Diario de jgordon

On Sunday, March 27th at 10am, it was about 35ºF outside, sunny and slightly breezy at Derway Island in Burlington, VT. The morning started along the wetland, with a view of a 2 male and 1 female Wood Ducks in on the water in between two trees. I was quiet and kept my distance, as to not scare these timid birds away. As I entered the forested area, there was an overwhelming surplus of bird calls and songs. It was relatively hard to identify individuals within the mix. I was able to pick out vocalizations from a Red-winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow, Woodpecker(Downy or Hairy), American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Common Grackle, and a White-breasted Nuthatch. I then heard an American Goldfinch, and about 4 or 5 came into site. As I walked further into the woods, I saw a Hairy Woodpecker pecking on a pine tree limb. I saw a duck (species unknown) flying overhead. An American Robin flew on a thin vine-like tree limb, and started singing. Robin songs were heard frequently throughout the morning. A Downy Woodpecker was spotted on a Boxelder by the shore of the river. I listened some more and heard the "peter" song of a Tufted Titmouse, the song of a Black-capped Chickadee, the drumming of a woodpecker in the distance, and a Brown Creeper song. I heard a Pileated Woodpecker's "wuk wuk" from afar. As I was looking out onto the river, a Song Sparrow approached roughly 10 feet away. I was able to identify its song with the notable 3 introductory notes, followed by some variation in tone and frequency. I then saw 2 Red-tailed Hawks flying overhead, circling above the river. I heard the repetitive song of a Dark-eyed Junco, but never visually located it. As I was leaving the forest, I came across a Bohemian Waxwing on a tree branch, noted for its grey/rusty plumage. Finally, I saw a woodpecker which didn't look like any of the familiar Downy, Hairy or Pileated. I got a closer look and noticed a red head, a black and white checkered wing pattern, and a body shape and size similar to the Hairy Woodpecker- it turned out to be a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Overall, a very exciting morning of bird watching with many new species appearing as spring starts to come.

I participated in the WFB 130 bird walk on Thursday, 4/14. The morning started at 7:30am, when we went to the parking lot outside Jeffords to observe a large flock of Bohemian Waxwings (and maybe some Cedar Waxwings). Many of them were flying on an off a tree, foraging for the fruit. A large flock was drinking from a muddy water puddle in the parking lot, and flew off every time a car drove by.

We then went to the boat ramp at Shelburne Bay. We were greeted by the songs of the Song Sparrow and Red-winged Blackbird. We saw an Eastern Phoebe, an early spring insectivore migrant, perched on a tree. Out on Lake Champlain, we observed several Ring-billed Gulls, Buffleheads, Common Mergansers, and Double Crested Cormorants. The Buffleheads and Common Mergansers kept a good distance from the shore. Just north of the boat ramp, we saw a few Tree Swallows with their distinctive "fluttering" flight pattern low to the ground/water surface, probably foraging for insects. A Turkey Vulture was seen in flight, identified from the white on the underside of the wings and the v-shaped wing span.

We crossed the road and headed over to the wetland adjacent to the La Platte River. A few American Goldfinches were perched on a tree and calling at the trail entrance. We could identify their notable "po-ta-to-chip" sound within their call. We spotted a male Wood Duck near the river, with its clown-like plumage. We walked further into the trail and stopped to listen for a few minutes. I could identify a Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Downy Woodpecker, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, and Black-capped Chickadee by their vocalizations. I also heard two unfamiliar calls, which ended up being the shrill call of a Red Bellied Woodpecker and the loud rattle of the Northern Flicker. I was also able to locate a Downy Woodpecker foraging on a tree. A Red-tailed Hawk and some Canada Geese were also visible from across the river.