Hooded Warbler in Jericho!

The Hooded Warbler is, by all accounts, a spectacular bird... one of highlights of my several trips to Cape May, NJ. Up here in Vermont, their smooth whistly song... "twee-twee-twee-teeo" is all but a sound that comes out of a computer speaker as I brush up on songs before a trip out-of-town. This is considered a southern species of warbler, with its range barely penetrating into southern New York. The male Hooded that showed up in Jericho on Friday was a few hundred miles north of where he's supposed to be, and from what I've heard, one hasn't been seen in Vermont in 20 years (and the last time was also in Jericho).

I knew I would try for this bird this weekend, but wasn't sure if I'd make a birthday trip or wait until Sunday. I went Sunday (5/23), and after bumping into Pat Folsom and Scott Sainsbury, they showed me the way to the area it had been seen. It was singing vigorously when we arrived and it wasn't long before I spotted the bird perched in a huge tamarack, offering an extended view of his brilliant yellow plumage, and prominent black ski-mask.

For such a vividly colored bird, it was very tough to photograph, especially since the digi/scope was back at the parking (I did run back to get them at one point). Below are the best images I managed to get, although a great image by Fernando B. Corrada is available here, and if you use your imagination, you can see how my two photos add up to that bird.




The bird wasn't relocated today, although I hope it is so I can milk this rare opportunity to watch a vagrant bird so close to home. Such moments must be cherished while they're available. And technology has allowed unprecedented ability to "twitch" rare birds that would otherwise be nothing more than a story that caught up with you long after taking place.



Thanks to the internet, mainly the VTBird list, I've managed to see rare birds such as Ivory Gull and Great Gray Owl. In the case of the Golden-crowned Sparrow discovered last March in Orwell, I saw the bird at the feeders in the backyard of Norton & Marlene Latourelle (video above; first state record). In at least 10 days, over 100 people made the (in some cases long) drive to see the bird. This sparrow was so consistent, every person who made the trip managed to see it. The Latourelles even had a "sign-in" book for birders to log their visit. Of course, not all birds are seen by many: in the case of this Hooded Warbler, I might end up being the last person to ever see it in Vermont during its short stay.

Of course, beyond the rush of seeing a rare bird, "twitching" a rarity that has already been discovered lacks a certain excitement and surprise. Not everyone can discover a rare bird, so the thrill of excitement for an everyday naturalist can often come in the form of unique encounters with our resident creatures. Tonight, my encounter with butterflies was surprising and exhilarating. That story will need to wait until tomorrow, save for the photo below.

10 Reasons I haven't been Updating

Everything happens in May. Birthdays, bird migrations, weddings, wildflowers... between it all there just isn't enough time for everything, let alone a blog update. Here's 10 reasons I haven't had time to update the blog in almost two weeks:






















1. Exploring a shorebird concentration (7 species!) in drained beaver pond in Hinesburg. [Solitary Sandpiper and Killdeer (left to right) shown above]

2. Observing some late-departing Scaup in Island Pond. [shown below]

3. Unexpectedly encountering a Philadelphia Vireo in Bolton.

4. Watching the sun set to the sounds of Northern Saw-whet Owl, Barred Owl,
Wilson's Snipe, and American Woodcock in Chittenden.

5. Witnessing copulating Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in Berlin.

6. Scrutinizing over unfamiliar birdsong at Moose Bog (eventually determined to be Blackburnian Warbler, White-winged Crossbill, and Lincoln's Sparrow!)

7. Tallying rare grassland species (Grasshopper and Vesper Sparrow) during a 24-hour birding marathon in Highgate.

8. Being engulfed by the sounds of elusive birds (including Sora, Common Moorhen, Virginia Rail, and Marsh Wren) in West Rutland.

9. Finding the rare boreal breeders (Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Boreal Chickadee) or the Northeast Kingdom in North Ferdinand.

10. Perplexing over the disgruntled wails of a nesting pair of Red-shouldered Hawks in Essex, ultimately determining that they were distressed by a nearby Red-tailed Hawk.



These 10 accounts from 10 Vermont towns encompass only those in the realm of birds, and only from the last 72 hours. Furthermore, these highlights include only unusual encounters, or those which took significant effort, travel or otherwise. For better or worse, much else has happened over the last several weeks, and a lot more to come over the next several. I hope to post more detailed blog entries (including a discussion of Nicaragua) in due time, but now I must rest up for another day of May Madness.

From the Tropics to the Tundra

Well, not quite the tundra, but it sure felt like it when we returned from Nicaragua just ahead of the biggest late-April snow storm on record, with up to 2 feet of the wet, white stuff in some places! It's been a week now that I've been back, and there hasn't been much time for a blog post, but in keeping with the 'cold climate' theme of this post, this past Sunday I took a trip with one of our avid young birders to Moose Bog (one of my favorite places) in search of the boreal birds that barely penetrate our northern border.



We struck gold, and managed to not only see the elusive and endangered Spruce Grouse, but one almost landed right on top of us! These stunning birds have a reputation for being gregarious, and we experienced this first-hand as a male flew out of a tree, and strutted right up to us, passing within a few feet.



Our young birder also managed to spy a Black-backed Woodpecker, another boreal breeder, excavating a nest cavity. Keep in mind he spotted this from a moving vehicle! I managed to hear a Boreal Chickadee, but the Gray Jays eluded us, and so I'll need to try again other time for the coveted Boreal Grand Slam (seeing a Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Spruce Grouse, and Black-backed Woodpecker in one day). Other noteworthy birds seen that day (5/2) include Blue-headed Vireo, Northern Parula, White-crowned Sparrow (pictured below), and others.



As you've noticed, I won't touch Nicaragua in this post... I have neither the time nor inclination to properly address the subject at the moment, but plan to give a nice summary of the trip sometime later this spring