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VTBIRD for Saturday, January 12, 2002
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Subject: Posting from Jim Osborne - Update on waterfowl, etc. along
the lake and Red-bellied Woodpecker
From: Wayne Scott <wsscottnh(AT)earthlink.net>
Date: 12 Jan 2002 3:23pm
> As of 3:30 PM today the 4 Tundra Swans that WERE at Sand Bar and the 11
> Tundra Swans that WERE at the south end of Shelburne Bay ARE NO LONGER in
> these two areas. Where they are is anyone's guess. I will let you know if
> they resurface somewhere else. The SNOWY OWL hasn't been seen in two days at
> the Sand Bar causeway. According to the "locals" the bird WAS there on
> Wednesday, January 9th. I didn't see it that day but several others did. The
> "white" gulls have disappeared from the landscape up here. I have been
> looking at every gull I find with no luck. BONUS: There was a small flock of
> BONAPARTE'S GULLS in Town Farm Bay yesterday (1/10). There were at least 16
> birds in the group.
>
> Some highlights from 1/11/02:
>
> The major highlight of the day was a high-plumaged male RED-BELLIED
> WOODPECKER on Greenbush Avenue in Charlotte. The bird was with a female
> Hairy, male Downy, 50+ House Finches, 45+ Common Redpolls, and a male
> Eastern Bluebird. All of these birds were feeding along the road in the long
> stretch just north of Ferry Road (F5). It was quite a sight. The RED-BELLIED
> was quite noisy which made it easy to locate.
>
> At Shelburne Bay Boat Launch there is still 1 pair of Barrow's Goldeneye's
> in with over 100 Common's. Other notable birds here included a Common Loon,
> 1 female Hooded Merganser, and 6 Eastern Bluebirds.
>
> At Sand Bar WMA in Milton the waterfowl numbers are starting to diminish.
> The ice situation continues to change the birding landscape. The big SCAUP
> flock continues at the edge of the ice on the south side of the causeway.
> The AMERICAN WIGEONS are still in this flock. Several (3) Northern Pintails
> were in with the Mallards and Black Ducks on the north side of the causeway.
> Inside the State Park there was a large flock of American Tree Sparrows (at
> least 50) which were feeding with 24 Common Redpolls in the weedy grasses.
> An adult "light-morph" Rough-legged Hawk was in the WMA behind the large
> hedgerow on the edge of the parking lot. No other large raptors this
> afternoon.
>
> At Charlotte Town Beach there were 5 Common Loons, 14 Horned Grebes, 1 Drake
> WOOD DUCK, several Mallards, a few American Black Ducks, about 70 Common
> Goldeneye's, 8 Buffleheads, and 3 male Common Mergansers.
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Barred Owl
From: GeorgeLisi(AT)cs.com
Date: 12 Jan 2002 6:57pm
I was driving home along the Ripton Road when a Barred Owl hove into
view, meditating on the purlieu of the forest. I stopped the car, lowered
the window, and was instantly wrapped into the wideness and stillness by the
eloquence of it's presence. The deep quiet of days end only emphasized by a
slight stirring of wind. Trees, bird, snow. The mountains themselves hoving
across the valley and the full impact of owl eyes trained on me from about 50
feet.
George Lisi, Lincoln
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Subject: Regarding Silas Miller's Comments About Mobbing
From: Michele Patenaude <michelep(AT)sover.net>
Date: 12 Jan 2002 7:55pm
I just returned from my first trip to south Florida. In Everglades
National Park I watched a crow mob a flying black vulture for several
minutes. I hate to be guilty of anthropomorphism, but I think the crow
did it for primarily for entertainment reasons.
--
Michele Patenaude
409 Dalton Drive, Unit E
Colchester, VT 05446
Phone: (802) 655-3370 E-mail: michelep(AT)sover.net
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: very odd year
From: Maevulus(AT)aol.com
Date: 12 Jan 2002 8:13pm
Today I saw a kestrel near the Dead Creek goose viewing area and a flicker
near Button Bay - the latest I've ever seen these species.
Also - in a flock of mallards seen from the TriTown Water Treatment Plant
grounds, there was one duck with a very pale tan body, evenly brown head
(longish neck and elegant head, like a pintail) with possibly a small light
section between bill and head, and red-orange legs. It was the size of or
perhaps a bit larger than the mallards. Are there any possible
identifications other than a domesticated duck taking a swim on the wild side?
Maeve Kim
Jericho Center
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: brighteners for a gray morning
From: Oldfossil(AT)webtv.net (Sherry Mahady)
Date: 12 Jan 2002 10:24pm
Five Robins flew back and forth between 2 trees in a wooded area behind
my house for quite a while this morning. Since I've never seen Robins
in Essex Jct. in January, this was a special treat.
A short time later I was in my car when an adult male Pileated
Woodpecker landed in a tree by the side of the road, just above eye
level. He clung to tiny twigs as he gobbled berries, and seemed not at
all concerned that an idling vehicle was stopped within a few feet of
him. It was interesting to see him try to use his tail for balance, as
he would when pecking on a tree. But the twigs just bent under the
pressure of the tail feathers, and he was left swinging in the breeze.
That didn't stop him from eating his breakfast, however. :-)
After these two events, the day seemed a little less gloomy.
Are more Robins staying year-round in northern VT in recent years, or is
this just a part of the very odd year mentioned by Maeve Kim in a
previous post? I heard a couple of years ago that a few Robins wintered
in the Champlain Islands in evergreen stands, but wasn't aware that they
could be found elsewhere in the northern part of the state.
Sherry
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