MadBirders

The Mad Birders are pleased to announce a full schedule of Spring Walks for 2024. We are excited to have expanded the number of birding enthusiasts who will guide our walks, and we have a couple of fun new ideas that will help expand our offerings.

First, we are hosting a Tree Identification walk. Knowing the type of tree your bird is sitting in enables you to share your sighting with other birders. Washington County Forester Robert Nelson will lead the Mad Birders on a tree identification walk in the Fayston Town Forest at the end of Boyce Hill Road in Fayston.

Second, the Mad Birders will celebrate the marvel of Spring Bird Migration with a Pot Luck Pancake Breakfast in Warren featuring Sweet Willy’s homemade Maple Syrup.

And due to popular demand, we are again holding our Bird By Boat event. Participants will need to bring their own small boats and we will take a leisurely morning paddle around Blueberry Lake in Warren looking for birds.

2024 WALK SCHEDULE – All Mad Birder walks are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Our club’s activities are supported by membership dues

Tues. April 23^rd7:15PM – 8:30PM – Boyce Hill Road Fayston Town Forest Woodcock Walk – Leader – Jeannie Elias (she/her). Meet at the Fayston Town Forest at the end of Boyce Hill Road in Fayston.  NOTE: This is an evening walk. Bring a flashlight and wear light colored or reflective clothing.

Thurs. May 2^nd– 7AM- 8:30AM – Sherman Road/Bowen Road– Leader Jeanne Elias (she/her). Meet at Scrag Mountain Town Forest Parking Lot at the end of Bowen Road off Sherman Road in Waitsfield.

Sat. May 4^th – 8AM-9:30AM – Mad River Path – Warren Path – Leader Jeanne Elias (she/her). Meet at Brooks Field behind the Warren Elementary School .

Thurs. May 9^th– 7AM- 8:30AM Mad River Path–Fiddlers Walk – Leader Macy Moulton (she/her). Meet at the Laundromat for a comfortable stroll along the Mad River Path- 168 Fiddlers Green off Route 100 in Waitsfield.

Sat. May 11^th – 8AM – 10AM – Knoll Farm– Leader – Nancy Turner (she/her). This is one of our most popular walks. From Route 100 in Waitsfield take Bragg Hill Rd to Knoll Farm. 700 Bragg Hill Road. This walk will traverse the farm’s fields with the possibility of tall or wet grasses; wear appropriate footwear and be prepared to slowly walk up the farm’s hillside, with its amazing views into the valley below.

Weds. May 15^th – 7AM-8:30AM – Boyce Hill Road Fayston Town Forest – Tree Identification Walk – Leader– Robert Nelson – Washington County Forester. Learn how to identify many common and uncommon species of trees with help from our local County Forester. Meet at Fayston Town Forest at the parking lot at the end of Boyce Hill Road.

Thurs. May 16^th – 7AM – 8:30AM Geiger Property– Leader – Jeanne Elias (she/her). Meet 2 miles up Center Fayston Rd. from Route 100, just after the “S” curve. Park in driveway on the left. Sturdy footwear recommended

Sat. May 18^th – 8AM – 11AM – Osborn-Maclay Properties Bird Walk and Pot Luck Pancake Breakfast Leader – Jeanne Elias (she/her)Breakfast venue – 568 Fuller Farm Road in Warren. Follow signs for parking. Contact info@madbirders.org for details on pot luck.

Thurs, May 23^rd – 7AM – 8:30AM – Freeman Hill Walk – Leader – Rebecca Waterman (she/her). Meet at Mountain View Cemetery .2 miles up Freeman Hill Road from Route 100b in Moretown.

Saturday May 25th – 8AM – 9:30AM – Boyce Hill Road Fayston Town Forest – Leader– Janet Saylor (she/her) Meet at Fayston Town Hall at 866 North Fayston Rd at 7:30 AM to carpool to the Town Forest, which has very limited parking. 

Thurs. May 30^th – 7 AM –Blueberry Lake – Birding by Boat – Leader – Jeannie Elias (she/her) Meet at north parking lot at the end of Blueberry Lake Road off Plunkton Road. Bring your own boat. All birders must bring and wear a Personal Flotation Device to participate in this event. Birders will very slowly circumnavigate the lake looking and listening for birds.

