April 29, 2007

A Great Egret was seen flying over Berlin Pond and then landed in the wetlands at the pond's southern end. The huge collection of Tree Swallows nearby included a few Barn Swallows and six (somewhat early) Cliff Swallows. Two Common Loons were also visiting the pond. (Perhaps they'll nest there.) A day later, an American Bittern showed up in a wet, roadside ditch on East Hill Road in Plainfield. The spring migration is about to move into high gear!

April 23, 2007

A Common Tern, quite rare for central Vermont, made a brief appearance at Berlin Pond the day after Earth Day. Another highlight was a Horned Grebe in breeding plumage. And arriving warblers included Palm Warbler (1) and Yellow-rumped Warbler (2). A few Ruby-crowned Kinglets (right) were flashing their crowns and singing. Here's the complete list from the pond:

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Horned Grebe
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Cooper's Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Common Tern
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch

April 20, 2007

The first bird walk of the season here at the Nature Center featured some early migrants, including two beautiful Eastern Meadowlarks. Here's the list for the morning:

Wood Duck
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Ruffed Grouse (drumming)
Mourning Dove
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
European Starling
American Robin
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch

April 18, 2007

First butterfly of the season today! At least one Milbert's Tortoiseshell was seen resting on the ground during the warmest part of the day. This species, like its relative the Mourning Cloak, overwinters in Vermont as an adult! They fly during these early warm days of spring in order to seek mates for the next generation.

April 3, 2007

Migrant waterfowl are starting to move into the area. A pair of Wood Ducks, a pair of Mallards and a Common Merganser were all spotted on the North Branch of the Winooski today. In addition to large numbers of Canada Geese, a pair of Ring-necked Ducks were seen in a small pond off of Route 2 in Middlesex.

April 1 , 2007

New arrivals at the North Branch Nature Center today included a Song Sparrow and an Eastern Phoebe. Elsewhere in the area, a Northern Goshawk and a Sharp-shinned Hawk were reported from Middlesex. In the botany department, Coltsfoot was seen blooming in Middlesex as well.
There were rumors of a Black-footed Albatross and a Tufted Puffin at NBNC, but it is April Fool's Day after all!