Date: 5/9/25 3:54 am From: Ian Worley <iworley...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Whip-poor-will. Southern end of Snake Mountain, Bridport
While night birding at the southern end of Snake mountain, at 3:33 AM last night, I heard nearby a Whip-poor-will start calling at a location above our house, and about 1400 feet south of the well-known Cerulean Warbler location. Here fifty years ago Whip-poor-wills were frequently heard by us. But then for decades they were absent. In 2011 we again heard an individual at this time of year; and have continued to hear individual birds in mid-spring every year. This corresponds with the return of breeders along Snake Mountain Road in Weybridge, 1.5 miles to the north. Now a look at the species map shows a healthy abundance of reports all along the eastern, lower slopes, of Snake Mountain.
How fabulous to hear! Are you comfortable giving out the location? Totally understandable if not.
Sharon
Sent from my iPhone
> On May 8, 2025, at 12:37 PM, Mary Holland <maryholland505...> wrote:
>
> Date: 5/7/25 at 8:45 p.m.
>
> From: Mary Holland
>
> Subject: Whip-poor-will
>
>
>
> A single whip-poor-will was calling in Shelburne last night.
Hi all. A drippy glorious day at Bristol watershed today. Heard yellow warbler, song sparrow, winter Wren, wood thrush, ovenbird, scarlet tanager, hermit thrush, Nashville warbler, American redstart, Robin, common yellow throat, RWB. Helena in Monkton.
Date: 5/7/25 8:46 am From: Robert Provost <ropro222...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Had one today in Ludlow along with Blackburnian, Chester sided, Parula and a Nashville. Best time of the year!
> On May 7, 2025, at 11:38 AM, Charlie Teske <cteske140...> wrote:
>
> One made it to Hyde Park today along with a catbird, a kingfisher a towhee and a black-throated green.
>
>
>
> On Sat, 3 May 2025 12:46:14 -0400, DIANA& JOHN KENTFIELD <00000c8a5508c4a8-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> I had one singing on our property yesterday, too. My favorite handsome singer!
> https://youtu.be/gTAbW2yE0fk >
>
>> On 05/03/2025 12:34 PM EDT Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>>
>> FOY (and first in a long time in our year) RBGR on suet in Richmond this morning.
>
> On 05/03/2025 12:34 PM EDT Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
>
> FOY (and first in a long time in our year) RBGR on suet in Richmond this morning.
Date: 5/5/25 8:52 am From: Kent McFarland <kmcfarland...> Subject: [VTBIRD] add breeding codes to your eBird Vermont checklists
The Second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Vermont (2003-2007), a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life, was an amazing effort by the birding community. Many of us searched the state to document breeding bird species. The atlas collected important conservation information and it was a lot of fun. Many of us miss it. But with Vermont eBird, the atlas never ends! We want you to keep documenting the nesting status of the birds you are finding.
You can make your eBird sightings even more valuable by adding breeding information. How? The Vermont eBird data entry system has the ability to enter highest-level breeding codes along with your bird observations on both the website and the smartphone app!
Date: 5/5/25 8:46 am From: Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> Subject: [VTBIRD] awesome spring dirt road walk!
I did a leisurely amble along Fitzsimonds Road in Jericho Center this morning and was rewarded from the first minute I stepped out of the car until I returned, almost two hours later. Here’s the list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S233469424 The Bobolinks were the most startling, as I don’t remember seeing them there before.
Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
FOY RBGB in our Rutland yard, enjoying the suet feeder late afternoon. Many
other wonderful FOYs today. Welcome birds of May! Soul renewing.
Heartbreaking.
On Sat, May 3, 2025, 6:31 PM Sarah Fellows <
<00000e1d5fcbcbbc-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Today, the rose breasted grosbeak,male, who has been here for 4 days, came
> to the seed bird feeder ,then later, to the suet. It was joined by both
> male and female orioles at the SUET!!! This is a first for us at feeders !!
> Perhaps they arrived a little too early.
>
> Sally Fellows
> Williston
>
> > On May 3, 2025, at 12:46 PM, DIANA& JOHN KENTFIELD <
> <00000c8a5508c4a8-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> >
> > I had one singing on our property yesterday, too. My favorite handsome
> singer!
> > https://youtu.be/gTAbW2yE0fk > >
> >
> >> On 05/03/2025 12:34 PM EDT Jared Katz <
> <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> FOY (and first in a long time in our year) RBGR on suet in Richmond
> this morning.
>
Date: 5/3/25 3:31 pm From: Sarah Fellows <00000e1d5fcbcbbc-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Today, the rose breasted grosbeak,male, who has been here for 4 days, came to the seed bird feeder ,then later, to the suet. It was joined by both male and female orioles at the SUET!!! This is a first for us at feeders !! Perhaps they arrived a little too early.
Sally Fellows
Williston
> On May 3, 2025, at 12:46 PM, DIANA& JOHN KENTFIELD <00000c8a5508c4a8-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> I had one singing on our property yesterday, too. My favorite handsome singer!
> https://youtu.be/gTAbW2yE0fk >
>
>> On 05/03/2025 12:34 PM EDT Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>>
>> FOY (and first in a long time in our year) RBGR on suet in Richmond this morning.
FOY, chatting away near the Windsor schools.Veer Frost _I came to realise that every time we recognise something human in creatures, we are also recognising something creaturely in ourselves. That is central to the rejection of human supremacism as the pernicious doctrine it is._ Robert Macfarlane
Date: 5/3/25 11:01 am From: Charlie Teske <cteske140...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] FOY RTHU
In Hyde Park today also; a few days early.
On Sat, 3 May 2025 13:13:40 -0400, Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
FOY for us, and right on time to the day here. Normally it’s a female we see first but this afternoon a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird turned up at one of the feeders here in Richmond.
Interestingly to me, it chose the feeder that’s been up for a week over the one that’s been up for 36 hours. Perhaps it favors a slightly aged nectar.
Date: 5/3/25 10:14 am From: Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] FOY RTHU
FOY for us, and right on time to the day here. Normally it’s a female we see first but this afternoon a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird turned up at one of the feeders here in Richmond.
Interestingly to me, it chose the feeder that’s been up for a week over the one that’s been up for 36 hours. Perhaps it favors a slightly aged nectar.
On 5/3/2025 at 12:12 PM, "Sue Gilbert" wrote:I came across this poem today and thought you may all enjoy/relate to it: POETRY Merlin —Jude Goodwin in JUDE GOODWIN // CANADIAN POET
I have an app on my phone that listens to birds and names them for me on our early morning dog walks under cherry trees still dripping with the previous night's rain I hold the phone in the air and marvel how the birdsong registers in spite of the Port alarms and first responder sirens black-capped chickadees, robins northern flickers an hour from now it will be mostly crows and seagulls but this is the delicate hour when song threads between the high branches creating a lacework of whistles coos chirps and trill now there is a nuthatch oh and a song sparrow 970 steps and we've completed our trip around Hastings Sunrise I think I'll leave the window open today let spring have its way.
> On 05/03/2025 12:34 PM EDT Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote: > > > FOY (and first in a long time in our year) RBGR on suet in Richmond this morning.
Date: 5/3/25 9:12 am From: Sue Gilbert <suewgilbert...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Poem
I came across this poem today and thought you may all enjoy/relate to it:
POETRY
Merlin
—Jude Goodwin in JUDE GOODWIN // CANADIAN POET
I have an app on my phone
that listens to birds
and names them for me
on our early morning dog walks
under cherry trees still dripping
with the previous night's rain
I hold the phone in the air
and marvel how the birdsong
registers in spite of the Port
alarms and first responder
sirens black-capped chickadees,
robins northern flickers
an hour from now it will be mostly
crows and seagulls
but this is the delicate hour
when song threads between the high branches
creating a lacework of whistles
coos chirps and trill now there
is a nuthatch oh and a song sparrow
970 steps and we've completed
our trip around Hastings
Sunrise I think I'll leave the window
open today let spring have its way.
Date: 5/3/25 6:37 am From: Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Honey hollow warblers plus
Blackburnian, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Nashville, Black and White, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush and the usual suspects along the honey hollow Catamount Trail access.
Date: 5/3/25 4:11 am From: Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Baltimore Oriole
In addition to the orioles and downies, for the first year ever Red-bellied
Woodpeckers are now at the nectar feeders. Who woulda thought?
