While most of my outings involve birding – usually 1-3 miles on trails, roads, and city sidewalks, I also get out for the exercise, fresh air and nature, away from others.
The trails we walk have many trees with all sorts of growths and shapes, like these ones.
Last week, I spotted this different lump in a tree.
That’s not Vermont Spanish moss but a resting porcupine — high up in a tree.,
One of my favorite downed trees reminds me of a Green Heron hunting for food.
A backcountry beaver pond from which two shy Wood Ducks flushed.
And my birding buddy, muddy legs and all, is always ready for the next outing.
As we wait for the warblers to arrive, there’s always neat stuff to enjoy on our walks.
Early yesterday morning, while out with Ginger on our back path, I noticed this young eagle perched in a tree across the river. I’m sure it’s the same one I saw a week ago at the reservoir.
This morning, at the reservoir, I saw this eagle again, waiting right next to the parking area. I never get tired of seeing these birds.
On a morning with new wet snow on the ground and a snow/rain mix falling, Ginger and I added a little in-the-car birding to our routine before we did some errands. It was a nice venture.
I’ve only seen Long-tailed Ducks a few times — they are relatively uncommon here – but we found this pair resting in the rain, probably after a long night flight.
It was a nice treat and I’m sure they’re already on their way.
At dog play group this week, while Ginger ran with her playmates, I watched Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows compete for nesting sites. This rivalry is very common.
In one corner, we have a bluebird just getting ready to settle down.
Also wearing blue is a pair of tree swallows looking for a domicile.
There seemed to be a lot of trash-talking going on.
So, for about half an hour, I watched some aerial antics as the competitors went at it. My little camera caught some of the action.
We’ll see, later this month, who ends up where — it seems like the swallows often win out but this bluebird was feisty.
The other day, I came upon a dozen turkeys having a little get-together. Normally super cautious, they sort of ignored me as they romped in the tall grass. Spring was in the air….
Just lookin’ for love in all the wrong placesThis should impress themI think she likes me
This is a nice time to bird in Vermont as migration continues and almost every day, you can see new arrivals. Here are a few from this week.
Most Tuesdays, Ginger goes to a dog play group. Knowing that Eastern Bluebirds nest on the property, I brought my camera and sure enough.
The following day, I went up to the local airport looking for American Kestrels spotted this bird flying along the road. The photo is difficult because I had to stop on a busy road, watching for traffic as I shot.
Likewise, this Eastern Meadowlark was a challenge.
Warblers should be here soon and with temperatures warming, we are looking forward to the return of many more migrants.
January was a good birding month for me in Washington County. I missed by monthly goal of 35 by one but also picked up several birds I didn’t expect: a Bald Eagle and a Barred Owl, and saw my nemesis bird, the Northern Shrike, for the first time. I now see one at least weekly but we knew that would happen. I got two new life birds, the aforementioned shrike and a Barrow’s Goldeneye (over in Chittenden County.) In spite of my whining about missing Texas birds, it was a good winter birding month.
The best January bird was this handsome Bald Eagle along the Dog River just south of Montpelier. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Settings: 1/160 ƒ/6.5 ISO 640 215 mm
Looking over the birds I missed in January, I’m only concerned about one — Pine Grosbeak — because if I don’t get them now they may not be here in November or December this year. I have reviewed historic eBird sightings in Washington County for February and frankly, there aren’t a lot to add to my missing list. Things will heat up a bit in March as early migrants return.
Here’s the list of birds I am targeting for February:
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Black-backed Gull (a little iffy but seen at Grow Compost)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (I know they are here but hard to spot, or hear)
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Pine Grosbeak
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
House Sparrow (I’ve been walking around parking garages and strip malls with no luck)
Red-winged Blackbird (Perhaps an early returnee)
Common Grackle (Perhaps an early returnee)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Perhaps an early returnee)
While I know I won’t get all of these, I may pick up something I hadn’t counted on so my modest February goal is 14 more for a total of 48. Stay tuned.
