The trees were dripping with American Redstarts and Chestnut-sided Warblers this morning as seven birders joined us for our weekly bird walk at the North Branch Nature Center. Highlights included fantastic looks at a male Easter Towhee singing just across the river from the community gardens and a Brown Thrasher singing near the bridge. Hopefully both will stick around for awhile. Just at the end of our walk, we were treated to views of an adult Bald Eagle circling high above the fields. All told, we tallied 36 species. Our next walk is Friday, May 24th at Sparrow Farm (meet at the nature center and carpool), where we'll search for Bobolinks, Bitterns, and more! Below is a complete list of the morning's sightings: North Branch Nature Center, Washington, US-VT May 18, 2013 7:00 AM - 9:30 AM Protocol: Area 28.0 ac 36 species Canada Goose 2 Mallard 3 Common Merganser 1 Bald Eagle 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 1 Alder Flycatcher 2 Eastern Phoebe 3 Eastern Kingbird 1 Blue Jay 5 American Crow 4 Tree Swallow 4 Black-capped Chickadee 6 Tufted Titmouse 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Eastern Bluebird 1 Veery 2 American Robin 8 Gray Catbird 4 Brown Thrasher 1 Ovenbird 2 Common Yellowthroat 12 American Redstart 8 Magnolia Warbler 1 Yellow Warbler 8 Chestnut-sided Warbler 14 Pine Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 5 Black-throated Green Warbler 1 Eastern Towhee 1 Song Sparrow 8 Red-winged Blackbird X American Goldfinch X Happy Birding! Ken Benton -- Ken Benton AmeriCorps Environmental Educator North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street Montpelier, VT 05602 work: 802-229-6206 cell: 513-505-7484 “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." ~Aldo Leopold