Kim
Bennington
On Sat, May 3, 2025 at 7:02 AM Peter Pappas <
<0000005a7513ad28-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Male Baltimore Oriole on the hummingbird feeder in Readsboro VT. FOYHoles
> in the feeder are larger than normal. Orioles and Downy Woodpeckers use it
> for nectar.
>
Date: 5/3/25 4:02 am From: Peter Pappas <0000005a7513ad28-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Baltimore Oriole
Male Baltimore Oriole on the hummingbird feeder in Readsboro VT. FOYHoles in the feeder are larger than normal. Orioles and Downy Woodpeckers use it for nectar.
Date: 5/2/25 7:05 am From: Barbara Powers <barkiepvt...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Music
I had a hermit thrush come to my feeder every day for weeks in March and early April. Such a wonderful experience.
Barbara Powers
Sent from my iPhone
> On May 1, 2025, at 5:17 PM, Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> wrote:
>
> My ring tone from me to my husband [wood thrush].
>
> Kim
> Bennington
>
>> On Thu, May 1, 2025 at 3:39 PM Pamela Coleman <
>> <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>> Nothing like the sweet sound of a thrush to start or at the end of a day!
>>
>> On Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 10:15:32 AM EDT, Sue Wetmore <
>> <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>> One of nature’s sublime moments is the ethereal song of a hermit thrush
>> floating on the morning air.
>> It made my day.
>> Sue Wetmore
>> Brandon
>>
>> Sent from my iPod
>>
Date: 5/1/25 3:51 pm From: Mark Marroni <mjmarroni...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Music
I started my day this morning with Wood Thrushes in my yard and local
patch. Can't think of a more peaceful way to start the day.
Mark Marroni
North Andover, MA (wishing he was in VT)
On Thu, May 1, 2025 at 6:45 PM Nancy PerleeBRISTOL <nperlee...>
wrote:
> Sent from my iPad
>
> > On May 1, 2025, at 12:46 PM, Richard Guthrie <richardpguthrie...>
> wrote:
> >
> > One of my cherished memories is as a kid I would go to the library
> where they had Dr. Arthur Allen’s recording (vinyl) of bird songs. One of
> the series was the song of the Hermit Thrush slowed down to 1/3 the speed.
> It was amazing. If anyone can get a hold of that record, I recommend giving
> it a listen. (I’m relating to something from the 1950’s era)
> >
> > Rich Guthrie
> > NewBaltimore, New York
> >
> >> On May 1, 2025, at 3:39 PM, Pamela Coleman <
> <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> >>
> >> Nothing like the sweet sound of a thrush to start or at the end of a
> day!
> >>
> >> On Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 10:15:32 AM EDT, Sue Wetmore <
> <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> >>
> >> One of nature’s sublime moments is the ethereal song of a hermit thrush
> floating on the morning air.
> >> It made my day.
> >> Sue Wetmore
> >> Brandon
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPod
>
> On May 1, 2025, at 12:46 PM, Richard Guthrie <richardpguthrie...> wrote:
>
> One of my cherished memories is as a kid I would go to the library where they had Dr. Arthur Allen’s recording (vinyl) of bird songs. One of the series was the song of the Hermit Thrush slowed down to 1/3 the speed. It was amazing. If anyone can get a hold of that record, I recommend giving it a listen. (I’m relating to something from the 1950’s era)
>
> Rich Guthrie
> NewBaltimore, New York
>
>> On May 1, 2025, at 3:39 PM, Pamela Coleman <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>> Nothing like the sweet sound of a thrush to start or at the end of a day!
>>
>> On Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 10:15:32 AM EDT, Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>> One of nature’s sublime moments is the ethereal song of a hermit thrush floating on the morning air.
>> It made my day.
>> Sue Wetmore
>> Brandon
>>
>> Sent from my iPod
Date: 5/1/25 2:48 pm From: David Guertin <00000d40dcd17dfd-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Music
I still have that record from when I was a kid! I haven't listened to it
in years but I'll have to pull it out and give that Hermit Thrush a listen.
The last time I played that record we were listening to a Willow
Ptarmigan and our dog went absolutely nuts trying to find that squawking
bird inside the stereo speaker! That was pretty entertaining for
everyone else watching. :-)
Dave G.
On 5/1/25 3:46 PM, Richard Guthrie wrote:
> One of my cherished memories is as a kid I would go to the library where they had Dr. Arthur Allen’s recording (vinyl) of bird songs. One of the series was the song of the Hermit Thrush slowed down to 1/3 the speed. It was amazing. If anyone can get a hold of that record, I recommend giving it a listen. (I’m relating to something from the 1950’s era)
>
> Rich Guthrie
> NewBaltimore, New York
>
>> On May 1, 2025, at 3:39 PM, Pamela Coleman <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>> Nothing like the sweet sound of a thrush to start or at the end of a day!
>>
>> On Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 10:15:32 AM EDT, Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>
>> One of nature’s sublime moments is the ethereal song of a hermit thrush floating on the morning air.
>> It made my day.
>> Sue Wetmore
>> Brandon
>>
>> Sent from my iPod
Date: 5/1/25 2:17 pm From: Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Music
My ring tone from me to my husband [wood thrush].
Kim
Bennington
On Thu, May 1, 2025 at 3:39 PM Pamela Coleman <
<0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Nothing like the sweet sound of a thrush to start or at the end of a day!
>
> On Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 10:15:32 AM EDT, Sue Wetmore <
> <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> One of nature’s sublime moments is the ethereal song of a hermit thrush
> floating on the morning air.
> It made my day.
> Sue Wetmore
> Brandon
>
> Sent from my iPod
>
Date: 5/1/25 12:46 pm From: Richard Guthrie <richardpguthrie...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Music
One of my cherished memories is as a kid I would go to the library where they had Dr. Arthur Allen’s recording (vinyl) of bird songs. One of the series was the song of the Hermit Thrush slowed down to 1/3 the speed. It was amazing. If anyone can get a hold of that record, I recommend giving it a listen. (I’m relating to something from the 1950’s era)
Rich Guthrie
NewBaltimore, New York
> On May 1, 2025, at 3:39 PM, Pamela Coleman <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> Nothing like the sweet sound of a thrush to start or at the end of a day!
>
> On Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 10:15:32 AM EDT, Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> One of nature’s sublime moments is the ethereal song of a hermit thrush floating on the morning air.
> It made my day.
> Sue Wetmore
> Brandon
>
> Sent from my iPod
Date: 5/1/25 9:34 am From: Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Richmond morning
Pine warblers, Ovenbirds, Louisiana Waterthrush, a pair of Least Flycatchers (I’m pretty sure - though those little flycatchers…. The “ferbit ferbit, ferbit” has me leaning that way), Blue-headed Vireo - it’s springtime in Richmond for sure!
Date: 5/1/25 8:54 am From: Sue Gilbert <suewgilbert...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Louisiana Waterthrush
This morning I had fun watching a Louisiana Waterthrush work its way along a little running stream that was visible from Sherman Hollow Road in Hinesburg, just west of the town line of Huntington. He was busy looking for food in and along the water and seemed very curious about my interest in him, giving me looks as I followed along. His song was also accompanied by a Black Throated Green and a Black and White Warbler.
Welcome to May! Welcome Warblers!
Date: 5/1/25 8:48 am From: Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Music
Robert Frost on thrush music:
Come In
As I came to the edge of the woods,
Thrush music — hark!
Now if it was dusk outside,
Inside it was dark.
Too dark in the woods for a bird
By sleight of wing
To better its perch for the night,
Though it still could sing.
The last of the light of the sun
That had died in the west
Still lived for one song more
In a thrush's breast.
> On May 1, 2025, at 10:15 AM, Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> One of nature’s sublime moments is the ethereal song of a hermit thrush floating on the morning air.
> It made my day.
> Sue Wetmore
> Brandon
>
> Sent from my iPod
Date: 5/1/25 6:23 am From: Ian Clark <ian...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Free loon talk and slideshow Sat May 3 Rockingham
The Rockingham, VT, Public Library will be hosting me this Saturday, May 3, at 1:00 pm, to give my slideshow 'An Uncommon Look at the Common Loon.' Free and everyone welcome. The details are on the Library's site: https://rockinghamlibrary.org/northern-loon/.
