Sharon is number 19 in my project to visit all the small towns in CT. Closing in on 20!
Located in Litchfield County, right up against the New York border, Sharon has a population of 2,680 people. Sharon was established in 1739. Sharon covers 58.7 square miles, making it the largest town by area that I have visited so far, and the third largest in the entire state, after New Milford and Woodstock.
Our first stop was at the Sharon Audubon Center. They have a number of enclosures for different birds.
They are also in the process of building more.
The first beak you see when you arrive at the aviaries is a red tailed hawk.
They also have a handsome bald eagle, who appears to have a broken wing on his right side.
This barred owl seemed a bit wary of us.
Some form of colorful duck! They also had ravens and peregrines.
We headed over to the pond, around which they have a network of walking trails. There were quite a few cars in the lot, but we did not see another soul.
Observation blind, you say? You have my interest. We started heading in that direction, and we walked for so long I was starting to think the blind was a lie.
But eventually, there it was!
I have to admit, this seems a bit unsavory. There is some real waterfowl voyeurism going on here. Those poor blue herons don’t even know.
The view from inside the blind. No ducks were violated in the making of this photograph.
They have their own sugaring operation on site. The Audubon society is committed to ensuring that maple farms are bird-friendly, so I assume this is part of their program to educate about the issue.
After this we headed to lunch. As I was putting my motorcycle gear back on, I heard a woman’s voice from the open window of the car next to me, loud and clear as a bell, “Are you ready to go, buddy?” I turned my head, eyes wide. As the driver and I locked gazes, I said, “Yes! Yes I am!” It turned out she was talking to her kid in the back seat.
We stopped at a little small-town bakery & cafe called J. P. Gifford for lunch. The food was great, and it was a perfect day to sit outside.
Unlike the Audubon center, they did not have their own sugaring operation, but what they did have was a nice selection of baked goods, along with sandwiches and breakfast to order.
And with that, our time in Sharon was at an end. We continued up rt. 41, which is one of CT’s better motorcycle roads. From there to The Albany Tpk. (rt. 44) in Lakeville, and from there all the way home for me.