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!  

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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.

We will meet at Dawna and James Foreman’s  house on Rte 100 on Wednesday, December 3 at 7 PM to prepare for our ’08 Christmas Bird Count.  We will make sure that teams are organized, rules and areas are covered, questions are answered.

If you wish to participate and cannot attend this meeting, contact us by leaving a reply.

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.

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

Dawna Foreman will lead a beginners bird walk at CrossHaven Farm, located 2 miles north of Moretown Village on Rte 100B.   This is part of Mad River Country Fair on Saturday, September 20, from 9 – 11 AM. Birders of all ages and abilities welcome.  Extra binoculars and bird guides will be available.  Wear sturdy footgear and bring water, insect repellent and suncscreen.  See Valley Reporter for more details.

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. 

Mad Birders will visit the Plum Island/Parker River area in Massachusetts in early September.  We will leave early on September 9, explore as many birding sites as possible, return late on September 11.  Participants will make their own motel reservations, Greenleaf Inn is suggested.

Mad Birders will meet at Shaws at 7:30 AM to carpool to Pratts on Rte 100 in South Duxbury.  We will park at red gate on Ward Hill and start birding at 8 AM.  Team Pipit will lead us to find late summer residents and birds in migration.  Wear sturdy footwear, bring sunscreen, water.