I took a drive in the van, perhaps one of the last, up to a local tourist highlight – The Morse Farm – which is known for maple syrup and all sorts of items, but also has some good birds. I was looking for Cliff Swallows and Wilson’s Snipe and saw/heard them along with my first American Bittern of the year. A great spot, a lovely morning, and several hours well-spent.
Mourning Dove
Vermont, while well into Spring calendar-wise, is still gloves and boots season for birding. On a recent four-mile walk in light drizzle, not only were there some new arrivals (Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-bellied, Sapsucker, Broad-winged Hawk) but many seemed to be pairing up.
This female Cardinal was listening to the nearby male sing.
I saw six pairs of Northern Cardinals.
Mallards and Eastern Phoebes were pair up as were these two Canada Geese.
Further up into the woods of Hubbard Park, I heard, and then saw, this Winter Wren. His unmistakeable song rang through the conifers and hopefully, brought a little love into his life.
We have a few more cold drizzly days but the forecast looks good. I’m ready and it looks like the birds are ready. Bring it on.
Nearly mid-June and I just launched the Hornbeck canoe this morning for the first time. Too many other activities, chores, excuses but it was a great beginning. I went early to our local Wrightsville Reservoir and being a weekday and early, only one sculler was on the water.
Dozens of bird calls kept me occupied as I headed north on the quiet water with a few beavers objecting to my presence with loud slaps. Then, up ahead, I saw the white head of an Osprey or Bald Eagle in a craggy tree and carefully approaching it, saw that it was my first bald eagle of the year. 
I sat at a distance and watched him for some time and then carefully paddled away leaving him undisturbed.
The inlet of the reservoir is the North Branch of the Winooski River and for a short period, it gets scenic and is a great paddle. 
I came upon a Common Merganser with her chicks resting on a sandbar and she slipped into the stream and led them away as I tried to steady the boat and take some photos.
The eagle was still there on the return trip and I saw/heard over thirty species, got a nice workout, and finished up before 8 o’clock. Good to be on the water again.
If you have been following my posts on Caring Bridge, you know that my cherished wife Mary died of lymphoma on March 21st. The days since then have been filled with grief, joy at remembering our great love for one another, and details of planning. The wonderful memorial service is over, the house filled with family and friends is getting quiet, and I am looking at what lies ahead for my life as a widower.
Having an exercise-needy dog helps get me out in the brisk air and yesterday afternoon, we took a long walk up in the forest land that surrounds us. It was cold and spitting snow, I had binoculars and walking poles, and we had a nice workout climbing up into the pine woods and revisiting some trails we haven’t been on in four months. My hands were freezing in my work gloves and the birds were few but it was a good outing.
Then, as we neared the house, a large raptor flew through the pines toward me calling loudly at Penny who was up ahead. It perched very close to me, continuing its “kak, kak, kak, kak” call as I watched it through the binoculars. Light grey breast, yellow talons, broad white stripe of the eye, long tail — big bird. It sat there focused on the dog, until she moved back towards me, and off it flew, still calling. Wow.
A Northern Goshawk – photo credit Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
I hoped it might be a Northern Goshawk, having eliminated a lot of the others raptors, but had to wait until I got home to check the bird book and iPhone. The image was convincing and then when I played the call, it was definite. Life bird #434.
It’s fitting since last Fall I got a “Goshawk” license plate for my truck. At the time, I’d never seen a Northern Goshawk but thought the plate might bring me luck. Well, whatever the reason, our paths crossed and the wonderful bird gave me a nice lift in spirits after a long journey with my beloved Mary.
After a hospital lab visit and some errands yesterday morning, I decided to visit a local area where I have never birded: Chickering Bog Natural Area located on the border of Calais and East Montpelier. It’s not too hard to find: see the directions at the end of this article.
The scenery along Lightning Ridge Road is lovely.
You have to look carefully for the entrance trail – I have missed it in the past.
The trail is on private land at the start and also follows a snowmobile track. It’s easy walking with some debris from falling trees.
A friend reading this post wrote me to let me know that pets are not permitted on Conservancy sites — she had read the guidelines (which I had not) so Penny was a scofflaw. I must say that I don’t buy the policy at all – a least they could require leashes. In any case,so that you don’t make the same mistake, here are the guidelines:
Penny loved the woods and cavorted, as best as an eleven-year-old Vizsla can, as we moved up the trail. Bird activity was light with an inquisitive Downy Woodpecker following us chirping away. We flushed two Ruffed Grouse which always gets the bird dog excited.
The trail’s wet spots are well-covered with planking. Here Penny is crossing a tiny brook.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, we entered the Natural Area which is managed by The Nature Conservancy.
The foliage is starting to turn and there were some pretty spots along the route.
This tree alongside the trail has a problem. I always wonder what caused the blemish to form.
