Sue: I stopped at Elm Street on my way home from the marsh walk. The mergansers were there, at least 3 of them were, and this time they didn't fly away, so I got a good look at them. They are common mergansers; I made sure to note the white under the chins of the females. There were 2 females and 1 male. On Friday, I went there, also, and spotted a solitary sandpiper on a log in the creek. He stayed there for awhile and then flew to another log, so I got a good look at the white on his tail when he flew. I didn't hear the gnatcatchers on Thursday, but they were there on Friday. Lots of fun.
Marsha.> Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 13:07:01 -0700> From: [log in to unmask]> Subject: [VTBIRD] West Rutland Marsh - May 15> To: [log in to unmask]> > Despite the overcast conditions, West Rutland> Marsh was at its spring best today with eight> participants tallying 64 species (compared with> 68 one year ago). > > Highlights today included an American Bittern> flying directly overhead, a Black-billed Cuckoo> and a Blue-winged Warbler. Solitary Sandpiper,> Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, not usually> observed, were also counted. An Eastern Kingbird> and a female Baltimore Oriole were each observed> carrying nesting material.> > 6 Canada Goose > 2 Wood Duck > 5 Mallard > 2 Ruffed Grouse > 3 American Bittern > 1 Red-tailed Hawk > 4 Virginia Rail > 1 Solitary Sandpiper > 2 Wilson's Snipe > 1 Rock Pigeon > 14 Mourning Dove > 1 Black-billed Cuckoo > 6 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker > 3 Downy Woodpecker > 2 Northern Flicker > 1 Pileated Woodpecker > 1 Alder Flycatcher > 1 Least Flycatcher > 5 Eastern Phoebe > 1 Great Crested Flycatcher > 12 Eastern Kingbird > 7 Warbling Vireo > 1 Red-eyed Vireo > 10 Blue Jay > 12 American Crow > 2 Common Raven > 17 Tree Swallow > 8 Barn Swallow > 10 Black-capped Chickadee > 3 Tufted Titmouse > 7 House Wren > 1 Winter Wren > 10 Marsh Wren > 2 Veery > 2 Wood Thrush > 14 American Robin > 13 Gray Catbird > 1 Brown Thrasher > 4 European Starling > 1 Blue-winged Warbler > 23 Yellow Warbler > 7 Chestnut-sided Warbler > 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler > 2 Black-throated Green Warbler > 5 Black-and-white Warbler > 5 Ovenbird > 21 Common Yellowthroat > 2 Scarlet Tanager > 1 Eastern Towhee > 2 Chipping Sparrow > 1 Savannah Sparrow > 14 Song Sparrow > 11 Swamp Sparrow > 2 White-throated Sparrow > 5 Northern Cardinal > 5 Rose-breasted Grosbeak > 49 Red-winged Blackbird > 11 Common Grackle > 3 Brown-headed Cowbird > 11 Baltimore Oriole > 2 Purple Finch > 1 House Finch > 36 American Goldfinch > 8 House Sparrow > > The next marsh monitoring walk is scheduled for> Saturday, June 21, 7 a.m.> > Rutland County Audubon's annual Century Count is> scheduled for Saturday, May 31, 6 a.m.> > Sue Elliott> http://www.rutlandcountyaudubon.org> > > > > >
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