The show gives some info on the natural history of loons, then follows a loon family with chicks through the summer with lots of great photos of loons.
Date: 4/29/25 11:58 am From: Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> Subject: [VTBIRD] hummingbird in Jericho Center
Five days earlier than the previous earliest date (going back to 1974) - and I think the first time a female has shown up before a male.
Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
Date: 4/28/25 7:56 am From: Roy Pilcher <00000022ffe6db53-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] First Hummer also White-throated Sparrows
Following previous observations, I placed the hummingbird feeder yesterday, Sunday. This morning, I observed first hummer. Also, several White-throated Sparrows since Saturday.Cheers, Roy PilcherRutland.
Date: 4/28/25 7:47 am From: John Snell <jrsnelljr...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Fresh bird food in Montpelier!
Yesterday was cold and wet but in the early afternoon I watched from a second floor window as dozens of birds, including many Gold finches, gleaning the new foliage of a Tamarac tree, presumably for small insects that have recently hatched. Will dig a bit deeper today to see if I can discover what they were feeding on but it was a frenzy.
Date: 4/27/25 6:26 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 27 April 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
5:48 a.m., one minute after sunrise. Thirty-seven degrees, wind
West-northwest seven miles per hour, gusting to twenty. Drizzling, cold, a
gloveless walk, fingers numb. Sky, overcast and uniform gray with a hint of
blue, end to end dull. The sun, like a fox in a hen house, sneaks up
unnoticed (by me, anyway)—a damp, cold, finger-numbing walk.
Earthworms, stupefied by the sudden change in temperature, migrate
slowly, *very
slowly* across the dirt road—sizes vary, an all-you-can-eat robin buffet.
Three days ago, red maples were in bloom, and then, quickly pollinated by
wind and bees, dropped their male flowers all at once, my path
red-spotted—another unvaccinated dirt road.
A few sugar maples are in flower, trees engulfed in a yellow-green haze.
Others lag, buds in various stages of swelling. Last year's seeds (keys),
viable through the winter, germinate at thirty-four degrees, the
lowest-known germinating temperature for a northern hardwood. Seedlings may
sprout at the edge of a retreating snow pack—the first, fresh grazeable
crop for woodland vegetarians.
Robins sleep in. Not chickadees, sweet song in full force. Everywhere, all
at once.
6:05 a.m.: One goldfinch joins the chickadee chorus.
6:07 a.m.: First robin agitatedly calls. Wakes up crabby ... on the wrong
side of the branch.
6:10 a.m.: Chipping sparrow trills, patter, patter, patter, song mimics the
rain.
6:18 a.m.: Red-bellied woodpecker calls, pileated and flicker laugh and
pound.
6:36 a.m.: Robins make up for lost time. Sapsucker and downy woodpecker
engage respective tree limbs. (There's no mistaking who's who.)
On the eve of leaving for another trip to Costa Rica, the only bird I
haven't seen or heard in White River that I would have expected to see by
the end of April is the blue-headed vireo. I've already seen or heard
Wilson's snipe, broad-winged hawk, house wren, and myrtle warbler. Where
are those turtle-paced vireos?
If I see any lingering Neotropical migrants, I'll usher them along.
Date: 4/26/25 5:53 pm From: Ian Clark <ian...> Subject: [VTBIRD] New blog post up - lots of photos
I've been out in the boat photographing the local critters again. I've got a new blog post up with loons, geese, a beaver and more. Take a look at: https://tinyurl.com/5b54546w
Date: 4/26/25 4:16 pm From: Rita Pitkin <ritapitkin15...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] 25 April 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
👍🎉
On Fri, Apr 25, 2025 at 12:34 PM Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:
> 5:14 a.m. (thirty-six minutes before sunrise). Robins already rule the
> airways. Forty-six degrees, wind South-southeast two miles per hour,
> gusting to three (not that I notice).
>
> A dreamy skyscape, sparingly colored across the east. Hints of rose,
> gridlocked elsewhere, a rumpled blue-gray congestion. Then, eastern clouds
> fracture and colorize—at first, a warm bloom of pastel peach and pink,
> condensing into lines of neon orange. One thin, longitudinal cloud,
> yellowish and arced like a foreshortened rainbow, condenses in the
> southeast and then vanishes. The sun peeks above the New Hampshire skyline
> at 5:58 a.m., momentarily tangerine.
>
> Then, a bouillabaisse of sunlight, rich and spicy, seeps across Vermont
> igniting the sparse flowers red maple, bright spots along the meadow's
> edge, a dusting of color. Tree-trunk lichens glow. By 6:04 a.m., isles of
> immaculately white cloud scud across the west. Hemlocks and pines, vibrant.
> Coltsfoot, everywhere and goldfinch bright.
>
> Several aspen catkins float straight down like fuzzy, dehydrated
> caterpillars.
>
> Sugar maple buds ready to open. Ash buds buttoned up. Birch catkins,
> tubular and tight.
>
> *The Urgency of Spring:*
>
> 5:29 a.m.: phoebes join the robin chorus.
> 5:30 a.m.: barred owl signs off and chickadees sign in.
> 5:33 a.m.: white-throated sparrow tentatively sings a clipped version of
> *Ol'
> Sam Peabody*, more like *Ol' Sam*
> 5:37 a.m.: winter wren, tufted titmouse, and dark-eyed junco take their
> seats in the Daybreak Orchestra.
> 5:40 a.m.: red-breasted nuthatch joins in.
> 5:38 a.m.: yellow-bellied sapsucker, more tinkle than drum, a stuttering
> Woodland Morse Code. Pileated assaults a
> tree, then laughs.
> 5:43 a.m.: Joining the dawn chorus: chipping and song sparrows, pine
> siskins, white-breasted nuthatches,
> 5:57 a.m.: blue jays and crows mouth off ... a Corvid discord.
> 6:04 a.m.: red-bellied woodpecker calls (reminds me of sunrise in the
> Florida Everglades). Downy woodpecker rushes drum beats as if late for an
> appointment.
> 6:09 a.m.: yellow-bellied sapsucker and a hairy woodpecker vie for the same
> resonant limb, a barkless, vertical maple branch. Hairy persues sapsucker
> around the limb, yelling. Vanquished, sapsucker retreats into the
> woods, tail feathers between his legs.
> 6:14 a.m.: *northern* house wren, tiny motor-mouthed songbird. Name changed
> ... but not voice.
> 6:22 a.m.: northern flicker laughs, then drums, a silhouette against the
> sky. Laughing louder than rapping.
>
> *Post-sunrise cameos: *pine warbler; hermit thrush; purple and house
> finches; ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets; cedar waxwing; swamp
> sparrow; brown-headed cowbird; myrtle warblers (FOY); brown creeper,
> whispering in the pines.
>
> Three downy woodpeckers in a red maple, two males and a female, a courting
> pair and a pest. The second male interrupts nuptials ... doesn't take no
> for an answer. The primary male chases the interloper. Woodpecker
> ringoleveo, two teams of one. The female waits for the victor, sun on her
> back.
>
> *Department of Two-way Traffic: *three crows and a raven cross the sky in
> opposite directions. Northbound crows low. Southbound raven high, an
> associate of the clouds. Surprise, surprise, both species have something to
> say.
>
Date: 4/26/25 1:24 pm From: Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> Subject: [VTBIRD] re plants for hummingbirds plus
I agree with John! Pulmonaria isn’t native to Vermont but it's great because it flowers early – like dandelions, not native but beloved of many creatures. A good collection of plants can help many birds, not just hummingbirds, and all-important pollinators.
Some of you might have seen our yard featured in the spring 2023 issue of Birdwatching magazine (now defunct, sadly), under the title “Sanctuary”. We’ve been working for several years to make our 1.3 acres a haven for wildlife – and us! I put together a presentation called “YARDS THAT SING, AND BUZZ, AND BLOOM! - HOW TO MAKE YOUR YARD PART OF VERMONT’S NATURAL HABITATS”. If any of you belong to a community group, conservation commission, ad hoc birding club, etc. and would like to see the presentation, I’d love to offer it for free.
Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
> On Apr 26, 2025, at 3:21 PM, John Snell <jrsnelljr...> wrote:
>
> And plant pulmonaria/lungwart one the hummers love and just now beginning to bloom here in Montpelier.
