June 20, 2007

A NBNC-sponsored hike this morning up to Sterling Pond from Smuggler's Notch yielded some interesting birds, including both Bicknell's and Swainson's Thrush, Canada, Magnolia and Blackpoll Warbler. The weather was quite blustery and most birds were keeping a low profile!

June 13, 2007

We conducted our second "unofficial" butterfly census at the Nature Center. This is something we plan to do every week or every other week. Chip, Larry, Amelia and Sandal walked the perimeter of the field for an hour and recorded the following:

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail - 4
Clouded Sulfur - 3
Orange Sulfur -1
Silvery Blue - 4
Harris' Checkerspot - 6
Crescent species - 13
Red Admiral - 4
Viceroy - 2
Common Ringlet - 31
Little Wood-satyr - 1
Silver-spotted Skipper - 1
Arctic Skipper - 1
Hobomok Skipper - 1

We also noted a Black Swallowtail earlier in the day. Other critters on our walk included a Four-spotted Skimmer and a garter snake trying to devour a Savannah Sparrow nestling!

June 9, 2007

NBNC's Grand Re-Opening Festival on June 9 featured everything from birds to bugs to botany and a bounty of biologists. Bobolinks were bouncing. Bee mimics were buzzing. Well, you get the idea. Here's the bird list from our morning walk.

Hooded Merganser
Mourning Dove
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Brown Creeper
Veery
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch

Our butterfly listed included Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Silvery Blue, Northern Crescent, Harris' Checkerspot (pictured here) and Hobomok Skipper.

June 1, 2007

The final Friday bird walk of season this morning. Most of the birds we saw were residents (with maybe a few migrants mixed in)