Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Bluebirds Sticking Around
Since I've worked at NBNC, Bluebirds have came each spring to check out the nest boxes and moved on. This year, the male showed up early and was joined on Friday by a female! The two were both observed today, with one bird almost always perched on a favored nest box. At one point, the male (bottom) and female (top) switched spots between a post and the box.At around 4:00pm, for the first time, I spotted an American Kestrel hovering over the fields looking for a meal. I ran to tell someone, and by the time I returned to the scene, the Kestrel was perched on the Bluebirds' favored nest box. I hope they didn't get eaten!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Peregrine Falcon Monitoring at Marshfield Mountain
I took a trip to Groton State Forest today to monitor the Peregrine Falcons that nest there. Marshfield Mountain, the cliffs where the Falcons nest, was one of three sites where they first started releasing young Peregrines as part of a reintroduction program in the early-mid 1980's. Since that time, the number of nesting pairs has gone from 1 nesting pair in 1984 to a record high of 38 pairs in 2009.
It is a really nice hike in to a small fen with a giant glacial erratic that you can climb up on to view the cliffs. Along the hike in, some sightings included Brown Creepers, 3 Ruffed Grouse, and the first Winter Wren of the year.
Upon arriving at the cliffs, I climbed the slippery boulder and set up to start monitoring. Within eight minutes, the first falcon showed up. The Audubon Society currently administers the Peregrine monitoring. Below is a sample of my field notes:
9:08 First Peregrine seen flying over/around cliffs. Lands in favorite snag at top and begins preening.
9:17 Wailing call heard briefly (3 sec.) Preening continued.
9:36 Second Peregrine arrives and lands in favorite snag carring prey. Prey appeared to be a blackbird. After a few moments, second Peregrine leaves favorite snag with prey and flies to top of another nearby tree. Second Peregrine begins plucking feathers from prey and is also seen eating some. First Peregrine remains on favorite snag.
On the way out, the birds were quiet and the temperature had increased. Snow that contained coyote tracks on the way in had melted away to reveal mud with moose tracks that had been hidden beneath.
As I arrived back at the Nature Center, a I found a few Mourning Doves blocking the drive way. I caught this one mid-blink! Check out the pale blue eyelids.
It is a really nice hike in to a small fen with a giant glacial erratic that you can climb up on to view the cliffs. Along the hike in, some sightings included Brown Creepers, 3 Ruffed Grouse, and the first Winter Wren of the year.
Upon arriving at the cliffs, I climbed the slippery boulder and set up to start monitoring. Within eight minutes, the first falcon showed up. The Audubon Society currently administers the Peregrine monitoring. Below is a sample of my field notes:
9:08 First Peregrine seen flying over/around cliffs. Lands in favorite snag at top and begins preening.
9:17 Wailing call heard briefly (3 sec.) Preening continued.
9:36 Second Peregrine arrives and lands in favorite snag carring prey. Prey appeared to be a blackbird. After a few moments, second Peregrine leaves favorite snag with prey and flies to top of another nearby tree. Second Peregrine begins plucking feathers from prey and is also seen eating some. First Peregrine remains on favorite snag.
On the way out, the birds were quiet and the temperature had increased. Snow that contained coyote tracks on the way in had melted away to reveal mud with moose tracks that had been hidden beneath.
As I arrived back at the Nature Center, a I found a few Mourning Doves blocking the drive way. I caught this one mid-blink! Check out the pale blue eyelids.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Weekend of Ducks
My goal this weekend was to see ducks, and I certainly saw some ducks! I started Saturday morning at a Green Mountain Audubon Society walk at the Intervale, seeing lots of familiar faces and some good birds including a male Rusty Blackbird and a very cooperative Golden-crowned Kinglet. No ducks here, but a great start to the day.
After everyone had dispersed from the Intervale, Alison Wagner and I headed towards Milton. My top spot for the day was Sandbar WMA, a duck magnet. Plentiful amounts of Mallard, American Black Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, and Green-winged Teal were scattered throughout the marshy areas alongside the busy road. We also managed to pick out Hooded Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Gadwall, some Wood Ducks and a Northern Shoveler from amongst the masses. Where else can you find 10 species of duck on a 1/4 mile stretch of road than here?
From there, we stopped at many spots along the lake, eventually making our way towards Dead Creek. Lots more first-of-year sightings, including a Fox Sparrow and Bufflehead in Ferrisburg, a Kestrel in Milton, Snow Geese and Great Blue Heron at Dead Creek. We ended the day at McCuen Slang, where a feeding frenzy amongst 100's of Common Mergansers and countless onlooking gulls commenced offshore. We ended the day with 43 bird species and 1 reptile (our 1st Gartersnake of the year!) Not a bad way to spend the first day of spring!
On Sunday, I came back to Sandbar WMA again to see if any other ducks had escaped my detection. Sure enough, in an isolated beaver pond at the edge of reach, a pair of American Wigeon (male pictured below) sat with the whole big pond to themselves. A dozen duck species for the weekend, so I'd say mission accomplished!
