Add to Terry's list of Birds encountered yesterday at Brilyea:
11 GREAT EGRETS (most I've seen in Vermont at one time. These birds were
gathered en masse south of the parking area when I first arrived and then
moved en masse to the edge of the mudflats.)
Flock of 40 D-C CORMORANT (flyby)
MERLIN and NO. HARRIER harrying the shorebird flocks.
1 SOLITARY SANDPIPER
6 total PECTORAL SANDPIPER

Overall, as Terry indicated in his post, we had a banner shorebirding day
yesterday at Dead Creek. I spent 2 1/2 hours in one spot working over the
congregation and being entertained by all the activity!
Greg
VErgennes


On 8/19/07, Kinglet <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> May I ask where the "first parking lot" is?  I only know of one and that
> is
> just before the bridge over which you can drive.  Is this where you mean?
> Do you then walk down the trail past the barred gate to the mudflats on
> your
> left?  Sorry but I'm not too familiar...
> Mona Bearor
> So. Glens Falls, NY
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Terry Wright" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2007 7:57 PM
> Subject: [VTBIRD] Dead Creek/Brilyea Access Today
>
>
> : Acting on a call from Greg Askew, Dwight Cargill & I spent some mid-day
> : hours at Dead Creek, watching shore birds.  Greg had spotted Western
> : (saturday) and White-rumped sandpipers, as well as a Red-necked
> Phalarope.
> :
> : Conditions were excellent today with nary a breeze and clearing skies.
> : Biting insects were virtually absent.  The flats approximately 1/4 mile
> : past the first parking lot were wide open with low water levels.
> : Hundreds of shore birds were present, with good species diversity.
> : In no particular order, the following shore birds species were observed:
> :
> : 50+ Least Sandpiper
> : 20+ Semipalmated Sandpiper
> : 15+  Killdeer
> : 3 Semipalmated plover
> : 1 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER
> : 1 WESTERN SANDPIPER
> : 1 RED-NECKED PHALAROPE
> : 10 Greater Yellow-legs
> : 20 Lesser Yellow-legs
> : 3 Spotted Sandpiper
> : 3 Pectoral Sandpiper
> :
> : There were also large numbers (20+) of Great Blue Herons and American
> : Robins (flock of over 80 birds), Green Heron, Baltimore Oriole (one
> : flock of 12 birds), and a good showing of raptors (Bald Eagle, N.
> : Harrier, Osprey), along with many more mundane species.
> :
> : In short, the action is getting good at Dead Creek!
> :
>