*Vermont
*Statewide
*9/10/04
*VTVT0403.06
This is the Vermont bird report for Friday, September 3, 2004 covering the
period September 3 - September 10, 2004.
Shorebirds aren't usually the first sightings
mentioned in this report, but this week's shorebird activity has no place
but at the top of the list! On September 9th, a spectacular fallout
occurred, and Vermont birders were there to document it. In the vicinity of
Alburg, Swanton and St. Albans, the following birds were seen: 1
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, 101 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, 170+SEMIPALMATED
PLOVERS, 137 KILLDEER, 19 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 33 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 3
SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, 43 HUDSONIAN GODWITS, 1 RUDDY TURNSTONE, 254
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 582+ LEAST SANDPIPERS, 43 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS,
1 BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, 1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER, 1 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, 42
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, 3 WILSON'S SNIPE.
This week Pompy Flats had SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, KILLDEER ,
LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, a SPOTTED SANDPIPER, LEAST
SANDPIPERS, a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and WILSON'S SNIPE. A WHIMBREL was sighted
in a field just off Gage Road near Dead Creek W.M.A. on September 6th .
Ten PIED-BILLED GREBES were sighted at the Brilyea Access at
Dead Creek on September 4th, and one was seen in South Bay in Newport, on
the 6th.
On September 5th at least 200 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS were
seen in Button Bay.
A GREAT EGRET was spotted in Essex on the 5th of September.
Eight TURKEY VULTURES were seen flying south between Dead Creek and Bristol
on September 6th.
One lone SNOW GOOSE among a flock of CANADA GEESE was seen at
the Viewing Area at Dead Creek on September 4th. CANADA GEESE numbers are
building, with 95 seen on Grand Isle on the 3rd, 55 at Pompy Flats on the
6th and 106 in Danby on the 7th. Ten WOOD DUCKS were present at Leffert's
Pond on the 5th of September. AMERICAN BLACK DUCKS, MALLARDS and
GREEN-WINGED TEAL were seen at both Dead Creek as well as Pompy Flats this
week. AMERICAN WIGEON, BLUE-WINGED TEAL and RING-NECKED DUCKS were also
sighted at Dead Creek on the 4th of September.
An OSPREY was sighted flying by the river along Silk Road in
Bennington on September 4th. Another OSPREY was seen at Otter Creek as well
as in Essex on the 5th, and one was observed being harassed by a PEREGRINE
FALCON as they headed south over Mt. Mansfield. Four immature BALD EAGLES
plus an adult were seen near Shelburne Pond last week. On September 3rd a
BALD EAGLE was seen at Island Pond and as well as flying over the raptor
cages at the VINS Nature Center in Quechee. On the 9th three eagles were
seen at Dead Creek. A NORTHERN HARRIER was seen in Essex on the 5th of
September, on the 7th in Grand Isle, and two were seen at Dead Creek on the
5th. Several COOPER'S HAWKS and BROAD-WINGED HAWKS heading south have been
seen this week A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was seen at Dead Creek on the 9th of
September. A MERLIN was sighted on September 3rd on Grand Isle, and two
were seen amidst all the shorebirds in the Alburg/Swanton/St. Albans area on
the 9th. Three PEREGRINE FALCONS were sighted flying south over Thetford on
the 10th of September, and one was investigating all the shorebirds in
northwestern Vermont on the 9th.
Three immature COMMON MOORHENS were at Brilyea Access on the 5th
of September, and two adults and one immature were on Richville Pond in
Middlebury that day as well. One AMERICAN COOT was spotted at Dead Creek on
the 4th of September.
A BICKNELL'S THRUSH was seen off South America Pond Road in
Island Pond on the 3rd of September.
On September 5th many warblers were seen on Ward's Hill in
Duxbury, including 1 NASHVILLE WARBLER, 3 CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLERS, 12
MAGNOLIA WARBLERS, 8 BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS,1 BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, 3
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, 3 AMERICAN REDSTARTS, 2 WILSON'S WARBLERS and 15
COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. Leffert's Pond produced many warblers on this day as
well, including MAGNOLIA WARBLERS, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS,
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLERS, BLACKBURNIAN
WARBLERS, PINE WARBLERS, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, OVENBIRDS, and COMMON
YELLOWTHROATS.
Thanks to the following contributors whose observations were cited above:
Joan Arrowsmith, Ann and Fred Curran, E.J.Elithorpe, Sue Elliott, Hector
Galbraith, Nancy Goodrich, Larry Haugh, David Hoag, Dick Lavallee, Ted
Levin, Kim Likaki, Bruce MacPherson, Linda McElvany, Kent McFarland, Ron
Payne, Barbara Powers, Fred and Chris Pratt, Jeanne Prue, Joe Przypek, Rick
Renaud, Bill Shepard, Stefan Sturup, and Aaron Worthley.
We encourage you to contribute all your sightings to Vermont eBird, an
on-line database for tracking birds across Vermont and North America. Visit
Vermont eBird-http://www.ebird.org/vins/ for more Information. If you're
already a Vermont eBirder- thank you for your contributions to the database.
The Vermont Institute of Natural Science offers natural history trips,
lectures and programs. To receive a copy of our program calendar, stop at
one of our centers, call the office during business hours at 802-457-2779 or
visit the VINS' web site at http://www.vinsweb.org <http://www.vinsweb.org/>
.
This Vermont birding report is a service of the Vermont Institute of Natural
Science. VINS is a non-profit, membership organization located in Woodstock
with regional centers in Montpelier and Manchester. Founded in 1972, VINS'
mission is to protect our natural heritage through education and research.
Your membership supports these goals and this reporting service. Updates
are typically made on Fridays. Please report your sightings of rare or
unusual birds to VINS, or email reports to [log in to unmask]
This message is also available by phone recording: call 802-457-1053 and
press 3. This will put you into a menu where you will be directed to press
5 to hear the RBA. If you have any interesting birds to report, you can
leave a message by pressing 6, or you can send your sightings to the RBA via
e-mail at: [log in to unmask] Or enter your sightings on Vermont eBird at
http://www.ebird.org/VINS/.
Mary Holland
Chris Rimmer
Kent McFarland
Roz Renfrew
Vermont RBA Compilers
Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Conservation Biology Department
27023 Church Hill Road
Woodstock, VT 05091
802-457-2779