Bird Notes
Albinistic Cardinal
I have an almost white male Cardinal he has two red flight feathers, the rest of the bird is almost a peach color. I have been trying to get a picture. But he is a very wary bird. He comes in with a pair of regular type cardinals. I live on Pond rd in Vernon. The first time I saw him was on 11/30/2011.
---Patrick Mockler
Peregrine and Prey in Vernon
Birding Brattleboro and Vernon for a couple hours this morning turned up 35 species. The highlight was witnessing the drama a Peregrine Falcon created
by putting up about 60 Ring-billed Gulls from a field across from the Miller
farm in Vernon, zooming into the mix, shadowing a singled out gull's futile
evasive maneuvers, making the kill, and chowing down on its lunch.
---Dave Johnston, W. Brattleboro, VT
This is our final revised count of the Christmas Bird Count held on December 17. There were seven volunteer groups and several individuals that took time out from their busy day to do a feeder count. All told, 4,177birds of 58 species were counted, which includes the 5 (CW) Count Week species.
Statistics________________________
Skies: Partly Cloudy
Temp.: A.M. 15 P.M. 35
Precipitation: None
Snow Cover: None
Lakes, Ponds and Rivers: Mostly Open
Small Streams: Open and Running
No. of Groups: 7
No. of Participants: 26
No. of Feeder Counts: several
Car Miles: 254
Walk Miles: 10.5
People Hours: 131.5
Total No. of Species: 58 (inc. 5 CW)
Total No. of Individuals: 4,177
VTBR--Brattleboro Christmas Bird Count, Saturday, December 17, 2011
CW = Count Week = 3 days before count day and 3 days after
Bold Face = new species this year
- Canada Goose 572
- American Black Duck 4
- Mallard 59
- Lesser Scaup 1
- Common Goldeneye 1
- Hooded Merganser 24
- Common Merganser 26
- Ruffed Grouse CW
- Wild Turkey CW
- Great Blue Heron 1
- Bald Eagle 3
- Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
- Cooper’s Hawk 3
- Red-tailed Hawk 14
- Peregrine Falcon 1
- Ring-billed Gull 14
- Herring Gull 101
- Great Black-backed Gull CW
- Rock Pigeon 174
- Mourning Dove 123
- Snowy Owl CW
- Barred Owl CW
- Belted Kingfisher 1
- Red-bellied Woodpecker 13
- Downy Woodpecker 38
- Hairy Woodpecker 20
- Pileated Woodpecker 1
- Northern Shrike 1
- Blue Jay 229
- American Crow 301
- Common Raven 7
- Horned Lark 4
- Black-capped Chickadee 338
- Tufted Titmouse 53
- Red-breasted Nuthatch 5
- White-breasted Nuthatch 43
- Brown Creeper 1
- Carolina Wren 6
- Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
- Eastern Bluebird 54
- American Robin 95
- Northern Mockingbird 7
- European Starling 116
- Cedar Waxwing 116
- American Redstart 1 (F)
- American Tree Sparrows 60
- Song Sparrow 12
- White-throated Sparrow 13
- Dark-eyed Junco 546
- Lapland Longspur 1
- Snow Bunting 4
- Northern Cardinal 27
- Purple Finch 13
- House Finch 23
- Pine Siskin 42
- American Goldfinch 629
- Evening Grosbeak 10
- House Sparrow 215
Old Christmas Trees Make New Bird Cover
Instead of discarding the family Christmas tree this year, turn it into cover for the birds. The life of the festive tree can be extended for several more months by taking it outside and laying it down or propping it up near or next to a bird feeder. In a matter of minutes, the old Christmas tree is providing new natural cover for the birds.
Every New Year’s, after undecorating our Christmas tree, I drag it outside and anchor it upright behind a low tray feeder just outside the sunroom where we eat breakfast and lunch everyday during the winter. The addition of the tree as cover behind the tray feeder immediately increases the number and kinds of birds that feed at the tray. In addition to the usual ground feeders, such as dark-eyed juncos and American tree sparrows, the Christmas tree cover attracts chickadees, nuthatches, northern cardinals and mourning doves. One year, we had a bobwhite use the feeder, and during other winters, ring-necked pheasants and wild turkeys visited.
If I want more cover than my one Christmas tree offers, I have gathered up and used the discarded Christmas trees of my neighbors, who have left their past glories at the curb to be picked up by the garbage man. One year, I was late removing the Christmas tree in the spring, and an American robin built a nest in its rusty red boughs, and raised four youngsters.
—George Harrison, eNature
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Please share your birding news with us.
What have you got coming to your feeders?
Are there any birds nesting in your yard?
What have you seen while on a trip?
Drop us an e-mail chpmnkx@sover.net
Al Merritt
W. Brattleboro, VT
Check out our website: http://sevtaudubonbirdnotes.blogspot.com/
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