Archives

Birds of the Season – Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls

This winter, the two most common birds that are being seen in and around the Mad River Valley and the State of Vermont are the Pine Siskin and the Common Redpoll.  With high numbers of each species traveling in fast moving mixed flocks, it is at times difficult to tell them apart.  This shot from […]

Unusual Pine Siskin resides in Mad River Valley this Winter

A Pine Siskin with very unusual coloring has regularly been spotted this winter by the Foremans near the Wallis Farmhouse on Route 100 South in Moretown.  A bird without normal coloring is sometimes described as albino, but others refer to the condition as leucistic.  Even the experts can’t agree on the proper terminology.   Regardless, this […]

News of Mad Birders’ Christmas Bird Count Reaches Far and Wide

When the Mad Birders participated in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count back in December, the Fayston Team was followed by a reporter and a photographer from the Associated Press whose story you can read here.  The story was picked up by newspapers all over the country.  Imagine our surprise when a letter addressed  simply to Jeannie Elias Fayston, […]

A Northen Saw Whet Owl visits Mountain Valley Farm

Gib and Sue Geiger had the good fortune to give some Mad River Valley hospitality to this Northen Saw Whet Owl for two days last month at their farm in Waitsfield.  Saw Whet Owls are the smallest owls in the eastern US, only 8 inches long.  Their main diet is rodents.  The reside in Vermont […]

Roxbury Trip, May 9

Meet Mad Birders at Shaws in Waitsfield at 7:30 AM.  We will carpool to Roxbury to explore a new area for the morning.  Sharon Frierson will be our guide.  Wear sturdy footwear and bring insect repellent or a mosquito net for your face as black flies may be present.

Moose Bog trip on Saturday, February 21

Meet Mad Birders at Shaws in Waitsfield at 7 AM for a trip to Moose Bog in Northeast Kingdom in search of boreal birds (Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay and Spruce Grouse are possibilities).  Dress in layers, bring warm boots, snowshoes, snacks, water, and lunch.  This is an all day trip.

Great Backyard Bird Count

Join thousands of birders across the country this weekend recording birds seen from home, schools, parks, walks.  Visit http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ for more information and to record your observations.