Sat. June 1^st – 8AM – 10 AM –Mad River Path – Big Picture Boardwalk – Leader – TBA. Meet at the boardwalk opposite the Big Picture Theater at 48 Carroll Road in Waitsfield for this short, flat walk.

Sat. June 1^st – 3-4:30 PM – Birding by Ear Workshop, Moretown Town Hall 1147 Route 100B in Moretown – Co -Presenters: Cory Stephenson (she/her) and Jeannie Elias (she/her). Learn more about identifying birds by their songs at this informative and fun workshop cosponsored by the Moretown Library and the Mad Birders.

Sun. June 2^nd – 7:30AM – 9 AM Pony Farm Road Walk – Co-Leaders: Cory Stephenson (she/her) and Jeannie Elias (she/her). This bird walk is open to all, but is a follow up to the Birding by Ear Workshop and will focus on identifying birds by ear, as well as by sight. Take Pony Farm Road uphill from the southern end of Moretown Village, the walk begins at 182 Pony Farm Road at the top of the first hill. Park at the Farmstand.

Thurs. June 6^th 7AM- 8:30AM – Long Road – Leader Jeannie Elias (she/her) Park at beginning of Long Road near intersection with East Road.

Sat June 8^th 8AM-9:30AM – Pratt Refuge – Leader Jeannie Elias (she/her) Join the Mad Birders on property donated by Fred Pratt to the Vermont Land Trust for a late Spring Birdwalk. Parking is limited so please carpool. Meet at 7:45AM at Harwood Union High School at 458 Route 100 in Duxbury in the parking lot to the right of the school. Walk location is 2.1 miles up on Ward Hill Road off Route 100 in Duxbury near the hand-painted sign at the bottom of the driveway that says “Pratt.” The driveway will be on the left side of the road. Refreshments will be provided.

Sat, June 15^th– 8AM – 2PM – Parkers (Monitoring Walk) in Granville Leader TBA). Meet at 7:30AM at 3681 E. Warren Rd, Waitsfield (Pat’s) to carpool. Note that this is a longer walk, bring water, definitely wear boots. This involves wet conditions in many places. Brunch is included.

A female Common Loon was rescued in the Mad River Valley on Wednesday December 6^th after the bird was observed to be immobile in a snow field between the Church of the Crucified One and the Turner Farm on the east side of Route 100 just south of Moretown. Kelly Baird noticed the bird while driving on Route 100 and attempted to get help by calling Game Warden Chad Barrett, of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Vermont Institute for Natural Science (VINS) and eventually her friend Dave Millard of Native Stone. Millard, who lives in Warren, was in Sharon, Vermont and agreed to immediately head back north to Waitsfield. Meanwhile Carol Thompson, also traveling along Route 100, was alerted to the presence of the loon by crows circling overhead and stopped to investigate. Carol called her friend Neal Mostov, asking that he bring binoculars to better view the situation. After Neal arrived, Dave drove up and as he began his effort to capture the bird, it became clear that the loon was not especially interested in becoming a captive. Dave persisted and ultimately succeeded, wrapping his jacket around the bird, who appeared to have an injured leg. The bird was wrapped in a blanket provided by Carol and loaded into a dog crate and Dave then drove the bird down to VINS in Quechee, Vermont, which has a facility to rehabilitate injured birds and wildlife.

Grae O’Toole of VINS reported on Thursday December 7^th that an Xray confirmed that the bird had no fractures and a blood test showed no evidence of unhealthy lead levels (frequently a cause of health problems in this species). Grae speculated that the bird had likely become exhausted and/or disoriented in wet, snowy and windy weather the evening before, and had mistaken a shiny roadway or snowfield for water and had crash landed. Common Loons, while great fliers and swimmers, are actually unable to walk on land, and are virtually immobile and defenseless when out of the water. Grae said that the bird was released to water that next morning, so that it could resume its journey to its wintering territory in the open waters of the Atlantic Coast.

