Holly Hungerford, Roxanne Bogart and I had a delightful two-day jaunt in the
Northeast Kingdom this weekend, birding at Moose Bog and Victory WMA and
doing some side birding at the inns where we stayed on Lake Willoughby and
East Burke.

We didn't hit the proverbial grand slam, but we did get a double with the
immense pleasure of seeing both Black-Backed Woodpecker and Gray Jay at
Moose Bog on Saturday morning, 6/4.

In addition, we saw or heard the following at Moose Bog:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Blue Jay
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Winter Wren
American Robin
Veery
Wood Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Black-capped Chickadee
American Goldfinch
Red-eyed Vireo
Blackburnian Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Willow Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird
American Crow
Osprey (flying over the field at the airport a few miles outside of Island
Pond)

We also enjoyed gorgeous rhodora and painted trillium, laurel just starting
to bloom, and pitcher plants in the bog. Another highlight was a common loon
diving on Lake Willoughby in early evening and calling through the night.

We had a wonderful day at Victory WMA yesterday morning, 6/5.  No purely
boreal species, but an incredible variety of other birds-- and in
particular, flycatchers of all types were out in force.  The day's species
included:

Common Snipe (both heard and seen in flight)
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Tree Swallow
Blue Jay
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Phoebe
Black-capped Chickadee
White-throated Sparrow
Cedar Waxwing
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Raven
American Robin
Catbird
Hermit Thrush
Veery
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
White-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Flicker
Golden-crowned Kinglet

At the Inn at Mountain View Farm in East Burke, we enjoyed the view of a
kingbird nest high in an old maple, very active winnowing snipe and woodcock
in the fields at dusk, red-eyed vireo singing away, and an American Kestrel,
among others.

All in all, a fabulous first trip to these incredible areas for all three of
us.

Miriam Lawrence
Monkton