>
> John
>
>> On Apr 26, 2025, at 3:03 PM, Carolyn Boardman <nekcarolyn...> wrote:
>>
>> Oh. I better put up the feeder. yes I read a website that said that birds were coming in earlier this year. Good for you.
>> 🐝Carolyn🦋
>> 🐈 🐈⬛
>>
>>> On Apr 26, 2025, at 2:32 PM, Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> wrote:
>>>
>>> First hummer (male) of the season here in Bennington, and earliest in my
>>> records of 28 years, by four days.
>>>
>>> Kim
>>> Bennington
We had our first on 4/24, earliest in 30+ years at our home in Rutland.
After seeing they were in Vermont on a migration map we put our feeder out,
and 4 hours later a dapper male hummer showed up!
On Sat, Apr 26, 2025, 3:23 PM John Snell <jrsnelljr...> wrote:
> And plant pulmonaria/lungwart one the hummers love and just now beginning
> to bloom here in Montpelier.
>
> John
>
> > On Apr 26, 2025, at 3:03 PM, Carolyn Boardman <nekcarolyn...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Oh. I better put up the feeder. yes I read a website that said that
> birds were coming in earlier this year. Good for you.
> > 🐝Carolyn🦋
> > 🐈 🐈⬛
> >
> >> On Apr 26, 2025, at 2:32 PM, Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> wrote:
> >>
> >> First hummer (male) of the season here in Bennington, and earliest in
> my
> >> records of 28 years, by four days.
> >>
> >> Kim
> >> Bennington
>
Date: 4/26/25 12:24 pm From: John Snell <jrsnelljr...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] First Hummer, Bennington
And plant pulmonaria/lungwart one the hummers love and just now beginning to bloom here in Montpelier.
John
> On Apr 26, 2025, at 3:03 PM, Carolyn Boardman <nekcarolyn...> wrote:
>
> Oh. I better put up the feeder. yes I read a website that said that birds were coming in earlier this year. Good for you.
> 🐝Carolyn🦋
> 🐈 🐈⬛
>
>> On Apr 26, 2025, at 2:32 PM, Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> wrote:
>>
>> First hummer (male) of the season here in Bennington, and earliest in my
>> records of 28 years, by four days.
>>
>> Kim
>> Bennington
Oh. I better put up the feeder. yes I read a website that said that birds were coming in earlier this year. Good for you.
🐝Carolyn🦋
🐈 🐈⬛
> On Apr 26, 2025, at 2:32 PM, Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> wrote:
>
> First hummer (male) of the season here in Bennington, and earliest in my
> records of 28 years, by four days.
>
> Kim
> Bennington
Date: 4/25/25 9:34 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 25 April 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
5:14 a.m. (thirty-six minutes before sunrise). Robins already rule the
airways. Forty-six degrees, wind South-southeast two miles per hour,
gusting to three (not that I notice).
A dreamy skyscape, sparingly colored across the east. Hints of rose,
gridlocked elsewhere, a rumpled blue-gray congestion. Then, eastern clouds
fracture and colorize—at first, a warm bloom of pastel peach and pink,
condensing into lines of neon orange. One thin, longitudinal cloud,
yellowish and arced like a foreshortened rainbow, condenses in the
southeast and then vanishes. The sun peeks above the New Hampshire skyline
at 5:58 a.m., momentarily tangerine.
Then, a bouillabaisse of sunlight, rich and spicy, seeps across Vermont
igniting the sparse flowers red maple, bright spots along the meadow's
edge, a dusting of color. Tree-trunk lichens glow. By 6:04 a.m., isles of
immaculately white cloud scud across the west. Hemlocks and pines, vibrant.
Coltsfoot, everywhere and goldfinch bright.
Several aspen catkins float straight down like fuzzy, dehydrated
caterpillars.
Sugar maple buds ready to open. Ash buds buttoned up. Birch catkins,
tubular and tight.
*The Urgency of Spring:*
5:29 a.m.: phoebes join the robin chorus.
5:30 a.m.: barred owl signs off and chickadees sign in.
5:33 a.m.: white-throated sparrow tentatively sings a clipped version of *Ol'
Sam Peabody*, more like *Ol' Sam*
5:37 a.m.: winter wren, tufted titmouse, and dark-eyed junco take their
seats in the Daybreak Orchestra.
5:40 a.m.: red-breasted nuthatch joins in.
5:38 a.m.: yellow-bellied sapsucker, more tinkle than drum, a stuttering
Woodland Morse Code. Pileated assaults a
tree, then laughs.
5:43 a.m.: Joining the dawn chorus: chipping and song sparrows, pine
siskins, white-breasted nuthatches,
5:57 a.m.: blue jays and crows mouth off ... a Corvid discord.
6:04 a.m.: red-bellied woodpecker calls (reminds me of sunrise in the
Florida Everglades). Downy woodpecker rushes drum beats as if late for an
appointment.
6:09 a.m.: yellow-bellied sapsucker and a hairy woodpecker vie for the same
resonant limb, a barkless, vertical maple branch. Hairy persues sapsucker
around the limb, yelling. Vanquished, sapsucker retreats into the
woods, tail feathers between his legs.
6:14 a.m.: *northern* house wren, tiny motor-mouthed songbird. Name changed
... but not voice.
6:22 a.m.: northern flicker laughs, then drums, a silhouette against the
sky. Laughing louder than rapping.
*Post-sunrise cameos: *pine warbler; hermit thrush; purple and house
finches; ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets; cedar waxwing; swamp
sparrow; brown-headed cowbird; myrtle warblers (FOY); brown creeper,
whispering in the pines.
Three downy woodpeckers in a red maple, two males and a female, a courting
pair and a pest. The second male interrupts nuptials ... doesn't take no
for an answer. The primary male chases the interloper. Woodpecker
ringoleveo, two teams of one. The female waits for the victor, sun on her
back.
*Department of Two-way Traffic: *three crows and a raven cross the sky in
opposite directions. Northbound crows low. Southbound raven high, an
associate of the clouds. Surprise, surprise, both species have something to
say.
That’s funny! Mine is known as Mr. Chatterbox. I have not heard him yet.
Connie
Colchester
Sent from my iPhone
> On Apr 24, 2025, at 3:14 PM, Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> Our House wren, aka Mr. Noisy, has returned .
> Sue Wetmore
> Brandon
>
> Sent from my iPod
*The Promise of Sunrise: Finding Solace in a Broken World *was published on
the spring equinox by Green Writer Press. Here's yesterday's post, as it
appeared on Substack, where you can subscribe for free or at a paid rate.
The original post appeared on the Upper Valley birding listserv, was edited
for Vermont birds, and was subsequently published on Substack with an
additional closure.
5:24 a.m. (twenty-nine minutes before sunrise). Thirty-six degrees, wind
Northwest four miles per hour, gusting to eleven. Sky: immaculate, blue and
cloudless. The crescent moon, lonely in the southeast. In anticipation of
the sun, the New Hampshire ridgeline glows a warm orange, not too heavy,
denser than sherbet, duller than an oriole. The sun rises due east over
Moose Mountain, precisely ninety degrees from where I stand, farther north
than in winter, when it rose out of the gravel works in West Lebanon and
tracked directly above Hurricane Hill. Daffodils open, and flowers nod in
subservience to the rising sun. Red maples, fully flowered. Crowns glow, a
warm, subtle brick-red, not the October knockout blow when the hillsides
achieved chromatic density.
*Annals of a Secretive Neighbor:* Silent and hidden by day, I haven't seen
either barred owl since I returned home from Colorado two weeks ago.
Yesterday, dueting began at dusk in the evergreens downhill from my
deck—hoots and caterwauls, back and forth. After dark, the owls shifted
location. Once asleep, whenever I opened my eyes, pronouncements poured
through the open windows; so close I’d sit up and contemplate tracking them
down. Serenades end by civil twilight, leaving me lacing my sneakers,
bereft in the mudroom.
5:17 a.m. Juncos and robins take over the airwaves from owls.
5:37 a.m. Chickadees and titmice join in. Six minutes later, phoebe's
rasping vocals roll out of the shed. Then, a short flight for a gray moth.
*Department of Percussionists: *5:52 a.m. Sapsucker, disjointed taps, and
pileated drumroll, one loud burst, then none, accenting the morning. Hairy
woodpecker, rapid-fire; downy, not so much. Red-bellied woodpecker and
flicker, content to scream. Ruffed grouse, somewhere in the dim woods,
wings worrying dawn.
