BIRD NOTES ~ April 13, 2009

 

Snowy Owl & Crows photos by Paul Miller

 

 

Bird Notes

 

Snowy Owls at Plum Island

Yesterday (4/10) we visited Plum Island, MA and you can tell what this poor Snowy Owl had to tolerate! (See attached photos by Paul)

---Mary and Paul Miller, Vernon, VT

 

 

Bennett Meadow Migrants

Three Blue-winged Teal at Bennett Meadows (Northfield, MA) this morning 4/10!!(my first ever), 6 Tree Swallows, an Alder Flycatcher, Grackles and a few Rusty Blackbirds. Not to mention the first blooming bloodroot I've seen.  I went back to Bennett Meadow today(4/12) and there were 120 Tree Swallows flying over the pond across the road.  The dead trees were blue with them. I saw one Barn swallow.

---Lani Wright, Brattleboro, VT

 

 

Wilmington Snow Goose

A Snow Goose in the company of three Canada Geese flew into Wheeler’s field about a mile  out of Wilmington village north on Route 100 on Friday morning 4/10 and was still there at three in the afternoon. A Turkey Vulture was checking out the newly spread manure! Saw a  Chipping sparrow in the bush where one nested last year, the Yellow-bellied sapsucker was back to its old territory drumming on the stove pipe and there was a Brown Creeper on the maple tree.

---Barbara Cole, Wilmington, VT

 

 

Bellows Falls and Brattleboro Birds

Thursday evening, 4/9, there was a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers in the Conn. River just north of Joy Wah Restaurant on Rt. 5 in Bellows Falls.

Saturday evening, 4/11, there was 1 Pied-billed Grebe swimming at the Retreat Meadows. A Field Sparrow and a Savannah Sparrow were in the thick growth surrounding the water treatment plant off of Rt 30. A male Belted Kingfisher was fishing behind the water treatment plant.

On Easter Sunday, a walk around the perimeter of the cornfield behind the Marina Restaurant in Brattleboro  yielded 1 Eastern Palm Warbler, 4 Common Snipe, 1 Savannah Sparrow, 1 Field Sparrow, 1 Yellow-shafted Flicker, a pair of Belted Kingfishers, 2 N. Rough-winged Swallows, and 9 Wood Ducks.

---Dave Johnston, W. Brattleboro, VT

 

 

Putney, Westminster & Bellows Falls

Friday afternoon, 4/10, I had 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows mixed in with Tree Swallows along Sand Hill road in Putney. There was 1 Fox Sparrow along River Road in Putney. In Westminster beside rt.5 on the long flat stretch near the farms I had two calling/courting American Kestrels. I met up with Don Clark and Martha Adams at Herricks Cove and we had 2 Bufflehead and several Green-winged Teal. At the upper meadows we saw a Flicker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Good birding.

---Taj Schottland, Putney, VT

 

 

Wardsboro Grosbeaks 4/12

Evening Grosbeaks on our property this morning.

---Mitch Harrison, Wardsboro, VT

 

 

P  R  O  G  R  A  M     N  O  T  E

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 7 p.m. Brooks Memorial Library meeting room. FREE and open to the public.

"How Green Is My Valley?" - Nathaniel Tripp will use the Connecticut River to describe the dynamics of a "natural" river, and then discuss hydro and nuclear power, and politics, as well as the impact of green electrical generation system on the river.  He is an author, producer for film and television, and part-time farmer on a hill farm in the Northeast Kingdom.  A recent book is Confluence: A River, the Environment, Politics and the Fate of All Humanity.

Sponsored by Southeastern Vermont Audubon Society

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

 

A friend is someone who reaches for your hand

 and touches your heart.