Boogie On Birdy Woman…

Wonderful walk this morning with the Enosburgh Conservation Commission up in northern Vermont. I got to do the Life Bird Boogie for the second time this spring for a Bay-breasted Warbler this time. (Photo by Dan Pancamo, not the individual we saw)

Here’s our eBird list for the walk…not too shabby for a overcast morning with showers!

East Berkshire, Franklin County, VT, US, Franklin, US-VT
May 13, 2012 7:00 AM - 10:10 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Landowner’s property to do a bird walk related to forest bird management.
42 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  X
Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)  X
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)  X
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  X
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  X
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)  X
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  X
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)  X
Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)  X
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  X
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  X
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  X
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  X
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  X
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  X
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  X
Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)  X
Veery (Catharus fuscescens)  X
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)  X
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  X
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)  X
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  X
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  X
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)  X
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)  X
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea)  X
Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca)  X
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  X
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)  X
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)  X
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)  X
Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)  1     Heard not seen. Correct habitat, mixed forest with swamp-like, wet hummock-y area
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  X
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  X
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  X
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)  1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)  3
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  X
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  X
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org/vt)

My next walk is this weekend at the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge in Swanton, VT for International Migratory Bird Day. Hope you’ll join me. If you get a Lifer…I’ll teach ya how to boogie. 

A Wren & A Moorhen

Marsh Wren

We had a Marsh Wren on this months walk at the Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge just like this one. Got to see it up close at just about 5 feet away singing his heart out, incredible! Other highlights were the Common Moorhen and the fact that my ears still recognized Blackpoll, Tennessee and Nashville warblers. A great walk!

Here’s our eBird report:

Location: Missisquoi NWR—Stephen Young Marsh
Observation date: 5/21/11
Notes: Monthly bird monitoring walk; 7 participants.
Number of species: 49

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 9
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 5
Ruffed Grouse - Bonasa umbellus 1 heard only
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 2 flyover
Osprey - Pandion haliaetus 3 flyover
Common Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus 1 first of year; new on list
Wilson’s Snipe - Gallinago delicata 1 heard only
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Sphyrapicus varius 1
Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 2 heard only
Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus 1 heard only
Willow Flycatcher - Empidonax traillii 1 heard only
Least Flycatcher - Empidonax minimus 2
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Great Crested Flycatcher - Myiarchus crinitus 1 heard only
Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus 1
Warbling Vireo - Vireo gilvus 1 heard only
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus 1 heard only
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 7 flyover
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 50
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 5
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 2
Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 1 heard only
Marsh Wren - Cistothorus palustris 2 nice views! new on list
Veery - Catharus fuscescens 3
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 4 heard only
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 1
Tennessee Warbler - Oreothlypis peregrina 1 new on list
Nashville Warbler - Oreothlypis ruficapilla 1 new on list
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia 10
Magnolia Warbler - Dendroica magnolia 2 heard only
Black-throated Green Warbler - Dendroica virens 3 heard only
Blackpoll Warbler - Dendroica striata 3 heard only
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 2 heard only
Ovenbird - Seiurus aurocapilla 3 heard only
Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis 3 heard only
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 12
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 1 heard only
Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana 5
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis 1 heard only
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Pheucticus ludovicianus 2
Bobolink - Dolichonyx oryzivorus 3
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 50
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 4
Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater 2
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula 3
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt)

Monthly Bird Walk at Missisquoi

This is how Russ enjoys birding on the Stephen Young Marsh Trail. This morning was bright and gorgeous, a bit chilly and the birds were sparse. We had a total of 5 species, but a lovely little flock of 20+ American Tree Sparrows.

We also found this:

Which we think is a muskrat jaw bone. Russ actually took it home to try and clinch the id. I’m going with muskrat, my second guess was rabbit. Not much else left in the area to solve the mystery but some body fat…ewwwww. (See the milky blobs in the upper right corner of the photo below.)

Photo by Marshall Faintich First of the season Fox Sparrows spotted on this weekend’s monthly bird walk at the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge in Swanton, VT. Bummer you didn’t join me…turns out only Ken, the other walk leader and I showed up! The heavy rains on Friday from the N’oreaster kept people away but not the sparrows. Here’s the eBird report: Due to the soggy weather, we had just 2 observers on Saturday's walk. We found 16 species and a total of 318 individual birds. New species added to the list this month were Yellow-rumped Warbler and Fox Sparrow. After 8 months of bird monitoring walks, 90 participants have observed 85 species and 1497 individual birds. Location: MNWR-Old Railroad Passage Observation date: 10/16/10  Canada Goose 12 flyover Northern Harrier 1 flyover Ring-billed Gull 100 flyover; one large, loose flock Mourning Dove 2 Blue Jay 4 American Crow 3 Black-capped Chickadee 8 House Wren 1 American Robin 6 European Starling 80 Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Fox Sparrow 2 Song Sparrow 3 White-throated Sparrow 3 White-crowned Sparrow 2 Red-winged Blackbird 90 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt)
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Photo by Marshall Faintich

First of the season Fox Sparrows spotted on this weekend’s monthly bird walk at the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge in Swanton, VT. Bummer you didn’t join me…turns out only Ken, the other walk leader and I showed up! The heavy rains on Friday from the N’oreaster kept people away but not the sparrows. Here’s the eBird report:


Due to the soggy weather, we had just 2 observers on Saturday's walk.  We
found 16 species and a total of 318 individual birds.  New species added to
the list this month were Yellow-rumped Warbler and Fox Sparrow.  After 8
months of bird monitoring walks, 90 participants have observed 85 species
and 1497 individual birds. 

Location:     MNWR-Old Railroad Passage
Observation date:     10/16/10  

Canada Goose     12     flyover
Northern Harrier     1     flyover
Ring-billed Gull     100     flyover; one large, loose flock
Mourning Dove     2
Blue Jay     4
American Crow     3
Black-capped Chickadee     8
House Wren     1
American Robin     6
European Starling     80
Yellow-rumped Warbler     1
Fox Sparrow     2
Song Sparrow     3
White-throated Sparrow     3
White-crowned Sparrow     2
Red-winged Blackbird     90

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt)

September at Missisquoi

Saturday was our monthly bird monitoring walk at the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge in Swanton, VT. As Friends of the MNWR, Ken Coppenhaver & I started these walks back in March. We rotate trails every month and this month we were at the Stephen Young Marsh on Tabor Road.

New species added to the list this month were Common Merganser, Wilson’s Snipe, Canada Warbler, and Blackburnian Warbler.  After 7 months of bird monitoring walks, 88 participants have observed 83 species and 1179 individual birds.


Here’s our report to eBird:

Location:     MNWR - Stephen Young Marsh
Observation date:     9/18/10
Notes:     Monthly Bird Monitoring Walk.  Walked clockwise around trail (usually walk counter-clockwise).
Number of species:     23

Canada Goose     11     flyover
Mallard     10     flyover
Common Merganser     1     flyover
Ruffed Grouse     1     flushed
Great Blue Heron     1     flyover
Wilson’s Snipe     2     flyover
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     3
Pileated Woodpecker     2
Eastern Phoebe     2
Blue Jay     4
American Crow     7
Black-capped Chickadee     10
American Robin     2
European Starling     44
Chestnut-sided Warbler     1     heard only
Blackburnian Warbler     1     probable
Common Yellowthroat     3
Canada Warbler     1
Song Sparrow     2
Swamp Sparrow     1     heard only
White-throated Sparrow     1
Red-winged Blackbird     115

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt)