MadBirders

About forty birders enjoyed a great walk at the Herrick’s Cove Festival yesterday.  It was a bit chilly, but sunny and calm.  Highlights included Black-and-white, Magnolia, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Solitary Sandpiper, Warbling and Yellow-throated Vireos, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Swamp Sparrows, and a posing American Bittern.  Many of us will never get a better view of this bird.  Wow!

Many organizations were represented there with great displays and conservation and educational activities for families. Bridget Butler of Moretown and Audubon Vermont, had a great bead activity for kids of all ages to help remember field marks of warblers and other colorful birds.  She was having great fun checking out the birds around her when there was no one at her table.  What a great teacher she is!

I’m so glad I finally got to attend this festival and although I didn’t stay for the whole day, I could tell it was a great event for learning and exploring the natural world. 

American Bittern
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Bridget Butler at Herrick’s Cove
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Eighteen birders enjoyed a walk along the Mad River Path this morning. We saw 26 species with good looks at some recent spring arrivals including: male Yellow Warblers singing, Spotted Sandpipers feeding along the river bank, Baltimore Orioles and Warbling Vireos. Birds seen, in no particular order:

Robin
Baltimore Oriole
Northern Cardinal (heard)
Downy Woodpecker
Yellow Warbler
Warbling Vireo
Mourning Dove
European Starling
American Crow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Spotted Sandpiper
Killdeer
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Least Flycatcher
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Belted Kingfisher
American Goldfinch
Common Merganser
Mallard
Canada Goose
American Kestrel
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow

The Savannah Sparrow

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Sparrows are fun to watch and identify. In the winter, we often see American Tree Sparrows, in the spring and fall the beautiful large Fox Sparrows visit for a few days or weeks in migration. One of the first birds signaling spring is the cheerful Song Sparrow. His song will be the first we hear early in the morning for several months. The White-throated Sparrow, striking with those yellow lores in full breeding plumage, arrive and start singing, “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody. I find them nesting closer to the house since I built a brush pile. The tiny Chipping Sparrow with its brown cap and dark eye stripe have recently arrived, as have the Savannah Sparrows in the fields. I have recently learned to identify the Savannah’s buzzy song and distinguish it from the Song Sparrow’s. A first time visitor to the yard this spring was a Field Sparrow. After looking at the bird books, I decided I had the correct id. What a treat!

A trip to Berlin Pond gave me a good look at the Swamp Sparrow. It’s song is easy to identify, but sometimes it’s a hard bird to spot in the vegetation. Lincoln’s Sparrow is another that I now feel more confident in identifying after seeing several in the past year.

Two years ago I accompanied a guy who was doing a survey of Franklin County Airport for Grasshopper Sparrows. I learned that some airports, such as Franklin County and Berlin, do not mow until August 1 so that grassland bird species can complete their nesting season successfully. Vesper Sparrows are another sparrow species breeding at the airport.

Once in awhile we get unusual sparrow species in Vermont. Ask Fred (Pat) Pratt about a Clay-colored Sparrow he first heard, then spotted and reported several years ago in Duxbury. I saw one at a Christmas Tree Farm in Morrisville a couple years ago after a Bryan Pfeiffer tip.

Hey, sparrows can be fun and a challenge. I no longer dismiss them as LBBs.

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An American Kestrel was sitting on the wires on East Warren Rd, two Tree Sparrows were swooping over the fields on Senor Road, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker appeared in the yard on East Warren Road today. It’s so nice to have warm sun, warming temperatures, and plenty of birds flying around.

We are all aware that the ice went out on the Eclipse Pond and the Canada Geese were back nearly as soon as it was gone. Last Sunday the ice went out on the little pond behind the house here on East Warren Rd. As I watched, a pair of Common Mergansers landed close to the ice and started diving for fish. I love to watch them, but they can wipe out the fish population in short order. We first noticed the Mergansers in the spring of 2002 and since we didn’t know about their habits, we welcomed them – the crowd grew to an even dozen before all the fish were gone. Now a few birds come early in spring, visit briefly for a few days, then disappear for the summer.