Two tongue-tied crows, reticent as rutabagas, pass southeast, low overhead.
Well above the forest crown, a solitary raven, slow-motion wingbeats make
up for hushed crows; a burst of well-spaced gargling notes, no two quite
the same, heads west, black feathers a gorgeous sheen.
Hermit thrush and winter wren croon ... solid-gold melodies—the sweetness
of sunrise. I can't get enough of either one.
*And the Background Vocalists:* red- and white-breasted nuthatch;
white-throated, song, chipping, and a lone tree sparrow on its way home to
the Canadian hinterlands (I hope his border-crossing papers are in order);
goldfinch; Carolina wren, screaming; red-winged blackbird; voluble blue
jays, move from tree to tree in pairs, morning's spokesbirds; ruby-crowned
and golden-crowned kinglets; cedar waxwing, pine warbler.
*Pond Doings*: Spring peepers are in charge, waiting in silence for the day
to warm. Newts inhale wood frog eggs, a breakfast of raw omelets.
Fortunately, wood frogs lay eggs by the thousands—every pond and vernal
pool a congestion of anticipation.
*Department of Border Security: *Who's in charge when the Neotropical
migrants swarm our southern border? Birds and butterflies and dragonflies,
international citizens of the hemisphere. Wings on fire, rushing home to
breed. They cross the *Gulf of Mexico* and the Rio Grande by the billions,
storming our perimeters and exploiting our resources. Then, in the dark of
night, they invade Canada on a warm southern breeze, storming the Bastille,
lampooning current conventional edicts. I.C.E. be damned.
*As a lifelong naturalist and Yankee fan,* I follow a trail blazed by John
Burroughs and John Muir, neither of whom paid much attention to baseball.
My work has appeared in *Audubon*,* Sierra, Sports Illustrated, National
Wildlife, OnEarth, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Books,
Yankee, The New York Times*, *Newsday*, *The Boston Globe, The Chicago
Sun-Times, The Guardian, *and* The Daily Telegraph*. I am the author
of *Backtracking:
The Way of a Naturalist *(1987), *Blood Brook: A Naturalist's Home
Ground *(1992),
and *Liquid Land: A Journey Through the Florida Everglades* (2003), among
other works of nonfiction. I received the Burroughs Medal in 2004, the
highest literary honor awarded to an American nature writer. E. O. Wilson
called *America's Snake: The Rise and Fall of the Timber Rattlesnake *(2016)* a
beautifully written book *[that] *demonstrates just how good nature
literature can be*.
Beginning on 14 March 2020, the day after I returned home from Costa Rica,
at the onset of the pandemic lockdown, I started writing a daily
journal—part natural history, part memoir, and part commentary—which
appeared here on Substack. Since the 25 August 2021 post, I edited the 526
entries (deleting, combining, modifying) into a new book, *The Promise of
Sunrise: Finding Solace in a Broken World, *which Green Writers Press
published on the vernal equinox 2025.
Jennette Fournier's illustrations, many of which are originals (including
an otter, a bobcat, chickadees, and a black bear), a playful
Winnie-the-Pooh-esque map, and a commissioned watercolor cover grace the
book.
*From a Seven Days review.*
*The Promise of Sunrise: Finding Solace in a Broken World*
*Ted Levin, Green Writers Press, 400 pages. $21.95.*
A pissed-off woodpecker flies in and screams...
When COVID-19 crashed into his life in 2020, naturalist Ted Levin began
taking a walk each day at sunrise through the woods and wetlands around his
home in Thetford. His walks begat a daily blog and now a lyrical book that
brings to life the world of efts and otters, warblers and wrens, chickadees
and coyotes. Engaging natural history lessons — loon semen and mammoth
bones make an appearance — weave through the daily entries, and slowly the
reader also learns the story of the author's life.
Levin's writing can be extraordinarily vivid: Coyotes "hurl their voices at
the crescent moon"; a bobcat has a face "like a soiled, fraying softball";
chickadees are "four maestros working on a score." Writing such as this
demands to be read as one reads poetry, in small sips, to be fully savored.
*—Candace Page.*
On Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 4:43 PM Sandy Turner <tmsprgrn...> wrote:
> Just VT Birds. Is your other book of Covid year published yet? Sandy
>
> On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:
>
>> Sandy, do you get my Substack posts? The VT Birds is a rough draft of
>> what I will eventually publish.
>>
>
Date: 4/23/25 5:59 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 23 April 2025, (day after Earth Day), Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), Hurricane Hill, WRJ
5:24 a.m. (twenty-nine minutes before sunrise). Thirty-six degrees, wind
Northwest four miles per hour, gusting to eleven. An immaculate, cloudless
sky. Crescent moon in the empty southeast. In anticipation of the sun, the
New Hampshire ridgeline glows a warm orange, not too heavy, denser than
sherbet, duller than oriole. The sun rises due east over Moose Mountain,
precisely ninety degrees from where I stand, farther north than in winter,
when it rose out of the gravel works in West Lebanon and tracked directly
above Hurricane Hill. Daffodils open, flowers nod like in subservience to
the rising sun. Red maples, fully flowered. Crowns glow, a warm, subtle
brick-red, not the October knockout blow when the hillsides achieved
chromic density.
*Annals of a Secretive Neighbor:* Silent and hidden by day (I haven't seen
either barred owl since I returned from Colorado, two weeks ago).
Yesterday, Earth Day dueting began at dusk in the evergreens downhill from
my deck—hoots and caterwauls, back and forth. At night, whenever I opened
my eyes, owl pronouncements poured through the open windows; once, so close
I sat up and contemplated tracking them down—serenades end by civil
twilight, leaving me bereft in the mudroom, lacing my sneakers.
5:17 a.m. Juncos and robins take over the airwaves from owls.
5:37 a.m. Chickadees and titmice join in. Six minutes later, phoebe's
rasping vocals roll out of the shed. Then, a short flight for a gray moth.
*Department of Percussionists: *5:52 a.m. sapsucker, disjointed taps and
pileated drumroll, one loud burst, then none, accenting the morning. Hairy,
rapid fire; downy, not so much. Red-bellied and flicker, content to scream.
Ruffed grouse, somewhere in the dim woods, wings aflutter.
Two tongue-tied crows, reticent as rutabagas, pass southeast, low overhead.
Well above the crown of the forest, a solitary raven, slow-motion
wingbeats, makes up for silent crows; a burst of well-spaced
gargling notes, no two quite the same, heads west, black feathers shining.
Hermit thrush and winter wren croon ... solid-gold melodies—the sweetness
of sunrise. I can't get enough of either one.
*And the Background Vocalists:* red- and white-breasted nuthatch;
white-throated, song, chipping, and a lone tree sparrow on its way home to
the Canadian hinterlands (I hope his border-crossing papers are in order);
goldfinch; Carolina wren, screaming; red-winged blackbird; voluble blue
jays, move from tree to tree in pairs, morning's spokesbirds; ruby-crowned
and golden-crowned kinglets; cedar waxwing, pine warbler.
Pond, spring peepers are in charge, which wait in silence for the day to
warm. Newts inhale on wood frog eggs, raw omelets.
Fortunately, wood frogs lay eggs by the thousand, every pond a congestion
of anticipation.
Date: 4/21/25 9:55 am From: Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> Subject: [VTBIRD] phoebes building nest, not feeding young!
I went back to the Jericho Research Forest this morning, with both binoculars and a zoom camera. Again, the two phoebes were energetically flying back and forth to a nest, six visits in the first four minutes I was there. I moved closer twice, and got a closer look. They aren’t carrying insects but rather wads of nesting material, which makes much more sense for this date. I moved even closer and waited another ten-twelve minutes, but I think I had scared them off (temporarily) by getting too close. They didn’t return until I backed away many yards. - I have added a note to yesterday’s ebird report, correcting my mistaken impression!
Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
Date: 4/21/25 9:03 am From: Kathy Leonard <Kathyd.leonard...> Subject: [VTBIRD] On my walk in Randolph Center this am
- A small troupe of 7-8 white-throated sparrows joined the pair that have been foraging in our yard island,
- a brown creeper’s call helped me to spot it working among a few trees in our woods, and then
- a flicker startled me as I exited the woods.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an American pipit, but the other day when I first had turned Merlin on this season it reported one here, perhaps migrating north?
