Vermont Birding – Page 10

Some June Birds

Bird walks in the woods these days seem to feature persistent calls from two birds that are tough to see: Red-eyed Vireo and Ovenbird. And these shots from the last couple of outings don’t include them. However, in spite of heavy foliage there are other birds, often young ones, moving about. Here are a few starting with one of our most common, Song Sparrows. Lots of young ones around.

Common Yellowthroats are also pretty common but hard to photograph — always moving. This one faked me out at first but my friend Rich wrote: “I think we can safely say that this is a male Geothlypis trichas trichas, too, or at least in that grouping on eBird, as it lacks a yellow border to the black mask, has a white-ish belly, and an extensive yellow throat.”

Lastly, one of the most persistent singers are Chestnut-sided Warblers, but again, often buried in the leaves these days.

As I write this, I can hear a Black & White Warbler in the woods just across the busy street. This is “birding by ear” time and that sure beats “frozen fingers on the binoculars” time. Be safe and enjoy the birds of summer.

Cedar Waxwings

This Spring we have many birds nesting right here in our backyard. House Wrens are on their second batch while we know there are other nesters like Song Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, woodpeckers, and Grey Catbirds. Yesterday, we added Cedar Waxing to the list.

I’ve yet to find nests but hear a lot of feeding activity — the thick brambles and foliage are perfect for them. I’d just as soon just leave them alone and wait for the youngsters.

Birder License Plates

Many winters ago in Texas I met a Canadian birder who had an interesting side hobby: she collected birding vanity license plates. So for a while, one of the things I did as I traveled the country was to keep an eye open for vanity license plates and snap a photo of each one. I tried to get a little info on the owner but sometimes the vehicle was unoccupied. It did led to some interesting stories and some interesting people.

However, the project slid as I started to do less traveling — until a couple of weeks ago. In the midst of the Covid-19 homestay I got an email from a Michigan birder who is an avid collector of license plate images. He suggested that we trade a few of his for a few of mine. Thus, another initiative gets underway for this period of waiting. I arranged my images into a gallery and hope to start up my collecting again this summer. Here is the image Don sent me to pique my interest.

Here’s what Don told me about the plate — “My own SCREECH is quite popular, as it raises questions from non-birders. One man from Maine asked me about it, and asked if I was from Newfoundland. I asked why he might think so, and he responded that screech is the name of a local moonshine made in Newfoundland! Certainly not what I had intended.”

I’m going to put up Don’s images in a gallery soon. In the meantime, do you have an interesting plate or know someone who does? Why not take your phone a grab a photo of it and send it to me: vtbirder at gmail.com.

Killdeer are here

This morning on a dog walk at the airport, I heard and then saw Killdeer — a neat sign of spring and a diversion from the terrible news around us. The striking plumage, frenetic feeding, and noisy chatter are a nice tonic.

Birds are bringing us a special bit of joy during this tough period of our lives.

Snow Geese

Snow Geese are relatively uncommon in this part of the state so it’s sort of a big deal when some show up, which they did late last week. Reports ran as high as 60 birds with a mix of blue morphs and after a couple of days, I was able to swing by and check them out. The photos are not great but you can get the mix of young and adult birds, perhaps see a blue morph in one photo, and see why these birds, often found in flocks of thousands, are fun to have locally in small groups.

Neighborhood Birds

Over the weekend, the dog and I took several nice walks through the neighborhoods of Montpelier. I had my camera along so we had pee stops (her) and photo stops (me.)

This was one of perhaps 50-100 Cedar Waxwings who just showed up for a berry feast and the next day were long gone.

Chickadees brighten winter days and are singing and loving in March.

Even Common Grackles, yellow eyes and all, are a treat against a bluebird sky.

Northern Cardinals are singing like crazy throughout town.

While a pair of Mallards doze in the sun.

Some Backyard Birds

We are fortunate, in this time of limited contact, to have a lot of birds that we can see from the house or on a short jaunt to the river. Here are a few from the weekend.

This female mallard is half of a pair hanging out right out back

Song Sparrows are very vocal every morning.

American Crows picking through the dropped bird seed.

One of the dozens of American Goldfinches we have had all winter – still in winter plumage.

Downy Woodpecker – another ongoing visitor.

Red-breasted Nuthatches rarely stay still for a photo.

Sorting Geese

During these challenging times, one of the safe things we can do right now is bird, and with migration starting, we can see a many new arrivals out back on the river. Yesterday, Ginger and I took a drive to check out some nearby farm fields and we saw hundreds of Canada Geese. I was looking for something like a Snow Goose or Cackling Goose while sorting them out from the roads.

The groups ranged in size from a few to over a hundred.

This gaggle had some Mallards and a couple of Wood Ducks.

Ginger is getting ready for our next outing, with more walking and fresh air.

Stay safe and be glad that we have our avian friends (and sometimes a canine buddy) to enjoy as we navigate the months ahead. Good birding

2019 Birds (September-December)

We are enjoying a nice array of winter birds and looking forward to a road trip to Florida in late January to bird a bit without frosty hands – our first outing with our new birding assistant – Ginger Ale.