After a little over a half hour (it’s about a mile), we arrived at the bog and went out on the boardwalk looking for wildlife.
The bog was beautiful with fall colors starting, no bugs, no noise, no people – just a guy and a dog.
The only wildlife that I saw at the bog was this big turtle on the far edge of the open water.
From The Nature Conservancy page:
Chickering Bog began to form when glaciers receded from Vermont over 10,000 years ago and left behind a bedrock basin that filled with water. The pond that was formed slowly filled in with vegetation. As these plants died, they accumulated and only partially decomposed, forming a layer of peat that has continued to thicken over the years, reaching an impressive 30 feet deep in the northern part of Chickering Bog. It is the peat that gives the area its semi-solid, “quaking” quality. A small patch of open water is all that remains of the original pond.
Chickering Bog is actually misnamed; this so-called bog is really a fen. The difference between the two wetland types has to do with the water source and the acidity of the site. Bogs tend to be acidic and poor in dissolved minerals; fens are more alkaline and rich in dissolved minerals. Water enters bogs solely through rainwater, while fens like Chickering Bog are also fed by calcium-rich groundwater and springs.
To get there from Montpelier, take Route 2 east 6.5 miles to East Montpelier. Then take Route 14 north about 3.2 miles to North Montpelier where you will see North Montpelier Pond on your right. Continue on Route 14 for 1.1 miles until you see Lightening Ridge Road on the left, which is marked by a sign for the Calais Elementary School. Turn left and go 1.6 miles to George Road on the right. Park on Lightening Ridge Road on the right a little past George Road. The Conservancy trail begins to the left of the private driveway. You have to look hard, but there is a green post with the initials “TNC.” A snowmobile trail starts here and goes up the hill to the entrance of the natural area and the trail to Chickering Bog. Look carefully for the sign that marks the Conservancy’s Chickering Bog trail after crossing a wetland on the snowmobile trail.
I cut the firewood we use to supplement heating our house. Each year, I drop 15 or 20 trees, mostly soft maple and cherry, let them dry on the ground during the summer and fall, and then the following year, cut them up, haul them in, split them by hand, stack them, re-stack them when the pile falls over …. etc. It’s a Vermont thing. Unless I get hurt, cheaper than a health club.
This time of year, I never drop leafed-out trees fearing that I will destroy songbird nests, so it was surprising today, while cutting brush, to disturb a mother bird. I was clearing out brambles and small trees, mainly with the brush hog on my tractor but also with the chain saw. There was a clump near the base of the electric company’s guy wire for their pole on our property corner, and I cut one small spruce seedling and then noticed that the larger spruce tree was growing right through the fitting that anchored the wire. I peered in to check it out and here’s what I saw:
You can see the yellow shield for the support wire as it passes under the nest.
I shut things down, ran up to get my camera, and grabbed the above photo and a closeup with the telephoto. It was a gorgeous nest with one pretty egg.
A quick zoom in and time to leave.
I backed away and stood partially hidden as I heard the parent chipping away in the nearby apple tree. Pretty soon, she approached, arrived in a flourish of orange and red, and settled. I snapped a few long-distance shots.
She blends in well – if I had not found the nest, I’d never spot her.
The tree is just off our driveway so it’s easy to check. Three hours later, when I walked down to get mail, I could see her tail silhouetted in the shadows. Don’t think that I disturbed her too much, but it was close. I was seconds away from dropping that tree.
Ten days of south wind resulted in few migrants but that changed Friday with a weak cold front and wind shift to the north. Saturday was better as I noted in my last post but Sunday mid-day to evening was great. On my walk with Penny and a subsequent outing without her, I saw about ten new year birds including two life birds. Here’s the list:
Goose Island SP (CTC 048), Aransas County, Texas, US ( Map )
Date and Effort
Edit Date and Effort
Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:30 PM
Protocol:Traveling
Party Size:4
Duration:1 hour(s), 36 minute(s)
Distance:1.5 mile(s)
Observers:Dick Mansfield
Comments:
Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.8
Species
Edit Species List
31 species total
2 Turkey Vulture
1 Red-tailed Hawk
4 Laughing Gull
2 Forster’s Tern
2 Inca Dove
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker -Female
1 Great Crested Flycatcher
1 Brown-crested Flycatcher
6 White-eyed Vireo
2 Yellow-throated Vireo
1 Blue-headed Vireo
2 Red-eyed Vireo
6 Black-crested Titmouse
1 House Wren
2 Gray Catbird
X Northern Mockingbird
**2 Worm-eating Warbler**
**2 Blue-winged Warbler**
8 Black-and-white Warbler
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
4 Hooded Warbler
2 American Redstart
*Seen in two locations clearly. Confirmed by Bob and Dawn Scranton. Part of minor warbler fallout from wind shift. Males actively feeding, fanning tail.*
2 Northern Parula
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
2 Yellow-throated Warbler
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 Scarlet Tanager
X Northern Cardinal
2 Indigo Bunting
X Red-winged Blackbird
2 Great-tailed Grackle
It was a great way to end our stay at Goose Island. Two other couples who had also planned to leave Monday extended their stay because of the fallout. We were tempted but we’ll hope to see them enroute and then when they arrive in Vermont. They look great in their breeding plumage but O was too busy sorting then out high in the trees to do much photo work. First night taking Motrin for “warbler neck” in a long time. No complaints here.