Millard said he did a lot of driving on Wednesday, but was delighted to learn that the bird was found to be uninjured and was once again on its way. If you find an injured bird you can call VINS at (802) 359-5000 for guidance and volunteers willing to drive birds or wildlife to their center in Quechee are always appreciated.

The Mad Birders are pleased to announce a full schedule of Spring Walks for 2023. We are excited to have expanded the number of birding enthusiasts who will guide our walks, and we have a couple of fun new ideas that will help expand our offerings.

First, you will find some of our walks designated as “hosted” walks. When a walk is hosted, a volunteer who is familiar with the area has agreed to guide a walk during which locating and identifying birds will be a “crowd sourced” activity. In this way, we have opened coordination of our walks to more people, even those who do not consider themselves as “experts”. We are confident that experienced birders will join each walk and share their expertise, thus assuring bird identification.

Second, several of our walks will feature a “Lawn Chair” birding component. Lawn Chair birding is just what it sounds like. Birders will bring their own chair (It can be a lawn chair, or a wheel chair, or a blanket to sit on the ground) and then form a circle and listen and look for the birds around them. If you are mobility challenged in any way, this may be the perfect way for you to go birding. Our founder, and bird enthusiast Pat Folsom, will lead all our Lawn Chair birding events and with her deep knowledge of birding, she will happily help identify the birds in the area.

Finally, for the first time we are holding a “bird by boat” event. Participants will need to bring their own small boats and we will take a leisurely morning paddle around Blueberry Lake in Warren looking for birds.

2023 WALK SCHEDULE – All Mad Birder walks are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Our club’s activities are supported by membership dues.

Thurs. May 4 –7:30 AM- 9 AM – Mad River Path-Fiddlers Walk – Host – Laura Brines (she/her) Leader – Jeannie Elias (she/her). Meet at Laundromat for a comfortable stroll along the Mad River Path- 168 Fiddlers Green off Route 100 in Waitsfield.

Fri. May 5 – 7:45 PM – 8:30 PM – Freeman Hill Woodcock Walk – Leader – Rebecca Waterman (she/her) . Meet at Mountain View Cemetery .2 miles up Freeman Hill Road from Route 100b in Moretown. NOTE: This is an evening walk. Bring a flashlight and wear light colored or reflective clothing.

Sat. May 6 – 8 AM – 10 AM – Knoll Farm – Leader – Nancy Turner (she/her). This is one of our most popular walks. From Route 100 in Waitsfield take Bragg Hill Rd to Knoll Farm. 700 Bragg Hill Road. This walk will traverse the farm’s fields with the possibility of tall or wet grasses; wear appropriate footwear and be prepared to slowly walk up the farm’s hillside, with its amazing views into the valley below.

Thurs. May 11 – 7:30 AM – 9 AM Otten Pond – Leader – Jeanne Elias (she/her). Meet at the pond that is 2.3 miles up Center Fayston Road from Route 100. Park on the side of the road. This walk starts alongside the pond then climbs steeply uphill to a large pine tree overlooking a field. Lawn Chair birding (Leader – Pat Folsom (she/her) ) will be offered on this walk, in a flat area next to the pond.

Sat. May 13 – 8 AM – 10 AM – Big Picture Theater Mad River Path – Boardwalk – Leader – Pat Folsom (she/her). Meet at the boardwalk opposite the Big Picture Theater at 48 Carroll Road in Waitsfield for this short, flat walk.

Mon. May 15 – 7:30 AM- 9 AM – Kingsbury Greenway/Riverside Park (Sugarbush Snowmaking Pond) – Mad River Path- Warren – Host – Laura Brines (she/her) – Leader – Rebecca Waterman (she/her). Meet at Riverside Park off Route 100, just south of Powderhound and Stewart Wood Roads and the Warren Motel (coming from Waitsfield).

Thurs. May 18 – 7:30 AM- 9 AM – Geiger Property – Leader – Jeannie Elias (she/her). Meet 2 miles up Center Fayston Rd. from Route 100, just after the “S” curve. Park in driveway on the left. Sturdy footwear recommended. Lawn Chair birding (Leader – Pat Folsom (she/her) ) will be offered on this walk, in a flat area on the woods edge just at the top of the driveway.

