the leaves, but are easier to eat if soaked for about an hour or boiled.”

Red Clover also has medicinal uses. Cindy..read below..the do make red clover tea.You can buy it in health food stores…also herbal supplements.

“Red clover has many medical properties. The flowering heads of red clover improve urine production, circulation of the blood and secretion of bile. They also act as detergent, sedative and tonic. Red clover has the ability to loosen phlegm and calm bronchial spasms. The fluid extract of red clover is used as an antispasmodic and alterative. Red clover is used in the treatment of skin complaints (especially eczema and psoriasis), cancers of the breast, ovaries and lymphatic system, chronic degenerative diseases, gout, whooping cough and dry coughs. Red clover is one of the richest sources of isoflavones. Isoflavones are effective in treating several conditions such as hot flashes, cardivascular health and osteporosis. Red clover also contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chromium, potassium, and vitamins such as niacin, thiamine and vitamin C. Red clover ointments are used to treat skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema.”

Ok sicksta Lori, you are up by three I think.. I believe this is type of Daisy Fleabane. I know I have read in the past it has medicinal properties. I should have taken a photo of the leaves to properly ID…oh well.

Pond and marsh area ..It was a busy day at the beach..Staring down the shorebirds.Willet on the Rocks…make that on for me too! A bit of bunny activity…this one stood for a good five minutes..like a statue.

Cindy..I am waiting for your photo on this one!

And a life bird for Jeff and I and a few others on the trip.

KIng EiderTopping off the day with great company…and Ice cream!

Can it get any better?

Bev sends out a Tweet on Twitter…of our day.

Until next time!

It was a pleasure spending the day with you all!

If anyone else would like to plan BwBTC outings..or just have your own outings and announce them.. Please use our new website that John from Birding in Maine created. You can have discussions…post sightings…add pictures and videos.

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