*Vermont *Statewide *09/26/03 *VTVT0309.26 This is the Vermont bird report for Friday, September 19, 2003. A Wilson's Storm Petrel was observed flying south past the west shore of Grand Isle on Sept. 20. A second sighting the following day of presumably the same bird was reported off Charlotte Town Beach heading NNW. Another group of birders had the pleasure of seeing a Pomarine Jaeger Saturday morning, Sept. 20th. The light-phase adult flew to within 200-300 yards of shore, affording great views of such details as thetwisted central tail feathers. It flew slowly and close to the wateruntil well past us, then accelerated strongly, rose ~15 feet executed acouple of acrobatic twists and settled on the surface. Also present were twelve White-winged Scoters (in a single group) and a late-season Black Tern. 2 Red-necked Phalaropes were moving south past Charlotte Town Beach Monday, Sept 22 before they lost themselves in the haze. Also an impressive number of Monarch butterflies were moving south over open water. On Sept 21 on the west shore of Grand Isle: 12 Common Loons, 1 Snow Goose, 400 Canada Geese, and of smaller stature - 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird. On 24th: 1 Red-Breasted Merganser, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Coopers Hawk, 1 Osprey, 1 imm. Northern Harrier as well as other species such as Cedar Waxwing, Carolina Wren, Warbling Vireo and others. On Mt. Philo the same day: 51 broad-winged hawks were seen along with 4 sharp-shinned hawks, 1 red-shouldered hawk, 1 northern harrier, and 18 turkey vultures. 1 almost mature bald eagle with no particular flight plan was seen as well as 5 red-tailed hawks. At Dead Creek Brilyea access: 6 lesser yellowlegs, 2 least sandpipers, 1 Greater yellowlegs, 1 white-rumped sandpiper, 2 stilt sandpipers, 1 short-billed dowitcher, 6 killdeer, 6 semi-palmated plovers, 5 pectoral sandpiper, 1 great egret, and 11 great blue herons. A peregrine falcon raised the shorebirds and a northern harrier was seen hunting. On Monday, Sept 22nd on the Moose Bog trail in Ferdinand - male SPRUCE GROUSE, perched in a tree right beside the trail for birders. On Sunday morning Sept. 21 on Stratton Mountain Bicknells Thrushes were heard softly calling and singing throughout the early hours of the morning. Bicknells are known to become vocal from mid-Sept. until departure in first week of October. Also observed were Blackpoll warbler, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Myrtle Warbler, Swainsons Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Black-throated Blue warbler, Northern Raven, Northern Flicker, and American Robins. Perhaps most impressive of all were the flocks of migrating Blue Jays descending upon the forest of the Lye-Brook Wilderness Area. In the Upper Valley at the Union dam on Sept. 23rd noteworthy birds included, 1 American Bittern, 2 Eastern Phoebe, 43 Cedar waxwings, 8 Blue-headed Vireos, 1 Red-eyed vireo, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 2 Chesnut-sided warblers, 3 Magnolia warblers, 3 Yellow rump,3 Black-throated Green, 1 Palm Warbler, 2 Mourning Warblers, 10 Com Yellowthroats, 1 Scarlet Tanager, 1 Eastern Towhee, 5 Song Sparrows, 4 Lincoln Sparrows, 3 Swamp Sparrows, 33 White throated Sparrows and 1 Swainsons Thrush. Many have reported small numbers of warblers including Blackpoll, Mourning, Chestnut-sided, Common Yellowthroat, Myrtle, Palm, Nashville, Magnolia, Black-throated Green and Blue, but no major fallouts. Keep your fingers crossed for the upcoming week! This message is also available by phone recording: call 802-457-1053 and press 3. This will put you into a menu where you will be directed to press 5 to hear the RBA. If you have any interesting birds to report, you can leave a message by pressing 6, or you can send your sightings to the RBA via e-mail at: [log in to unmask] Kent McFarland, Chris Rimmer, Roz Renfrew VT RBA Compilers