Date: 4/21/25 7:57 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] 20 April 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
Thank you, Sandy.
On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 10:25 AM Sandy Turner <tmsprgrn...> wrote:
> Dear Ted, It is such a joy for housebound birders to read your posts.
> Thank you.
> Sandy and Mark Turner
> Lyman, NH
>
> On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 8:39 AM Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:
>
> > 5:46 a.m. (twelve minutes before sunrise). Forty-four degrees, wind
> > Northwest fifteen miles per hour, gusting to thirty-three, speaking in
> > Tongues. Limbs and branches wave, hemlock shirts flutter, up and down,
> > sideways—a woodland shimmy—a noisy morning—silences runoff streams. The
> sky
> > has a thousand faces: somber in the southeast, bruised clouds
> > magenta-trimmed; the half-moon, polished, alone in the south; across the
> > northeast, a run of low, dark clouds like a mountain range rife with
> > alpenglow. And in the northwest, big clouds drift obliquely across a sea
> of
> > blue.
> >
> > *Annals of the pond*: wood frogs, dispersed. Peepers, hushed and below
> the
> > surface. Mallards and red-shouldered hawk have moved on.
> >
> > Coltsfoot in flower along the hem of the road. Red maple buds opened
> > yesterday (in the seventies), flowers await bumblebees, while the
> hillside
> > sports color ... decidedly redder than yesterday. Aspen catkins on the
> > ground, three inches long and fuzzy like a bunch of gray-green
> > caterpillars; pollen in the air (and for me, another seasonal
> congestion).
> >
> > *Dead on the Road (DOR)*: an earthworm caught and dried in yesterday's
> > *very *warm rain.
> >
> > 5:41 a.m. Barred owl calling from the woods below my house, where the
> > meadow narrows and gives way to brooding evergreens. Like a boy lured by
> > the bells of an ice cream truck, I follow the sound and search dim woods
> > for a dimly colored bird ... like staring into dark water for the shadow
> of
> > a fish. My takeaway: The barred owl lives in the neighborhood, though
> > *much *more secretive than *they* (I'm not sure of the owl's pronoun;
> > although I've taken to calling him/her George) were in winter, when bird
> > feeders lured incautious and snow-floundered red squirrels out of the
> woods
> > and across the meadow.
> >
> > 5:51 a.m. titmouse, chickadee, and golden-crowned kinglets singing, all
> > close by.
> >
> > 5:57 a.m. turkey vulture, not known to be an early riser (like my boys
> when
> > they were young), tacks northwest, flapless and gliding, primary flight
> > feathers teasing the wind.
> >
> > *Among the birds (thirty-one species):* annoyed robins, nest under
> > construction in a lilac, chip as I walk by. Winter wrens and hermit
> > thrushes enrich the sunrise, Joan Baez and Judy Collins with
> > feathers, soothing the morning. Northern flicker. Pileated. Red-bellied
> > woodpecker. Hairy and downy woodpeckers. Yellow-bellied sapsucker.
> > Sparrows—song, chipping, white-throated, dark-eyed junco. American
> > goldfinch. Northern cardinal. Raven and crows in the air. Blue jays in
> the
> > trees are loquacious, mimic everything but the wind. Cedar waxwing, a
> > disjointed flock, fights the wind to stay together. Broad-winged hawk
> > (FOY), whistles. Eastern phoebes patrol dooryards, one home after
> another.
> > Brown cowbird, squeaky in the pines, poor reputation for a bird that
> can't
> > help itself. Red- and white-breasted nuthatches. Mourning dove.
> >
> > A small flock of three ruby-crowned kinglets dances around the end of ash
> > twigs, wings flicking. Tiny bundles of energy, head aflame—red crown
> > pronounced—a speck of brilliance.
> >
> > Try as I might, I neither see nor hear a warbler or vireo. Blue-throated
> > vireos and pine and myrtle warblers are late to the party on Hurricane
> > Hill.
> >
>
Date: 4/21/25 7:26 am From: Sandy Turner <tmsprgrn...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] 20 April 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
Dear Ted, It is such a joy for housebound birders to read your posts.
Thank you.
Sandy and Mark Turner
Lyman, NH
On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 8:39 AM Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:
> 5:46 a.m. (twelve minutes before sunrise). Forty-four degrees, wind
> Northwest fifteen miles per hour, gusting to thirty-three, speaking in
> Tongues. Limbs and branches wave, hemlock shirts flutter, up and down,
> sideways—a woodland shimmy—a noisy morning—silences runoff streams. The sky
> has a thousand faces: somber in the southeast, bruised clouds
> magenta-trimmed; the half-moon, polished, alone in the south; across the
> northeast, a run of low, dark clouds like a mountain range rife with
> alpenglow. And in the northwest, big clouds drift obliquely across a sea of
> blue.
>
> *Annals of the pond*: wood frogs, dispersed. Peepers, hushed and below the
> surface. Mallards and red-shouldered hawk have moved on.
>
> Coltsfoot in flower along the hem of the road. Red maple buds opened
> yesterday (in the seventies), flowers await bumblebees, while the hillside
> sports color ... decidedly redder than yesterday. Aspen catkins on the
> ground, three inches long and fuzzy like a bunch of gray-green
> caterpillars; pollen in the air (and for me, another seasonal congestion).
>
> *Dead on the Road (DOR)*: an earthworm caught and dried in yesterday's
> *very *warm rain.
>
> 5:41 a.m. Barred owl calling from the woods below my house, where the
> meadow narrows and gives way to brooding evergreens. Like a boy lured by
> the bells of an ice cream truck, I follow the sound and search dim woods
> for a dimly colored bird ... like staring into dark water for the shadow of
> a fish. My takeaway: The barred owl lives in the neighborhood, though
> *much *more secretive than *they* (I'm not sure of the owl's pronoun;
> although I've taken to calling him/her George) were in winter, when bird
> feeders lured incautious and snow-floundered red squirrels out of the woods
> and across the meadow.
>
> 5:51 a.m. titmouse, chickadee, and golden-crowned kinglets singing, all
> close by.
>
> 5:57 a.m. turkey vulture, not known to be an early riser (like my boys when
> they were young), tacks northwest, flapless and gliding, primary flight
> feathers teasing the wind.
>
> *Among the birds (thirty-one species):* annoyed robins, nest under
> construction in a lilac, chip as I walk by. Winter wrens and hermit
> thrushes enrich the sunrise, Joan Baez and Judy Collins with
> feathers, soothing the morning. Northern flicker. Pileated. Red-bellied
> woodpecker. Hairy and downy woodpeckers. Yellow-bellied sapsucker.
> Sparrows—song, chipping, white-throated, dark-eyed junco. American
> goldfinch. Northern cardinal. Raven and crows in the air. Blue jays in the
> trees are loquacious, mimic everything but the wind. Cedar waxwing, a
> disjointed flock, fights the wind to stay together. Broad-winged hawk
> (FOY), whistles. Eastern phoebes patrol dooryards, one home after another.
> Brown cowbird, squeaky in the pines, poor reputation for a bird that can't
> help itself. Red- and white-breasted nuthatches. Mourning dove.
>
> A small flock of three ruby-crowned kinglets dances around the end of ash
> twigs, wings flicking. Tiny bundles of energy, head aflame—red crown
> pronounced—a speck of brilliance.
>
> Try as I might, I neither see nor hear a warbler or vireo. Blue-throated
> vireos and pine and myrtle warblers are late to the party on Hurricane
> Hill.
>
Noticed this morning that phoebes were starting to build their nest under the eves of my home in Hinesburg.5th year. Kay
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
On Sunday, April 20, 2025, 4:52 PM, Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> wrote:
We walked at the Jericho Research Forest today. The pair of phoebes has a nest, and it looked like they were already feeding young! They made a dozen flights back and forth to the next in the fifteen minutes I stood and watched. At first I thought they might be building the nest, but it looked like they were flying out, catching an insect, and then returning to the nest. (I saw an insect only once.) Each time, the adult would stand on the edge of the nest and bend in. Once I thought I saw the head of a chick but I wasn't sure. This is considerably earlier than the "safe dates" for breeding on the sheet we were given during the second VT Breeding Bird Atlas (which lists 5/1 - 8/15), especially for there to be chicks already. But it certainly looked like feeding young. One time, the adult spent several seconds doing something that looked like hitting the insect against the side of the building before bending to the nest with it, but I haven't yet found anything online or in my bird books about this behavior.
Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
Date: 4/20/25 1:53 pm From: Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> Subject: [VTBIRD] early nesting phoebes!
We walked at the Jericho Research Forest today. The pair of phoebes has a nest, and it looked like they were already feeding young! They made a dozen flights back and forth to the next in the fifteen minutes I stood and watched. At first I thought they might be building the nest, but it looked like they were flying out, catching an insect, and then returning to the nest. (I saw an insect only once.) Each time, the adult would stand on the edge of the nest and bend in. Once I thought I saw the head of a chick but I wasn't sure. This is considerably earlier than the "safe dates" for breeding on the sheet we were given during the second VT Breeding Bird Atlas (which lists 5/1 - 8/15), especially for there to be chicks already. But it certainly looked like feeding young. One time, the adult spent several seconds doing something that looked like hitting the insect against the side of the building before bending to the nest with it, but I haven't yet found anything online or in my bird books about this behavior.
Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
Date: 4/20/25 5:39 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 20 April 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
5:46 a.m. (twelve minutes before sunrise). Forty-four degrees, wind
Northwest fifteen miles per hour, gusting to thirty-three, speaking in
Tongues. Limbs and branches wave, hemlock shirts flutter, up and down,
sideways—a woodland shimmy—a noisy morning—silences runoff streams. The sky
has a thousand faces: somber in the southeast, bruised clouds
magenta-trimmed; the half-moon, polished, alone in the south; across the
northeast, a run of low, dark clouds like a mountain range rife with
alpenglow. And in the northwest, big clouds drift obliquely across a sea of
blue.
*Annals of the pond*: wood frogs, dispersed. Peepers, hushed and below the
surface. Mallards and red-shouldered hawk have moved on.
Coltsfoot in flower along the hem of the road. Red maple buds opened
yesterday (in the seventies), flowers await bumblebees, while the hillside
sports color ... decidedly redder than yesterday. Aspen catkins on the
ground, three inches long and fuzzy like a bunch of gray-green
caterpillars; pollen in the air (and for me, another seasonal congestion).
*Dead on the Road (DOR)*: an earthworm caught and dried in yesterday's
*very *warm rain.
5:41 a.m. Barred owl calling from the woods below my house, where the
meadow narrows and gives way to brooding evergreens. Like a boy lured by
the bells of an ice cream truck, I follow the sound and search dim woods
for a dimly colored bird ... like staring into dark water for the shadow of
a fish. My takeaway: The barred owl lives in the neighborhood, though
*much *more secretive than *they* (I'm not sure of the owl's pronoun;
although I've taken to calling him/her George) were in winter, when bird
feeders lured incautious and snow-floundered red squirrels out of the woods
and across the meadow.
5:51 a.m. titmouse, chickadee, and golden-crowned kinglets singing, all
close by.
5:57 a.m. turkey vulture, not known to be an early riser (like my boys when
they were young), tacks northwest, flapless and gliding, primary flight
feathers teasing the wind.
*Among the birds (thirty-one species):* annoyed robins, nest under
construction in a lilac, chip as I walk by. Winter wrens and hermit
thrushes enrich the sunrise, Joan Baez and Judy Collins with
feathers, soothing the morning. Northern flicker. Pileated. Red-bellied
woodpecker. Hairy and downy woodpeckers. Yellow-bellied sapsucker.
Sparrows—song, chipping, white-throated, dark-eyed junco. American
goldfinch. Northern cardinal. Raven and crows in the air. Blue jays in the
trees are loquacious, mimic everything but the wind. Cedar waxwing, a
disjointed flock, fights the wind to stay together. Broad-winged hawk
(FOY), whistles. Eastern phoebes patrol dooryards, one home after another.
Brown cowbird, squeaky in the pines, poor reputation for a bird that can't
help itself. Red- and white-breasted nuthatches. Mourning dove.
A small flock of three ruby-crowned kinglets dances around the end of ash
twigs, wings flicking. Tiny bundles of energy, head aflame—red crown
pronounced—a speck of brilliance.
Try as I might, I neither see nor hear a warbler or vireo. Blue-throated
vireos and pine and myrtle warblers are late to the party on Hurricane
Hill.
Date: 4/17/25 6:02 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 17 April 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
5:56 a.m. (six minutes before sunrise). Thirty-one degrees, wind
West-northwest, five miles per hour, gusting to twenty-three. Sky dull and
rumpled, a washed-out gray-blue; far from yesterday's molten orange and
red, a lava lamp of color quickly doused. Red maple buds swollen, ready to
burst, a maroon cast across the Hill, wispy but promising. Aspen buds are
ready to burst their sheaths. Beaked hazelnut along the edge of the meadow,
short and skinny-branched shrub in full but subtle glory, dangling
fawn-colored catkins (male or staminate flowers) and tiny, tiny magenta
pistillates (female flowers), alluring petals short and thin like mini
fingers—if the petals were sentences, they'd be *very* concise. Crocuses
are blooming, the lawn a patchwork of random colors. Daffodil flower buds
are swollen, tubular and yellow, and the leaves are straight, green swords,
a Mediterranean spring ephemeral, wild in the woods of southern Europe and
North Africa, analogous to Dutchman's breeches and bloodroot—blooming
before the woods leaf out.
Fresh red oak acorns on the road. Pulverized.
Twenty-seven species of birds, singing, flying, pounding, and provoking.
Robin stalks the lawns and screams in the woods. Crow gabs on the way to
breakfast, black bird against the gray sky. Raven muddled pronouncements, a
larger black bird against the gray sky. Red-shouldered hawk works the wood
frog pools, visions of *des cuisses de grenouille *al fresco*. *Also:
black-capped chickadee; turfted titmouse; red- and white-breasted
nuthatches; pine siskin; house finch; American goldfinch; chipping sparrow;
song sparrow; winter wren; red-winged blackbird; eastern pheobe, guttural
and garbled; barred owl (heard at two in the morning); mourning dove,
conversive wings; Carolina wren; northern cardinal (both sexes singing).
*Department of I Don't Think I Need an Audiologist:* golden-crowned
kinglet, brown creeper, and cedar waxwing.
*Buddy Rich Department: *pileated woodpecker invasive drumming, all
encompassing; downy woodpecker, soft drumming (17 beats per second,
drumroll less than a second); hairy woodpecker, faster and louder than
downy (26 beats per second, drumroll longer than a second); northern
flicker, fast and loud, but not nearly as loud as pileated, (23 beats per
second); yellow-bellied sapsucker, Western Union telegraph, a
stuttering transmission—drumroll, double tap (fast but unevenly spaced),
then fades away. Keeping to himself this morning: red-bellied woodpecker.
Hey all,
I wanted to share about Green Mountain Audubon Society’s final online program of our 2024-25 speaker series tomorrow evening. Kevin Tolan, UVM grad student and staff biologist at Vermont Center for Ecostudies will be speaking to us about grassland birds in the Northeast. Join us online at 6:30 pm tomorrow to learn more. For more information and to register, visit the link below:
https://www.greenmountainaudubon.org/events/meadows-mountains-and-moraines-the-history-and-future-of-northeastern-grassland
You can report dead birds at dbird.org. I’ve reported birds here, but I don’t know much about it. Maybe others here do? I learned of this website through Pasadena Audubon.
Sent from my iPad
> On Apr 16, 2025, at 8:14 PM, <0000002d57029402-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> My neighbor took one killed by window strike. He cleaned, froze and enjoyed it as a meal later. Kay in Hinesburg
>
>
> Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
>
>
> On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 9:52 AM, Jim Morris <0000019b462d357c-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> They are good to eat. Have friend give to someone who will use and enjoy it.
> On Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 09:33:58 PM EDT, Jeanne Elias <moosewoman...> wrote:
>
> Does anyone know whether there are folks conducting research who might be interested in the body of a Ruffed Grouse killed in a window strike? Asking for a friend…
> Jeannie
My neighbor took one killed by window strike. He cleaned, froze and enjoyed it as a meal later. Kay in Hinesburg
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 9:52 AM, Jim Morris <0000019b462d357c-dmarc-request...> wrote:
They are good to eat. Have friend give to someone who will use and enjoy it.
