MadBirders

This Red Bellied Woodpecker was spotted by Joan Gilbert on December 12th. This woodpecker is expanding its range north; they have been spotted by Mad Birders only a few times in the valley. We will keep our fingers crossed that it will stick around for next week’s Christmas Bird Count!  

Hello!

Thanks for joining the Christmas Bird Count as a Feeder Watcher! Attached are Feeder Watcher Guidelines and a Tally Sheet that includes all of the information you need to participate. If you are unable to open the file, let us know by emailing birddiva@madrivervalley.biz.

Join Mad Birders for the Mad River Valley/Northfield Christmas Bird Count on Friday, December 19.  Teams of 3-4 will be counting species and numbers throughout the day.  Volunteers are invited to join teams, watch from home, or invite teams to check out yard birds.  The day ends with a delicious potluck and great fellowship as each team reports on the day’s events.  Excitement builds as teams save the best for last.

We will have a planning meeting on Wednesday, December 3 at 7 PM.

We invite birders of all abilities and ages to join us.  Leave a reply, we’ll be in touch.

It’s fall - birds are flocking, feeding, getting ready to head south.  Some have left, others will be moving to staging areas such as Dead Creek in Addison or the New England Coast before long flights to their wintering grounds.  Fred and Chris Pratt have been monitoring songbird activity on their Ward Hill property since early August, Mad Birders are reporting Common Nighthawks passing through, birders will be checking the skies for migrating raptors and yards for sparrows, warblers and other birds seen during migration.  It’s an exciting time, so keep your binoculars and bird books handy.  Don’t forget to check the rare bird alerts and post your sightings on ebird.

As we move into July, baby birds are being seen and heard in our yards and forests.  Listen for begging calls as parents continue to feed babies after they have fledged, watch for youngsters learning to fly and take care of themselves in the big world.  Some bird species are now sitting on a second set of eggs, raising as many babies as possible before fall arrives. 

Two Mad Birders almost stepped on a Veery’s nest on the ground in June. 

A great venue for spring migrants and waterfowl is Blueberry Lake in Warren. Join the Mad Birders this Thursday morning at 7:30 for a two hour walk around the lake. Almost all of our spring and summer visitors have arrived for the season and they are moving in, setting up housekeeping and bringing new songbirds into the world. Come on out and take a look.  Meet at the south end of the lake.

Join dawna Foreman this coming Thursday at 7:30am for a Freeman Hill Bird Walk in Moretown. Freeman Hill Road is on the left after you pass Maynard’s Snack Bar heading north on Route 100B from Waitsfield. dawna’s is the first house on the left as you head up Freeman Hill Road. Loaner binoculars are available for new birders. Lots of great birds have been regularly spotted on Freeman Hill, including a couple of Great Crested Flycatchers this week. They have a lemon yellow breast and a wonderful call that sounds like they are saying a very loud VREEEEEP!!! So come join dawna for a walk this Thursday the 22^nd and see what you can see.

Also this week Jeannie Elias is leading a walk on Sunday at 7:30am on Center Fayston Road. Meet at Shaw’s at 7:30 or call Jeannie for directions to her home at 496-4730. Veterans of previous Center Fayston Road walks with Jeannie will be relieved that the mud bog trail has been ditched in favor of open fields, easily accessible brooks and ponds and roadsides. Recent birds seen in these environs include Black Throated Green Warblers, Black Throated Blue Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Chestnut Sided Warblers, Least Flycatchers, Northern Flickers, Tree Swallows and Rose Breasted Grosbeaks.

The Mad Birders want to express their BIG THANKS to Terry Wright for his 2007 BIG YEAR OF BIRDING presentation for the Mad Birders back on March 29th. Terry gave us a wonderful presentation that included a bird identification challenge for all attendees. Pictured above are Terry (yes, that’s him in the camo) looking for the Bicknell’s Thrush on Mount Ellen in Fayston last year (He and the other Mad Birders did get to see the Bicknell’s that day) and at the presentation at the Warren Town Hall. Many heartfelt thanks from all of us.

Pat Folsom got this great shot of a Baltimore Oriole, (back to its original name after being known for a short while as the Northern Oriole,) this morning just after sunrise at one of the feeders at her Waitsfield home. The Baltimore Oriole winters in Southern Mexico, Northern South America and the Greater Antilles. Like many of our migratory songbirds, this bird generally arrives in Vermont during the first week in May, so this one was just about right on time. Be on the look out for the brilliant orange plumage of the male. It is unmistakable…no wonder they like oranges so much.

Tree Swallow

UPDATE: SATURDAY AM — The walk is still on! At this moment, 7 AM, the rain is intermittent and not too heavy. Wear a hat and gloves and a rain jacket, and we’ll see you at Knoll Farm! — Nancy 

The Mad Birders invite those who are new to birding to join us on a Saturday morning walk that will provide an introduction to the joys of bird watching. We’ll briefly share tips on how to use binoculars, some basic bird watching dos and don’ts and share information about birding hot spots in the Mad River Valley. Most of our time will be spent looking for birds at Knoll Farm. We will start at the yard and barn, then walk up through the meadow to the woods. This is one of Mad Birder’s most popular walks each year. In the past two years, we have seen Cliff, Barn, and Tree Swallows, Bobolinks, Scarlet Tanagers, Hermit Thrushes, and a variety of Warblers, to name a few.

We encourage all fledgling birders and anyone interested in increasing birding skills to join us. Bring binoculars if you have them; spare binoculars will be available for those who do not have them.

Event Information: When: Saturday May 3rd, 8:00 to 9:30 AM

Where: Knoll Farm at 730 Bragg Hill Road 

The event will be held “light” rain or shine. 

Contact Nancy Turner at 496-2523 for more information.