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