Saturday May 20 – 8 AM – Boyce Hill Road Trails – Host – Janet Saylor (she/her) Leader – Richard Littauer (he/him). 574 Boyce Hill Road. Last driveway on the right before you reach Town Forest Parking Lot. Park in driveway.

Thurs, May 25 – 7:30 AM – 9 AM – Freeman Hill Walk – Leader – Jeannie Elias (she/her). Meet at Mountain View Cemetery .2 miles up Freeman Hill Road from Route 100b in Moretown.

Sat. May 27 – 8:00 AM- 10 AM – Harwood High School Trail Walk – Leader – Jeannie Elias (she/her) Meet in the rear parking lot behind the High School. 485 Vermont Route 100 in Duxbury.

Thurs. June 1 – 7:30 AM – Blueberry Lake – Birding by Boat – Leader – Jeannie Elias (she/her) Meet at north parking lot at the end of Blueberry Lake Road off Plunkton Road. Bring your own boat. All birders must bring and wear a Personal Flotation Device to participate in this event. Birders will very slowly circumnavigate the lake looking and listening for birds.

Sat., June 3– Boyce Town Forest – 7:00 AM -9:30 AM – Leader – Lisa Koitzsch (she/her). Meet at Fayston Town Hall at 866 North Fayston Rd at 7:00 AM to carpool to the Town Forest, which has very limited parking. Lawn Chair birding (Leader – Pat Folsom (she/her) ) will be offered on this walk, and lawn chair participants should park in the driveway of 574 Boyce Hill Road.

Sat. June 3 – 3-4:30 PM Birding by Ear Workshop, Moretown Town Hall 1147 Route 100B in Moretown – Co -Presenters: Cory Stephenson (she/her) and Jeannie Elias (she/her). Learn more about identifying birds by their songs at this informative and fun workshop cosponsored by the Moretown Library and the Mad Birders.

Sun. June 4– 7:30 AM – 9 AM Pony Farm Road Walk – Co-Leaders: Cory Stephenson (she/her) and Jeannie Elias (she/her). This bird walk is open to all, but is a follow up to the Birding by Ear Workshop and will focus on identifying birds by ear, as well as by sight. Take Pony Farm Road uphill from the southern end of Moretown Village, the walk begins at 182 Pony Farm Road at the top of the first hill. Park at the Farmstand. Lawn Chair birding (Leader – Pat Folsom (she/her) ) will be offered on this walk.

Sat, June 17 – Parkers (Monitoring Walk) in Granville – 8 AM – 2 PM – Leader Pat Folsom (she/her). Meet at 7:30 AM at 3681 E. Warren Rd, Waitsfield (Pat’s) to carpool. Note that this is a longer walk, bring water, definitely wear boots. This involves wet conditions in many places. Brunch is included.

Thurs, May 5 – Geiger Property-7:30- 9 AM – Jeannie. Meet 2 miles up Center Fayston Rd from Route 100, just after the “S” curve. Park in driveway on the left. Sturdy footwear recommended.

Sat, May 7 – Knoll Farm– 8 – 10 AM – Nancy. This is one of our most popular walks. From Route 100 in Waitsfield take Bragg Hill Rd to Knoll Farm. 700 Bragg Hill Road

Thurs, May 12 – Boyce Town Forest – 7:30 – 9 AM – Jeannie. Meet at Fayston Town Hall at 866 North Fayston Rd At 7:15 AM to carpool.

Sat, May 14 – Birding by Ear Workshop, Moretown Town Hall 1147 Route 100B in Moretown. 3-4:30 PM, – Jeannie and Corey. Learn more about identifying birds by their songs at this informative and fun workshop cosponsored by the Moretown Library and the Mad Birders.

Sun, May 15 – Pony Farm – 7:30 – 9 AM – Jeannie and Corey. This is a bird walk to follow the Birding by Ear presentation. Access Pony Farm Rd in Moretown Village, the site is at the top of the first hill.

Thurs, May 19 – Center Fayston Rd – 7:30 – 9 AM – Jeannie. Meet 2.738 miles up Center Fayston Rd from Route 100 (2^nd driveway on the right after intersection with Kew-Vasseur Rd ) to start this walk. Sturdy footwear recommended.