The woods are lush and green and many birds have stopped singing as they nest and tend to offspring and the deer flies and no-see-ums abound — yet it’s a great time to get out and bird. There’s a lot to see: White-throated Sparrows trying out their new songs and getting part of it; the crop of house wrens that fledged out of our bluebird house that scold me and Penny as we walk by; the half dozen new Blue Jays that have discovered and are hogging our suet. Ever present to me in the muggy mornings is the thought that most of these birds will be out of here in a month or so — which gives this time of year a poignancy.
Yesterday, we took the expensive drive up the toll road at Mt. Mansfield (no connection, unfortunately) to show our son and grandson some more of Vermont. Of course, I did a little birding, hearing Bicknell’s Thrushes and seeing Swainson’s Thrushes. I also ran into the guys from Vermont Center for Ecostudies who band birds on the summit each summer. Here is a photo of one of the Blackpoll Warblers I saw and heard.
A Blackpoll Warbler at the summit parking lot, Mt. Mansfield.
Today, I took a few shots of some of the birds in our woods as I walked the dog on our series of trails.
We have had a family of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks nesting on our property with at least two young males.
Eastern Phoebes seem to be silent this time of year and this one did not bob its tail.
We seem to have dozens of new Song Sparrows. This one has caught a little treat.
White-throated Sparrows are practicing their songs and chipping at the dog and me as we move by them. This guy was about ten feet away, holding his ground.
So, while it is frustrating to search for warblers in fully-leaved maple trees, there’s a lot going on lower down with all the “newbies” learning the ropes. Slap on the bug dope and enjoy summer birds. Most will be gone pretty soon. Good birding
All Spring we’ve had a great variety of feathered visitors to our feeder and back yard but today was special. This morning we’d seen the hummer, the grosbeak, the purple finches along with chipping and white-throated sparrows but just before lunch, I glanced out a the apple tree and saw a blue blob that can only be one thing up here: an Indigo Bunting. What a special treat — I think it’s the first here since we’ve been keeping records.
First Indigo Bunting we’ve seen on our property.
I got Mary to the window as another one showed up. The camera and binoculars were out in the truck so I scooted to get those while Mary watched our visitors move about the tree.
Two boys in blue looking for love.
Just as I was trying to capture a couple of shots, a third male showed up. I grabbed this photo of all three in the tree.
Can you see the third one?
They soon flew off together to a White Pine and then departed. I figured that was it. However, later this afternoon, two showed up in the tree and one came to the thistle feeder, to the dismay of the American Goldfinches who consider that their restaurant.
We did not see any females and I doubt that buntings will stay since most of our land is very wooded and they like more open spaces but you never know.
It was such a surprise and such a delight to see these handsome dudes. Unlike the brown flycatchers and sparrows that can drive me nuts, these guys are my kind of bird: flashy and unmistakeable.
We survived the last several days of intensive tractor-trailer rasslin’ on I-81 and after a real long drive got to the saner roads of Vermont. We dropped the trailer downtown at Shawn & Helen’s (which will work great) and came home to snowbanks and mud, and our home base. We’re catching up on rest and doing some unpacking but every night, I wake up and wonder where I am – which park? what route tomorrow? It’s wonderful to be grounded.
So we outpaced the warblers that confused me in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and I’ve got a week or two to review their calls again. Meanwhile, I’ve started checking out our Vermont birds since some of the winter folks (Purple Finches) are still around and new arrivals (Eastern Phoebe) are showing up each day.
This morning, I took the dog in the truck on an outing to check out some back roads in an adjacent county. About six miles into the trip, I came up to this old barn on Route 12 and automatically checked the fields. I glimpsed a hay wagon with some sort of white contraption on it, and after I passed the barn and moved down the highway hill, saw this:
I
I thought Snowy Owls had left but sure enough … I had traffic to deal with but dodging a trash pickup truck and commuters, got turned around and took a few pictures out the window. I then backtracked, turned around again, and parked in the farm’s muddy turnoff.
When I returned a few hours later, it was gone. I heard from Chip at North Branch Nature Center that they seem to be moving – reports are trickling in – perhaps as a result of the warm weather we are experiencing. It was a great start to the birding trip and added a Snowy to my year’s list. Who knows when they’ll be back again like this winter? Vermont birding rocks!
