[BIRD NOTES] ~ April 5, 2010

 

Bird Notes

 

This morning, behind the Marina Restaurant in Bratt., a pair of Rusty Blackbirds picked through leaf litter on the wet, grassy south side of the cornfield finding worms to eat. At the north end of the field 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers and 1 E. Palm Warbler were busy catching insects in the brush along the marshy area. Other selected sightings at the Marina include a pair of Kingfishers, 2 Bluebirds, 2 Killdeer, 2 Savannah Sparrows, 3 Yellow-shafted Flickers, 3 Phoebes, and a pair of Wood Ducks. There were also 5 Common Snipe in the Land Trust field on the west side of Abbot Rd in W. Bratt. this morning close to the road near the farm machinery.
---Dave Johnston, W. Brattleboro, VT

 

 

Keene State College Athletic Fields

Northern Shoveler - 1 continues in the flooded fields adjacent to the soccer fields.  Found by Ken Bergman the other day.

Osprey - 1 (FOY for me)

Red-tailed Hawk - 1

 

Spofford Lake

Red-throated Loon - 1 nice inland sighting

 

Hinsdale Setbacks

No Grebes or notable waterfowl!  Gone or just hidden from sight?

Great-blacked Back Gull - 4

Herring Gull - 1

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Tree Swallow - 2 (FOY for me)

 

Old Chesterfield Rd, Winchester

Golden Eagle - 1 Adult/2nd yr bird observed from a powerline cut on the road into Pisgah's south entrance.  I've had plenty in the mid-Atlantic but a state bird for me (I've spent many cold days on Pack Monadnock in the autumn to no avail!)

 

Forest Lake, Winchester

Common Merganser - 2

Double-crested Cormorant (breeding plumaged)

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1

 

Swanzey Lake

Ring-necked Duck - 5

Northern Harrier - 1

Cooper's Hawk - 1

 

Dillant-Hopkins Airport

Mostly quiet but we picked up a few woodpeckers and birds in the pine stand along Airport Rd

American Kestrel - 1

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1

Northern Flicker - 1

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1

Brown Creeper - 1 singing loudly

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1

Eastern Bluebird - 1 (our only one for the day)

Blackbird sp - 1 distant group observed from Rt. 32 in the area where the Rustys have been hanging out, but too far/too much heatwaves for us to firmly ID

 

Wilson Pond - Swanzey

Bufflehead - 2

 

Surry Lake - well flooded - the top of the Gazebo near the south end of

Village Rd is completely under water!

Wood Duck - 1 (our only one for the day)

Mallard - 1 (ditto?!  weird)

Am. Black Duck - 2 (ditto!)

Ring-necked Duck - 8

Common Merganser - 11

Cooper's Hawk - 1

Red-tailed Hawk - 1

Fish Crow - bird vocalizing - found by Lance, Phil Brown, and Peter Davenport the other day

Tree Swallow - 6

---Kenneth Klapper, Spofford, NH

 

 

F.O.Y. Warbler in Keene

My F.O.Y. Yellow-rumped Warbler was heard singing and seen hopping from tree top to tree top working its way north at Green Wagon Farm in Keene.

---Lance Tanino, Keene, NH

 

 

Yard Bird in Wilmington

 First of year  Fox Sparrow was under the bushes out back this noon! March 27^th

---Barbara Cole, Wilmington, VT

 

 

Herrick’s Cove

An afternoon pass through Herricks Cove produced a good mix of waterfowl etc.
15 Bufflehead
 8 Hooded Mergs.
 7 Common Mergs.
 8 Common Goldeneye
   Wood Duck
 3 GW Teal
 1 American Wigeon
   Black Ducks
   Mallards
   C. Goose
 1 ad. Bald Eagle
 2 RB Gull
   Flicker
65+ singing Song Sparrows
---Don Clark, Grafton, VT

 

 

Timberdoodle

I have been trying to get pictures of a woodcock “peenting”; it took much trial and error, picking the right lens, the right settings for my camera, picking the right spot where the woodcock was going to land, when he flies in, and having less than 10 minutes to get the shots before the light is gone.  Last night I finally succeeded. The photos are here: http://tinyurl.com/ylp5e8d

---Hilke Breder, Brattleboro, VT

 

 

Retreat Meadow (4/1)

A quick after work check of the Retreat Meadows and the Marina yesterday yielded a pair of Bufflehead, 1 pair of Wood Ducks, 1 pair of Green –winged Teal, 1 pair of C. Mergansers, 1 C. Goldeneye, 6 Mallards, ~ 100 C. Geese, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Kingfisher, 3 Killdeer, 2 Tree Sparrows, and numerous Song Sparrows. At home in W. Brattleboro we had our 1st Fox Sparrow and Phoebes of the year.
---Dave Johnston, W. Brattleboro, VT

 

 

West Brattleboro Birds

A lone Raven flyover with three Crows in pursuit.

60+ Cedar Waxwings feeding on ornamental crabapples.

25 Robins were pulling worms in our side yard.

Red-tailed Hawk was circling overhead trying to evade the dive-bombing crows.

 

 

~   P   R   O   G   R   A   M   ~

 

On Tuesday, April 20 at 7:00pm there will be a program on Vermont Birds of Prey.  The southern Vermont Natural History Museum of Marlboro, VT will bring us live hawks, owls, and falcons.  This is an interactive program on Vermont's raptors with touchable artifacts, audience participation, and an engaging slide show. 

This program will be in the meeting room at Brattleboro's Brooks Memorial Library.

It is sponsored by Southeastern VT Audubon Society and is FREE and open to the public.

 

 

Al Merritt

W. Brattleboro, VT

chpmnkx@sover.net

 

http://sevtaudubonbirdnotes.blogspot.com/

 

~~~~~~~~

A friend is someone who reaches for your hand

 and touches your heart.