(February 15, 2026) — Brian McLaughlin submitted the photos below, taken from his home office window on Hickory Lane in Higganum. He added, “No matter how cold we think it may be, life goes on. The American Bald Eagle (photo below) seems to like fishing in the open creek behind my house.”
Photo below is of a Red Shouldered Hawk:
Photo below is of a Piliated Woodpecker:
Photos by Brian McLaughlin
Brian: in the Haddam-Killingworth News, you posted a picture of an owl. What kind of owl was
it? At Hidden Lake we are hoping to support screech owls as we have been supporting bluebirds. We have a screech owl box up, but have not seen or heard a screech owl, only the barred owl. M. Shea
Hi Mary,
It’s a Barred owl. I see him/her frequently.
Thank you so much for telling me. I put up a Screech Owl box 10 years ago after hearing a Screech Owl on Shore Drive. I believe it was only used once to eat a Cardinal. An owl never nested there. Unfortunately, the light pollution on the lake has gotten worse so last summer I gave my Screech Owl box to someone across the lake and near the woods. We are waiting to see if it is being used this Spring.