After everyone had dispersed from the Intervale, Alison Wagner and I headed towards Milton. My top spot for the day was Sandbar WMA, a duck magnet. Plentiful amounts of Mallard, American Black Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, and Green-winged Teal were scattered throughout the marshy areas alongside the busy road. We also managed to pick out Hooded Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Gadwall, some Wood Ducks and a Northern Shoveler from amongst the masses. Where else can you find 10 species of duck on a 1/4 mile stretch of road than here?
From there, we stopped at many spots along the lake, eventually making our way towards Dead Creek. Lots more first-of-year sightings, including a Fox Sparrow and Bufflehead in Ferrisburg, a Kestrel in Milton, Snow Geese and Great Blue Heron at Dead Creek. We ended the day at McCuen Slang, where a feeding frenzy amongst 100's of Common Mergansers and countless onlooking gulls commenced offshore. We ended the day with 43 bird species and 1 reptile (our 1st Gartersnake of the year!) Not a bad way to spend the first day of spring!
On Sunday, I came back to Sandbar WMA again to see if any other ducks had escaped my detection. Sure enough, in an isolated beaver pond at the edge of reach, a pair of American Wigeon (male pictured below) sat with the whole big pond to themselves. A dozen duck species for the weekend, so I'd say mission accomplished!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Early Spring: The Transition
Early spring is a very exciting time to be outside observing the changes of the seasons and bird life. Like a giant Newton's Cradle, the new migrants seem to arrive just as our winter visitors are leaving. We had many new arrivals this week. On Tuesday, a male Eastern Bluebird arrived and immediately began investigating the nest boxes. We also saw our first butterfly (Milbert's Tortoiseshell) on Tuesday. Songs Sparrow arrived and were singing profusely by Wednesday, and Thursday marked the first Grackles.
But as all this excitement over new birds took place, a bird who has been around for months put in an appearance before it's own journey north. On Thursday, a beautiful first-winter Norther Shrike was hanging out on the property. Most surprisingly of all, it was singing! Shrike are typically silent while on their wintering grounds in Vermont, but towards winter's end, they do begin to serenade, despite being 100's of miles from the taiga and tundra where they breed. The video below managed to pick up the Shrikes song, which consists of harsh call notes interspersed with more complex, Robin-like phrases.
The juxtaposition of summer and winter residents makes for great time to watch wildlife. It's best to enjoy this short window while it lasts, because in a few short weeks the shrikes will be gone and the Song Sparrows far less exciting. Cheers to early spring!
But as all this excitement over new birds took place, a bird who has been around for months put in an appearance before it's own journey north. On Thursday, a beautiful first-winter Norther Shrike was hanging out on the property. Most surprisingly of all, it was singing! Shrike are typically silent while on their wintering grounds in Vermont, but towards winter's end, they do begin to serenade, despite being 100's of miles from the taiga and tundra where they breed. The video below managed to pick up the Shrikes song, which consists of harsh call notes interspersed with more complex, Robin-like phrases.
The juxtaposition of summer and winter residents makes for great time to watch wildlife. It's best to enjoy this short window while it lasts, because in a few short weeks the shrikes will be gone and the Song Sparrows far less exciting. Cheers to early spring!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Back in Action: A Trip to the Islands
What good is a blog if you don't update it? Not much good at all. I'm still working on learning all the many features, and with some difficulty, may even start making updates on a regular basis. Now I will test out some video.
I took a nice trip up to South Hero today to check for migrating ducks. It's still a little early (a week left of winter) and the weather was harsh, but I did manage to find some Common Mergansers and a flock of close to 20 Common Goldeneye (male pictured below). A lone Song Sparrow (my first of the season) was skulking in the shrubs along the causeway, presumably taking cover from the winds?
Perhaps my highlight of the day was a flock of 22 Wild Turkey in a small field behind the South Hero Cemetery. A single tom was displaying to the many females, who didn't seem to take much interest in him. Notice how in the video, even a slight glance at the females excited him and gave him an "erection" of the feathers. But despite being unable to solicit a response, he continued to display none-the-less, offering an opportunity to take some photos and snap a quick video via digiscoping. As the whole event unfolded, a male Common Grackle (also my first of the season) sang from his perch across the street. Each day seems to bring a new sign of spring (including all the previous days that I haven't been posting). The video can be viewed below... enjoy the show!
I took a nice trip up to South Hero today to check for migrating ducks. It's still a little early (a week left of winter) and the weather was harsh, but I did manage to find some Common Mergansers and a flock of close to 20 Common Goldeneye (male pictured below). A lone Song Sparrow (my first of the season) was skulking in the shrubs along the causeway, presumably taking cover from the winds?
Perhaps my highlight of the day was a flock of 22 Wild Turkey in a small field behind the South Hero Cemetery. A single tom was displaying to the many females, who didn't seem to take much interest in him. Notice how in the video, even a slight glance at the females excited him and gave him an "erection" of the feathers. But despite being unable to solicit a response, he continued to display none-the-less, offering an opportunity to take some photos and snap a quick video via digiscoping. As the whole event unfolded, a male Common Grackle (also my first of the season) sang from his perch across the street. Each day seems to bring a new sign of spring (including all the previous days that I haven't been posting). The video can be viewed below... enjoy the show!
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