Category Archives: County Big Year

Birding Should Not Be A Contact Sport

Friday morning, I took off with the dog early in the morning to see if I could add a Peregrine Falcon to my County Big Year list.  I headed toward Marshfield Mountain, a spot where they nest and are often … Continue reading

Posted in Birding With Penny, County Big Year, Vermont Birding | 12 Comments

Black-billed Cuckoo — check!

As you know if you follow my Vermont Airstreamers blog, I’m in the midst of a major renovation project and thus, am spending little time for birding. This morning, I was tempted to spend an hour or two early at … Continue reading

Posted in County Big Year, life bird, Life list, Local Birding, Vermont Birding, Yard birds | 3 Comments

Bobolinks and Snipes

The fog was just lifting this morning when the dog and I launched out on a wet birding adventure at the Sparrow Farm trail.  I was looking for Bobolinks since I had yet to see one in the county this … Continue reading

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Flashes of Red

For the last several weeks, we have had dozens of Purple Finches coming to the feeder and just hanging out in the trees around the house.  They remind us of the influx of Common Redpolls we got last winter. Like … Continue reading

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Savannah Sparrows

Yesterday morning, I went up to the aptly-named Sparrow Farm in East Montpelier for a repeat visit to a spot where I picked up five new County birds yesterday.  The area is a fine combination of wetland, farm fields, and … Continue reading

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Springtime Yellows

I went up to Berlin Pond yesterday morning looking for what many of us consider the true sign of spring — the arrival of Yellow Warblers.  I had the truck windows down and could hear them singing before we even … Continue reading

Posted in Big Year, County Big Year, Local Birding, Vermont Birding, Washington County | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

County List Update

Four months gone and in spite of pinched neck nerves and out-of-state travel, my list is doing pretty well.  I’m at 79 species and most of those seen with my Vizsla alongside.   I’ve missed some birds early (like Pine … Continue reading

Posted in Big Year, County Big Year, Local Birding, Vermont Birding, Washington County | 2 Comments

Looking for Mr. Bluebird

One of the birds I’ve missed seeing for my County bird list is European Bluebird so yesterday morning, I took the dog for a Saturday morning bird walk at the North Branch Nature Center.  I knew that they had been … Continue reading

Posted in Big Year, County Big Year, Local Birding, Vermont Birding, Washington County | 1 Comment

A Low Expectation Saturday Outing

Things are really slow birding-wise right now with some of the winter birds gone (haven’t seen Common Redpolls for a few days) and just a few early arrivals.  We’re seeing some Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and a few Killdeer but … Continue reading

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Don’t Look Up

I have written about binocular stabilization and have several ideas for posts on places accessible to birders with disabilities, but I now find myself “disabled” and unable to actively bird.  I’ve waited a month to whine about it but with … Continue reading

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