Many species are still threatened or endangered. Yet the Connecticut is still a paradise for birdwatchers. An exact count on the numbers and types of birds in the area is almost impossible to calculate. Although the river has undergone a reincarnation in recent years, many species that once dominated the Connecticut River Valley are long gone. Others, like the bald eagle, are slowly returning, a good sign that the environment is well on its way back.
Birds are more sensitive and they eat everything.
We've made the Connecticut more hospitable to them by cleaning up the river. That is why the level of concern is great when birds such as osprey take turns for the worse, even in a limited area like Great Island. The decimation of the osprey on the island is at a critical stage. The average number of young chicks coming out of every nest on the island has declined from a high of 2.5 in 1991 to .43 in 1996. Since Connecticut is a small state, and there is little difference in bird distribution from one area to another.