Francis Carter Preserve

   

One of the many Indigo Buntings at Carter

One of my favorite places to bird in Rhode Island is Francis Carter Preserve in Charlestown. (Carter from now on). This huge preserve is owned by The Nature Conservancy . If you walked all of the trails it would take you most of the day, and that is if you didn't get lost. The main attraction to the preserve is the huge grassland in the middle. 

   There are dozens of acres of grassland at Carter. Large open grasslands are a rare landscape in Rhode Island. As such, some of the species that are common at Carter are rare across the rest of the state. Many of the birds I'm going to describe below can be found in the grasslands.

    Carter is locally famous for being the only place in the state that Grasshopper Sparrows breed. Grasshopper Sparrows got their name because their song does sound like a bug. Hearing them (if you know what you are listening for) is fairly easy after late May. Finding them in your bins is a little tougher. However, with a little patience, you should see one popped up on a bare twig or small bush singing its little heart out.

   Another common bird at Carter are Brown Thrashers. If you walk any of the trails along the perimeter of the grassland, you will run across at least a couple Brown Thrashers in the path or scurrying into the woods edge. While you looking for Brown Thrashers you will hear the optimistic song of Prairie Warblers. Their song rises in pitch as it goes. You should see Prairie Warblers also along the woods/grasslands edge. 

   One of my favorite breeding birds at Carter are the Indigo Buntings. If you can learn the song, you will realize they are breeding all over the place. For some reason, the song does not register in my head very easily, and it takes me a while to pick up on it. That said, there are enough Indigo Buntings around where you should see a few while walking the edges.

   The most exciting breeding bird at Carter is also the newest. For the last two years Blue Grosbeaks have nested in the grasslands! I went there on Friday with fellow board member Catherine B. Unfortunately we did not see the Blue Grosbeaks (though we had fantastic looks at the Grasshopper Sparrows). I went again on Saturday with my friends Tim Metcalf, Scott Tsagarakis, and Carlos Pedro. The Blue Grosbeaks put on a show for us. Both the male and the brown female were flying all over the grasslands. We saw them a half dozen times either flying or sitting on a small bush. Fun fact I did not know, Blue Grosbeaks twitch their tail like a Phoebe. 

    There are other good birds that breed at Carter. I'm positive that Tree Swallows, Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Bluebirds, and Eastern Kingbirds nest there. Kingbirds are easy to find. Last time I was there we also saw Bank Swallows flying over the fields and the time before that Northern Rough Winged Swallows (they must be breeding close by).  Catherine saw a Broad Winged Hawk on Friday while I was down a wooded trail, so they must be added to the list of breeders. 

   Carter has also been producing rarities. This March a Northern Shrike was seen for a few days. I theorize it could have been their much longer than that and no one knew about it. Much more recently, about ten days ago my new friends Jennifer Krider and her son Ian heard a Mississippi Kite! They got a recording of it. Who knows is a Kite family growing up in there as I write this?  The last bird I will write about are the Whip-poor-Wills. If you are at the preserve at dusk you should hear the Whips. The place I usually hear them is where them is where the path from Old Mill Rd comes out into the grassland. Bring bug spray if you want to enjoy the Whips.

    Carter is huge and it has many entrances. The most popular, with a bathroom, is on Old Mill Rd which is off of Rt 112. There are also entrances at Botka Woods Rd, Rt  112, and Kings Factory Rd. If you have never been there I suggest Old Mill Rd and take a photo of the map. A ten minute walk down a slight hill will get you to the grasslands. As you open your car door you should hear Prairie Warblers singing along the powerlines. You could also download a map online 

   Despite going to Carter twice this weekend, it is still new to me. I've only been visiting their for the last three years. It is still exciting to me to see the birds there. I'm still learning new things about the place. We are very fortunate to have such a unique ecosystem in the state.