Saturday, May 21 – Boyce Town Forest – 7:15 -9:30 AM – Lisa. Meet at Fayston Town Hall at 866 North Fayston Rd At 7:00 AM to carpool.

Thurs, May 26 – Freeman Hill – 7:30 – 9 AM – Jeannie. Meet at Mountain View Cemetery .2 miles up Freeman Hill Road from Route 100b in Moretown.

Thurs, June 2 – Phen Basin – 7:30 – 9 AM – Jeannie. Meet at the end of Phen Basin Rd off Bragg Hill Rd. in Fayston. 2 mile roundtrip forest walk to beaver ponds.

Sat, June 4 – Parkers in Granville – 8 AM – 2 PM – Pat. Meet Pat at 7:30 AM at 3681 E. Warren Rd, Waitsfield (Pat’s) to carpool. Note that this is a longer walk, bring water, definitely wear boots. This involves wet conditions in many places. Brunch following the walk.

Fred Pratt, several Mad Birders, friends and Christa Kemp of the Vermont Land Trust celebrated the donation of the Pratt Refuge to the land trust on Saturday August 28, 2021 with brunch and a bird walk dedicated to Chris Pratt. 32 species of birds were seen and/or heard by the group including:

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Eastern Phoebe

Blue-headed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Black-capped Chickadee

Winter Wren

American Robin

Cedar Waxwing

American Goldfinch

Song Sparrow

Ovenbird

Black-and-white Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Magnolia Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Cooper’s Hawk

Brown Creeper

Hermit Thrush

Dark-eyed Junco

Fifteen Mad Birders enjoyed terrific weather and spectacular views during a walk on the first Juneteenth national holiday in the Fayston Town Forest located at the end of Boyce Hill Road in Fayston. Birders learned about the history of the 93-acre parcel that was generously donated to the Town of Fayston in late 2019. Led by Lisa K, participants logged 27 species of birds, and were delighted to hear and see a pair of Field Sparrows, which are quite uncommon in Washington County.

Eighteen Mad Birders were treated to a gorgeous fifteen minute serenade by a Mourning Warbler on Saturday May 29th during a stroll up Freeman Hill Road in Moretown. Below is a close up photo of this species taken at a banding station on Mount Mansfield.

Cooler temperatures kept the insects at bay, and maybe some birds as well, but the group had good looks at many of the thirty species identified. A Great Crested Flycatcher was heard, but not seen and later mimicked by a Gray Catbird.

Seven Mad Birders met at Camel’s Hump National Forest on Saturday, May 22. Led by Ali Wagner, the group saw and or heard 45 species over the course of the morning. The highlight was a Mourning Warbler that the birders finally saw after scanning good habitat for half an hour. More photogenic birds included Chestnut-sided Warbler, (pictured above) Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Eastern Wood-Peewee.

Over two dozen Mad Birders strolled the paths of the Geiger Property in Fayston on Saturday May 15th, and because the black flies were out, the birds were there too. The Bird of the Day for all was the brilliant Scarlet Tanager, and the photo above was captured by Mad Birder Tina Valentinetti during the walk. The tanager was first identified by ear, through its distinctive call, and then located by the youngest birder on the walk! Many species of warblers were also seen and heard including a very cooperative Ovenbird (one of many), along with Blackburnian Warblers, Black-Throated Blue Warblers, Black-Throated Green Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Chestnut-Sided Warblers, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, American Redstarts and Nashville Warblers. Leaf out is happening now, so get out there are look at birds while it is still (relatively) easy. Happy Birding!

A good sized crowd of over 30 Mad Birders gathered at Knoll Farm in Fayston last weekend on a cool cloudy Saturday morning to listen and look for birds, while drinking in the intoxicating beauty of a conserved Vermont Hill Farm that deserves its spot on the National Register of Historic Places. At least 37 species of birds were identified. A pair of nesting Cliff Swallows greeted the birders from the exterior peak of the 140 year old barn. Wood warblers seen and heard included Ovenbird, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Black-Throated-Blue Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black-Throated Green Warbler and a pair of Black-and-White Warblers.