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Today was the first day above freezing we’ve had in several weeks and with all the melting, I figured that there might be some critters stirring, and perhaps I could see a Red-tailed or Cooper’s hawk. So, after a morning meeting, I took the truck for a little drive, looking for raptors. I also checked the Winooski to see if perhaps some areas had opened back up. I pulled into Lover’s Lane, a dirt road in Moretown where Mary and I had seen a couple of Hooded Mergansers a couple of weeks ago. Nothing doing, the river was ice-covered.
I turned the truck around in a series of backs and forwards, and pulling out, saw a Walmart bag on a branch across the meadow. No, that’s a hawk. I stopped the truck, cross-wise to the little road, and got the binoculars on it. A Barred Owl was staring right back at me. I rolled down the window and took a few photos as it sat perched there, watching the ground for lunch and every so often casting a glance my way. I was quite a distance out but got some decent shots of a neat bird. Pretty uncommon to see one in broad daylight but it’s the first good lunch day we’ve had in a while.
A Barred Owl in Moretown, VT. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. Settings: 1/125ƒ/6.5ISO 800215 mm
Back in December, I set some goals for a County Big Year. My species goal for January was an optimistic thirty-five. Well, the Barred Owl brings me to 34 with day to go. No big deal one way or the other, but it’s a nice start to the year’s count.
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As I noted in a blog post in October, I love Brown Creepers. However, I haven’t seen any since that day in October and while I know they are in our woods, I’ve dipped on them.
They were one of the 35 species on my County target list for January. They’re tough to spot, being really small and blending in with the tree trunks. We’ve had a lot of very cold temperatures with wind so their calls may have been masked by the woods noises. They remained the only bird I hope to see in our woods until today. It’s been tough birding, temperature aside, with the snowy trail very rough from the times I walked it when the snow was warmer — now it demands attention to the trail, not the trees. So I know I’ve probably walked right by Brown Creepers.
This afternoon, it was sunny but windy with a wind chill down around zero. I took the dog out and noted that there were many Chickadees active in the pines — more so than usual. Then, just several hundred yards from the house, I saw movement on a big white pine tree trunk and Bingo, there’s the little creeper. I wanted to get a photo (I’m trying to record each of my County birds) so I dropped my mittens, hauled my camera out of the parka, and in doing so lost the bird. They are tough to see. Then, I heard it call from another tree and then it flew to the next. I followed it down into the woods, trying to get it in the camera. They blend so well and are constantly moving — and my bare hands, already aching from the cold, fumbled with the camera controls. But I got a couple of shots for the record — and got back to my mittens and their “hotties.”
A Brown Creeper working up the trunk of one of our White Pines. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 1/100ƒ/5.6ISO 64059.4 mm
It then took the rest of the walk to thaw out my fingers. I heard a woodpecker working away and just ahead, this male Hairy was going after an afternoon snack.
A male Hairy Woodpecker Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 1/160ƒ/6.5ISO 250215 mm
Now, the task is to find a Golden Crown Kinglet. Again, I know we have them and that I’ll see them later in the year but it would be great to spot on before January ends. They’re small, flitty, and their call is even higher pitched than the Brown Creeper. So, that’s tomorrow’s target bird.
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We awoke to more new snow and a stiff Northwest wind, and a forecast for even colder temperatures. It stays dark until about 7:00 AM but sure enough, at 7:05 the first Black-capped Chickadee visited with window feeder. Right after that, a Common Redpoll came to the thistle seed feeder and then the parade of hungry birds started.
Our first bird of 2013 was a Black-capped Chickadee. photo by Mac Mansfield.
Shortly afterwards, I took our Vizsla out on a cold birding snowshoe outing but most of the birds still around were back at the house chowing down. We then went out and birded for an hour at North Branch Nature Center and got a lot of exercise but few birds.
I had figured that there were about 15 species here in the County this month. When I returned home, the feeders were alive with redpolls and after studying them for some time, I spotted a Hoary Redpoll right next to a Common Redpoll. By noontime, I had logged the following birds:
American Crow
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Dark-eyed Junco
It was a good first day. Tomorrow’s temperature is supposed to be even colder. Is is OK if I crank up the wood fire and hope for a Downy Woodpecker and a Brown Creeper at the feeders?
