Birdnotes: [BIRD NOTES] April 3, 2007

Bird Notes

Spring Has Sprung

6:00 am - March 26 - singing at early light were a Cardinal and a Carolina Wren in different corners of the yard and a Woodcock on the hill. What a wonderful way to start a day. A Phoebe showed up later in the morning. ---Susan James, Guilford, VT

Snow/Ice is Receding

The Allen Brothers Marsh in Westminster this afternoon had wood ducks, hooded mergansers and Canada geese, as well as common grackles and house sparrows. At the Dummerston School this morning, the nesting boxes had bluebirds and tree swallows hanging out, as well as a killdeer in the open field. ---Julie Waters

Turkey Trot

I got home from a much longer than expected day of work today. I saw the feeder was empty & the suet was gone. They were both full a few days ago - what's getting in there? As I turned around 3 hen turkeys had wandered into the yard, scavenging seed from below the feeder. Then one of the hens flew up on the deck, landing on the railing not 13 feet from me! She ruffled her feathers, puffing herself up, twirling around, showing the dark bronze of her back and looked around. At the same time a Tom wandered into the woods near the feeder but never came out in the open. He displayed there, puffing himself up, spreading his tail feathers and stomped around. Eventually they all left, following the Tom. What a way to start the weekend! ---Herb Stein

At the Setbacks

Hinsdale Setbacks today, Sunday, April 1:

Ring-necked ducks-150

Green-winged Teal-40

American Wigeon-18

Pintail-1

Common Merganser-3

Scaup Duck-1

Tree Swallows

(mature) Bald Eagle

I had a snow goose in my camera sights among the Canada's, but an immature eagle flew over and spooked it just before I snapped the picture. ---Paul Miksis, Brattleboro

The Awakening

Tuesday morning was filled with such a rich variety of sounds! The plinking of the sap in the buckets, the roar of the fire, the bubbling of the sap, the constant chattering of the chickadees, goldfinches, juncos, and purple finches outside, the cooing of the mourning doves, the calls of titmouse, cardinal, and ravens and crows, the squawks of the chickens, crowing of the rooster, the raucous blue jay banter and then to top it off there was the honking of two wonderful flocks of returning Canada Geese. Nice to have ears! Robins in the field behind the house which is snow free here in Wilmington and the red-wings and grackles are singing. I have to get to those bluebird houses and get them back up. Hairy and downy woodpeckers and both nuthatches still visiting the feeders and I spied a brown creeper doing just that. The little golden-crowned kinglet is still here. It loves suet and peanut butter. ---Barbara Cole, Wilmington, VT

Ode to a Barnacle Goose

Steve Mirik looked at his watch and yelled, "you can't leave"
We were edging our way off the bluff
His impassioned plea
We waited
The sky filled
Filled with Canada Geese
Thousands of winging bodies
One looked different

[I]a Barnacle Goose
White faced, black necked, dog barking
A bird from the Arctic
Who’s hungry babies fall from high cliffs
Three day old chicks survive or not
Robber fox trotting to the parental distress song
Fabled Geese produced from barnacles
Convenient legend enabled Catholics
To eat their flesh during Lent[/I]

We stood on the bluffs
Screaming
A wild one
First sighting in New Hampshire
My goose-bumps jumped
The vast sky shut
We stumbled home

---Robyn Flatley, Brattleboro, VT

We saw our first Great Blue Heron of the year standing in its nest at North Pond in Marlboro. The ice has not melted off yet and the Heron looked a little cold as the icy winds fluttered its nuptial plumage. At the Retreat Meadows we had our first Tree Swallows of the year. The resident Turkey Vultures seem to be back. We counted 5 circling overhead. Their favorite roosting tree on Putney Road has been removed so they may have been scouting out a new place to hang out. The crocuses are starting to bloom on Western Avenue in Brattleboro.