Bird Notes
Common Loon in Flight
This morning I heard a loon overhead here in Putney, fairly near Putney Mt. I never would have registered in my mind that it was a loon, except a neighbor a month ago mentioned hearing a loon fly by. (I thought she must be nuts.) I searched the sky and was rewarded with seeing the bird overhead!
---Nancy Waterhouse, Putney, VT
Grout Pond Sparrow
Lincoln Sparrow (which is hard to find in Windham Co) greeted me with song at a management area just off the road to Grout Pond from Kelly Stand Rd in Somerset, Green Mtn Nat’l Forest. See photos at Tails of Birding – www.tailsofbirding.net Also, I have yet to see/hear a Winter Wren in Windham Co – has anyone in SE Vt heard/seen a Winter Wren? What is the presence/absence of WIWR in other parts of the state?
---Chris Petrak, South Newfane, VT
Cape May, NJ, East Coast Birding Capitol
I just returned from a week on Cape May for the spring birding festival. I had hoped to see many warblers but the festival was late by about a week.Due to the warm weather warbler migration had peaked. Many males had already staked out their territory and had stopped singing, making them difficult to find. I saw many shorebirds and seabirds though and am now sorting through the hundreds of photos I took. Here is a first selection:
http://onejackdawbirding.blogspot.com/2012/05/red-knots-skimmers-and-oystercatchers.html
---Hilke Breder, Brattleboro, VT
Highgate Springs Prothonotary Warbler
A Prothonotary Warbler was found on Sunday (5/27) at the Rock River WMA in Highgate Springs, VT. (It is one of my favorite places to kayak!) The bird was singing when I arrived today at about 8:00 am, and after about half an hour it finally showed itself. Had some really good looks, including one right over my head! Most of the time it was higher up in the branches than I thought it would be, and occasionally it would fly off, but always came back to the area just north of the parking area. It is perfect territory for the bird, but rare this far north - just shy of the Canadian border. By the time I left at about 11:00 am, there were six other birders watching it.
---Nori Howe, W. Brattleboro, VT
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*NOTE: Please excuse the late reporting. We have been out of state for a couple of weeks.
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Al Merritt
W. Brattleboro, VT
chpmnkx@sover.net
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http://sevtaudubonbirdnotes.blogspot.com