Since Sunday several pairs of Canada Geese have visited the pond. One evening there were three pair out there at once and the challenging and posturing behaviors convinced two couples to leave. One pair stayed the night, then took off early the next morning with much honking and fanfare. A few Canadas usually visit in the spring and fall during migration.

A pair of Mallards has been here a couple times. They come in quietly, feed – sometimes for several hours, then leave. We have had Mallards visit every year for many years and they often show up from time to time during the summer months too.

On Tuesday, April 4, a new yard bird appeared on the pond – a beautiful male Wood Duck. This bird is very colorful and looks almost painted to me. He hung around most of the day Tuesday and Wednesday, put in brief appearances Thursday and Friday. I’m hoping that he will continue to use the pond during the summer. I know some people have Wood Duck nesting boxes, sounds like a great idea for next year.

What tells you spring is here – The calendar, crocus in bloom, warm sun?? For many of us, it’s the arrival of birds that we’ve missed all winter. In the past month, the Common Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings, and Snowy Owl have left our southern climate to head north to nest. Some of the birds we see only in spring and fall migration are arriving in our yards – American Tree Sparrow and Fox Sparrow are two being reported lately. Then there are birds that will nest in our Valley and the rest of the Northeast. Probably the bird that means spring is really here is the Red-winged Blackbird. The males arrive first and will frequent feeders for a little while. Trees full of males and females were seen April 7, the males have been here almost a month.

Robins are everywhere, the male American Woodcock is doing his peent and skydance at dusk and dawn, Eastern Bluebirds have been checking out nest boxes, Song Sparrows are belting out their song all day, and today I saw my first Eastern Phoebe. Reports of Tree Sparrows, Kildeer, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are showing up on VTBird listserve.
Soon the warbler reports will come in.

Among the birds that grace our Valley all year, Black-capped Chickadees have been singing their spring song for awhile, Downy, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers are drumming and calling, American Crows and Common Ravens are nesting, so are Barred and other owls, Dark-eyed Juncoes are very plentiful in the yard, male American Goldfinches are turning brilliant yellow.

During the next two months, there will be new arrivals every few days and we will be scrambling to keep up with them all.

Good luck and happy birding. Join Mad Birders to enjoy some of these birds together.

This week birders from the Valley, around Vermont and surrounding states have enjoyed a beautiful snowy owl at the Schoolhouse Market or East Warren Store at the intersection of East Warren and Roxbury Mountain Roads. The snowy owl is a rare winter visitor to Vermont and other northern states. These owls nest in the far north, a few venture south in colder months to find food.

Snowy has been hanging out at the store for almost a month. His favorite perch is the compost pile behind the store, but he has been seen on the roof of the sheds, in trees around the area, or sitting in the field where his white camouflage makes him almost impossible to see, unless you know he’s out there somewhere.

It is important for people watching birds to remember to be respectful and keep their distance. If the bird seems nervous, spends a lot of time watching them, or flies, we are too close and must back off.

Many thanks to the owners and staff at the store for welcoming birders to see this special Valley visitor. May the snowy owl enjoy his stay and remain here into the spring.

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Moretown School, 7-9 Pm  Join Bridget Butler from Audubon Vermont.

January 13, 2005

Friday the 13th was warm and partly sunny, an atypical January day in the Valley. In an apple tree near the Post Office, eight Cedar Waxwings were checking out the fruit still hanging on the tree. Of course they flew off before being photographed.

Less than 1/2 mile north on Route 100, a flock of at least thirty Bohemian Waxwings chatted and enjoyed the sunshine behind the pond just north of Back to Action physical therapy, formerly Mad Mexican restaurant. Bohemian Waxwings have been seen around the Valley for the past three winters, from Warren to Moretown along Route 100, and up in the hills along East Warren Road. While Cedar Waxwings nest in the Valley, Bohemians are only seen in the winter, nesting in spruce forest and bogs of the far Northwest.