The summer of 1996 found me conducting a 13-week biological inventory of the upper Quinnipiac River watershed. I was to catalogue avian, amphibian, botanical, reptilian, and aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity, in order to support the biological component of CCWS’s Quinnipiac River NPS Inventory. My work was concentrated in the Ten Mile watershed, but also included sites in the Eight Mile watershed and sites along the main stem of the river.

With the cooperation of the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association, I held two public education workshops on the biodiversity of the Quinnipiac. One workshop focused on riverine botany and the other on aquatic macroinvertebrates. Before I began this project, I was not aware of the Quinnipiac’s amazing biological resources. I have been enlightened. I was privileged to see the thick tangles of Deadwood Swamp, the surprisingly wild Quinnipiac River State Park, and the rich, diverse early-successional community in the former Community Lake lakebed. Perhaps my favorite field site is the Moss Farms Lowlands with its multiple vernal pools and closely juxtaposed upland forests. The macroinvertebrate inventory took me to many areas throughout the watershed where I received the enthusiastic support from landowners who allowed me access to their property and saw many of the beautiful small tributaries that coalesce into the greater Quinnipiac river.

So what did I find? I recorded 55 species of birds during my study. The majority, 25 species, were neotropical migrants, and the remaining 30 species are evenly divided between year-round Connecticut residents and species that winter elsewhere in the United States. By far the most frequently encountered birds were the gray catbird (Dumtella carolinensis) and the tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor). The most frequently observed neotropical migrants were the common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus), and wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). I also encountered a handsome willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) at Community Lake and a pair of northern waterthrushes (Seiurus noveboracensis) in Cheshire’s Moss Farms Lowlands.

The reptile and amphibian inventories were not as exciting. Because I missed the early spring breeding season, I was unable to do evening calling surveys, listening for the distinctive breeding calls of our local species. Many salamanders had also disappeared for the year. Fortunately, I did find marbled salamanders (Ambysoma opacum) larvae in Cheshire’s Moss Farms Lowlands. I frequently encountered northern two-lined salamander (Eurycea bislineata) in small streams throughout the watershed. Very few reptiles were recorded, but this is not surprising considering their furtive habits. A full-time survey of both amphibians and reptiles should be conducted in order to document the distribution of these taxa in the watershed.

The botanical survey was my personal favorite. I constructed 11 plant plots in habitats ranging from inundated swamp to sandy floodplain. I recorded 157 species and doubtless would have recorded more had I tracked each plot throughout the growing season. Approximately 15 percent of the species are naturalized non-natives. Not surprisingly, the most common species were jewel weed (Impatiens capensis), sweet pepper bush (Clethra alnifolia), and perhaps the most dominant tree in the entire watershed, the red maple (Acer rubrum). While several species were represented in only one or two plots, I believe that rarity in this case is more a function of site diversity than true regional rarity.

The aquatic macroinvertebrate survey sampled 17 stations throughout the watershed. Exactly 888 individuals were identified, most to the genus level. Over 100 taxa were documented. Aquatic macroinvertebrates are important because they can tell us about a waterway’s ability to support a biological community. Polluted waterways will have sparse, non-diverse communities. Cleaner waterways will have more diverse communities. Although my sampling methods do not allow me to make concrete conclusions about water quality, I am happy to report on a rather diverse assemblage of macroinvertebrates from my sites in the Ten Mile and Eight Mile watersheds. A small unnamed tributary of the Quinnipiac near the Meriden/Cheshire border also produced an impressively diverse array of macroinvertebrates as did a privately owned woodland pond near Mountain Brook in Cheshire. Perhaps more than any other portion of my project, the aquatic macroinvertebrate inventory will provide critical information to CCWS’s Quinnipiac River Nonpoint Pollution Assessment Project.

This biological inventory was supported by the Edna Bailey Sussman Trust, the Quebec Labrador Foundation’s Center for the Environment, and CCWS. The author also received a Carpenter/Sperry/Mellon matching funds research grant administered through the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The results of the biological inventory will be published in a comprehensive report. To receive a free copy, please contact Emly McDiarmid in writing at CCWS. All requests will be filled as long as supplies last.