[BIRD NOTES] July 9, 2007

 

 

Bird Notes

 

 

Least Bittern in Southern Vermont

I have been having some success in southern VT and NH finding least bitterns this year. Right now seems to be a good time for surveying these birds - they breed late and their young are probably just hatched. So far I have found at least 5 individuals in the cattail marshes that fringe the Connecticut in southern VT and NH.

---Hector Galbraith, Dummerston, VT

 

 

Our Lucky Day(7/7/07) at the Hinsdale Setback

After receiving the heads-up from Hector and knowing that seeing a Least Bittern in the Connecticut River Valley was a rare treat, we planned to be there early the next day. We arrived at the causeway at about 8:45 in the morning and met a gentleman coming out who told us of having a Least Bittern earlier that was sitting in the cattails on the left as you enter the causeway, but it flew out of sight before he could get his camera operable. We said that we would stop there for a look on the way back if we were not successful and we continued on toward the large cattail marsh on the left. Not 100 feet farther along we spotted the Least Bittern without the aid of binoculars, sitting in plain view on a bent cattail stalk at the edge of the marsh. We called to the person whom we had met just seconds before and he hurried to our side. Looking down the barrel of the scope I focused on the bird. At 20X it was a magnificent "look" as it sat there in the sun preening its feathers. It was a male in handsome plumage. The camera person took several photos. We could only hope that they looked this good. We watched for more than 15 minutes hoping that we could show it to more birders that may come looking for the bird. It finally dropped down into the tangle of reeds and disappeared from view.

 

 

Least Bittern © Richard Elroy, 2002

 

Addendum

Forgot to mention in my last posting - there was a female red-breasted merganser at the Brattleboro Retreat Meadows this morning(7/07).

---Hector Galbraith

 

A Note from Colorado

The hummingbirds are still with us.  We had about 40 Broad-tailed at the feeders this morning.  When I first went out at 5 a.m. there weren't any around so I thought most of them had left.  I filled and hung 3 feeders and as more and more arrived I had to hang 2 more.  They are cute little devils.  Haven't seen a Rufous yet but they should be migrating through here at any time.

---Sandy Merritt, Red Feather Lakes, CO

 

 

Feeding Broad-tailed Hummingbirds

 

 

Please keep us abreast of what birds you are seeing, whether at home or on a trip in or out of the Windham County area.

 

Al Merritt

W. Brattleboro, VT

chpmnkx@sover.net

 

 

BIRD NOTE archives:

http://sevtaudubonbirdnotes.blogspot.com/

 

Southeastern Vermont Audubon Society website:

http://www.sevtaudubon.org/