Greetings Everyone!
 
We too attempted our Birdathon last week; started on Thursday afternoon to beat the rain and then braved the deluge on bikes on Friday to complete our circuit of the Richmond/Huntington area. All I can say...it was a cold, wet day for hard core birders!
 
We had some beautiful looks on Thursday at a MAGNOLIA WARBLER, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, INDIGO BUNTING and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in an flowering apple tree near the intern house at the Center. Incredible cacophony of color in one tree! And then!!! We found two CAPE MAY WARBLERS working the spruce trees in the yard as well. A life bird for a few of us and probably the highlight of Birdathon. Which may have been rivaled the next morning at Birds of Vermont Museum where we had a YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, another lifer for some of us. And then...well, you all know it poured. We had nine birds added to our list during the downpour...which will forever be known as the "wet-birds" of 2006. We then retired to a warm house to beat off hypothermia and watch backyard birds for a while. Probably the most interesting Birdathon I've been on yet in terms of weather!
 
I've included our eBird checklists for the Green Mountain Audubon Center & Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington and then added a few others and our final list of "wet-birds". Thanks to everyone who sponsored us with our wet total of 79 birds!
 
Location: Green Mountain Audubon Center    Observation date: 5/18/06   Notes: Audubon Vermont Birdathon 2006; started a day early to take advantage of break in rainy weather.

Number of species: 51

Canada Goose X

Turkey Vulture X

Broad-winged Hawk X

Spotted Sandpiper X

Mourning Dove X

Ruby-throated Hummingbird X

Belted Kingfisher X

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X

Hairy Woodpecker X

Northern Flicker X

Pileated Woodpecker X

Least Flycatcher X

Eastern Phoebe X

Great Crested Flycatcher X

Eastern Kingbird X

Blue-headed Vireo X

Red-eyed Vireo X

Blue Jay X

American Crow X

Common Raven X

Tree Swallow X

Barn Swallow X

Black-capped Chickadee X

Veery X

Hermit Thrush X

American Robin X

Gray Catbird X

Nashville Warbler X

Yellow Warbler X

Chestnut-sided Warbler X

Magnolia Warbler X

Cape May Warbler X

Black-throated Blue Warbler X

Yellow-rumped Warbler X

Black-throated Green Warbler X

Blackburnian Warbler X

Ovenbird X

Northern Waterthrush X

Common Yellowthroat X

Scarlet Tanager X

Chipping Sparrow X

Song Sparrow X

White-throated Sparrow X

Dark-eyed Junco X

Northern Cardinal X

Indigo Bunting X

Red-winged Blackbird X

Common Grackle X

Brown-headed Cowbird X

Baltimore Oriole X

American Goldfinch X

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Location: Birds of Vermont Museum - Huntington  Observation date: 5/19/06  Notes: Second round of Birdathon; only species not seen on GMAC property. Pick up YBFL!

Number of species: 11

Mallard X

Ruffed Grouse X

American Woodcock X

Downy Woodpecker X

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher X

Tufted Titmouse X

House Wren X

Eastern Bluebird X

Northern Parula X

Black-and-white Warbler X

Evening Grosbeak X

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Others seen at GMAC on Friday, 5/19

Wood Thrush, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Redstart, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren

The "Wet-birds" on Friday, 5/19 from Huntington to Richmond

Wood Duck, Swamp Sparrow, European Starling, Rock Dove, House Sparrow, Bobolink, Purple Finch, Common Merganser, Warbling Vireo, Savannah Sparrow, House Finch

Bridget Butler 
Audubon Vermont 
Conservation Education Coordinator 
www.vt.audubon.org 
W: 802-434-3068 
Fax: 802-434-4686