I had an E. Wood-Pewee sing several times at our house in Norwich last
evening.
On Monday, the VCE team did its annual hike-bike Birdathon,
starting from the GMC hut on Pico Peak at dawn, hiking 0.5 mile up to
the summit, then down to Sherburne Pass on Rt. 4, where we jumped on our
bikes and pedaled 37 miles over hill and dale to So. Royalton. I don't
think we could have picked a more challenging day birdingwise, and our
paltry total of 87 species reflected the cool, windy, wet weather. We
had it all - rime ice on Pico's summit, snow and sleet at various times,
spitting rain almost the entire day, several tantalizing but very brief
appearances of sun, and a steady chilling north wind. Bird vocal
activity was low, and we didn't encounter a single bona fide passage
migrant. However, we spent an entire day outdoors, got plenty of
exercise, had our share of laughs, and managed a few good birds.
Highlights were a reticent Bicknell's Thrush on Pico (but no Blackpoll
Warblers there or anywhere else), a pair of Common Loons on Kent Pond, a
fantastic look at an American Bittern in the Killington wetlands, a pair
of nesting kestrels in Stockbridge, a Broad-winged Hawk carrying a snake
(or very flimsy twig), and a tight group of 5 male Bobolinks at close
range in a Royalton hayfield.
Chris
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Chris Rimmer
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
P.O. Box 420
Norwich, VT 05055
802-649-1431 ext. 1
www.vtecostudies.org
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****************
Chris Rimmer
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
P.O. Box 420
Norwich, VT 05055
802-649-1431 ext. 1
www.vtecostudies.org
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