Birdnotes: {BIRD NOTES} ~ March 23, 2014

Bird Notes

Southeastern Vermont Audubon Society

VERMONT BIRD ARRIVAL SCHEDULE for the month of MARCH

Week 1 –American Kestrel, Kildeer, American Robin, Common Grackle

Week 2 –Northern Pintail, American Widgeon, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Northern Flicker,

Eastern Bluebird, Song Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird

Week 3 – Pied-Billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Greater

Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Tree Swallow, Eastern

Meadowlark

Week 4 - Snow Goose, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Gadwall, Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted

Merganser, Broad-winged Hawk, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, American Woodcock, Common Snipe,

Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Fox Sparrow

The Red-wing Blackbirds are back! Heard one last evening in Westminster West...

---Judith Kinley, Brattleboro

Putney Area Sightings

Yesterday, on the last day of winter and before last night's snow, three RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD males showed up at our feeders. It was nice to see at least one sign of spring.

---Steve & Laurie Medved, Putney, Vt

Saw 40 Cedar Waxwings in the alders and multiflora rose by the side of Sand Hill Road in Putney today. A little further afield saw 3 Turkey Vultures in Westminster and Bellows Falls for a first of the year sighting.

---Tom Prunier

NOTICE! Bears Are Awake!

Just wanted to alert feeders/back country explorers that bears are awake. I was hit at 8:43 this am. Here in Manchester we just got a dusting in that last storm, so we don't have as much snow cover as Rutland and north, but it is still quite arctic here! Oh well - an earlier than planned end to my feeding here. He had done quite well for himself with suet and a Squirrel Buster he'd ripped down before I caught him, so I'm sure he'll be back!

---Courtney in Manchester, VT

Vernon “Spring”

Felt like spring today at Vernon with temperatures up to about 40 and the sun melting the snow and ice in the fields. In keeping with this, I had some migrants today in the form of 4 turkey vultures, 2 kestrels and about a dozen wood ducks. Also there were a mixed flock of about 450 mallard and black ducks and many singing passerines including, r- w blackbirds, cardinals, mockers, song sparrows, house finches, robins and Carolina wrens.

---Hector Galbraith, PhD, Dummerston, VT

Counting Red-tailed Hawks

Our 540 mile trip to Toronto to visit grandchildren is also a great opportunity to count Redtails. Our previous record day count was 36 but today's was a spectacular 42. 4 in Ontario, 28 in NY and 10 in MA. The short section of I91 between the Pike and the Holyoke Range lived up to it's Redtail Alley nickname by providing 8 of the 10 MA birds.

---Tom Prunier