Ninety-four species of birds identified

Shelley Harms frees a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker from a net of banding

By Leila Javitch

Norfolk resident and certified bird bander Shelley Harms has written an article published in the April, 2008 issue of The Connecticut Warbler, a scientific journal on ornithology. In it she and co-authors Roland Clement and John Anderson, Jr. describe their work for the past seven years developing a list of birds known to occur during the breeding season at Aton Forest, the 1,100 acre preserve that lies between Norfolk and Colebrook, Connecticut. The authors used three methods to sight birds, and most were sighted in at least two of the observation modes. The list of observed birds grew to 94 species. The authors’ sightings will continue in the coming years. Anyone interested in learning more about the species identified or about Aton Forest should contact John Anderson at contact@atonforest.com.