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 09:33:58 PM EDT, Jeanne Elias <moosewoman...> wrote:
Does anyone know whether there are folks conducting research who might be interested in the body of a Ruffed Grouse killed in a window strike? Asking for a friend…
Jeannie
Date: 4/16/25 10:03 am From: Carolyn Boardman <nekcarolyn...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Fatal Window Strike for Ruffed Grouse
Yes, oh yes. So good.
One hit the side of our barn, thud.
Cooked it up and yum.
> On Apr 16, 2025, at 12:33 PM, Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> wrote:
>
> Agreed.... we had one come through the picture window one morning and I
> couldn't resist. They're easy to prepare (no plucking necessary as a
> pheasant requires). On the stovetop with a little butter, white wine, and
> salt and pepper. Doesn't get much better.
> Kim in Bennington
>
> On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 10:22 AM Jared Katz <
> <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
>> I have to be honest, if I have a grouse strike, and it’s very recent, it’s
>> dinner. If not that, a nice place in the woods away from dog traffic can
>> let it go back into the cycle of life outside the kitchen.
>>
>> Jared
>>
>>
>>
Date: 4/16/25 9:37 am From: Kim Likakis <kim.likakis...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Fatal Window Strike for Ruffed Grouse
Agreed.... we had one come through the picture window one morning and I
couldn't resist. They're easy to prepare (no plucking necessary as a
pheasant requires). On the stovetop with a little butter, white wine, and
salt and pepper. Doesn't get much better.
Kim in Bennington
On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 10:22 AM Jared Katz <
<000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> I have to be honest, if I have a grouse strike, and it’s very recent, it’s
> dinner. If not that, a nice place in the woods away from dog traffic can
> let it go back into the cycle of life outside the kitchen.
>
> Jared
>
>
>
Date: 4/16/25 7:22 am From: Jared Katz <000003825c43bc1a-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Fatal Window Strike for Ruffed Grouse
I have to be honest, if I have a grouse strike, and it’s very recent, it’s dinner. If not that, a nice place in the woods away from dog traffic can let it go back into the cycle of life outside the kitchen.
Jared
> On Apr 15, 2025, at 9:33 PM, Jeanne Elias <moosewoman...> wrote:
>
> Does anyone know whether there are folks conducting research who might be interested in the body of a Ruffed Grouse killed in a window strike? Asking for a friend…
> Jeannie
Date: 4/16/25 6:53 am From: Jim Morris <0000019b462d357c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Fatal Window Strike for Ruffed Grouse
They are good to eat. Have friend give to someone who will use and enjoy it.
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 09:33:58 PM EDT, Jeanne Elias <moosewoman...> wrote:
Does anyone know whether there are folks conducting research who might be interested in the body of a Ruffed Grouse killed in a window strike? Asking for a friend…
Jeannie
Date: 4/15/25 6:34 pm From: Jeanne Elias <moosewoman...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Fatal Window Strike for Ruffed Grouse
Does anyone know whether there are folks conducting research who might be interested in the body of a Ruffed Grouse killed in a window strike? Asking for a friend…
Jeannie
Highlights in the report include the state’s first state records of
Hammond’s Flycatcher (Empidonax hammondii) and Black-throated Gray Warbler
(Septophaga nigrescens). Also of note was the state’s second accepted
record for Ruff (Calidrix pugnax), last accepted in 1991, and the second
accepted record of Mexican Violetear (Colibri thalassinus), last accepted
in 2021.
Date: 4/15/25 9:18 am From: Peter Pappas <0000005a7513ad28-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Loon. 1st of the year. Sherman Reservoir, Whitingham VT
Seen 4/15/25 in the morning.1 Common Loon. First I've seen this year.4 Bonaparte's Gull. First I've seen at this location1 Bald Eagle. On the nest.and Common Mergansers
Date: 4/14/25 11:33 am From: Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Ducks
A nice variety of waterfowl in the flooded fields of Leicester Jct along Jerusalem Rd.
Pintail, widgeon, green winged teal, mallard, blacks, Canadas, ringneckeds, and bufflehead.
Sue Wetmore
Date: 4/13/25 8:57 pm From: Marvin Elliott <marvelliott61...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] UVM Bird ID hike in Red Rocks Park
I am sorry to say i am out of town and will not return in time. I hope you
can find some assistance.
Marv Elliott
On Sun, Apr 13, 2025 at 7:38 AM Terry Marron <
<00000d129fea9673-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I am sharing this request, which I received via Master Naturalist program.
> I am busy that day and can not help out. It would be great if someone from
> our birding community could help them out!
>
> Please contact Dan if you are interested. <Daniel.Mayer...> mailto:
> <Daniel.Mayer...>
>
> On Saturday, April 26th at 8am a group of 2 student trip guides will be
> leading a Bird ID hike in Red Rocks Park. The maximum number of students
> (including leaders) would be 12. We are open to amending the location
> and/or start time, and would love to have a community birder support our
> student leaders on this hike!
>
> We would be able to compensate $100 (via PayPal or check) for the outing.
>
> Please let me know if there is anything else I can provide from our end!
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Dan Mayer
>
>
> Daniel Mayer(he/him)
> Program Coordinator, Outdoor Experience Learning Community
>
> University Housing and Dining Services
> University of Vermont
> 103 - Wing | 486 S Prospect St
> Burlington, VT 05405
>
> (802)-656-7955| <Daniel.Mayer...> mailto:<Daniel.Mayer...> >
> Terry Marron
> Williston, VT
>
> Resist, Insist and Persist!
>
>
>
Date: 4/13/25 2:50 pm From: Patrick Phillips <phillipspatj...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] UVM Bird ID hike in Red Rocks Park
I also got this request, but will be in AZ. I will share it with board members to see if there is anyone else willing to take it on. Pat P.S. Your trip looked fabulous!
On Sun, Apr 13, 2025 at 8:38 AM Terry Marron < <00000d129fea9673-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Hi folks, > > I am sharing this request, which I received via Master Naturalist program. > I am busy that day and can not help out. It would be great if someone from > our birding community could help them out! > > Please contact Dan if you are interested. <Daniel.Mayer...> mailto: > <Daniel.Mayer...> > > On Saturday, April 26th at 8am a group of 2 student trip guides will be > leading a Bird ID hike in Red Rocks Park. The maximum number of students > (including leaders) would be 12. We are open to amending the location > and/or start time, and would love to have a community birder support our > student leaders on this hike! > > We would be able to compensate $100 (via PayPal or check) for the outing. > > Please let me know if there is anything else I can provide from our end! > > Thanks in advance, > Dan Mayer > > > Daniel Mayer(he/him) > Program Coordinator, Outdoor Experience Learning Community > > University Housing and Dining Services > University of Vermont > 103 - Wing | 486 S Prospect St > Burlington, VT 05405 > > (802)-656-7955| <Daniel.Mayer...> mailto:<Daniel.Mayer...> > > Terry Marron > Williston, VT > > Resist, Insist and Persist! > > >
Date: 4/13/25 5:38 am From: Terry Marron <00000d129fea9673-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] UVM Bird ID hike in Red Rocks Park
Hi folks,
I am sharing this request, which I received via Master Naturalist program. I am busy that day and can not help out. It would be great if someone from our birding community could help them out!
On Saturday, April 26th at 8am a group of 2 student trip guides will be leading a Bird ID hike in Red Rocks Park. The maximum number of students (including leaders) would be 12. We are open to amending the location and/or start time, and would love to have a community birder support our student leaders on this hike!
We would be able to compensate $100 (via PayPal or check) for the outing.
Please let me know if there is anything else I can provide from our end!
Thanks in advance, Dan Mayer
Daniel Mayer(he/him) Program Coordinator, Outdoor Experience Learning Community
University Housing and Dining Services University of Vermont 103 - Wing | 486 S Prospect St Burlington, VT 05405
Date: 4/12/25 3:14 pm From: Ian Clark <ian...> Subject: [VTBIRD] New blog post with wildlife pix
With the weather warming and our road turning to mud, it is time for me to get away from the desk for a bit to see who's out and about. Turns out there are owls aplenty along with other interesting birds. Take a look at the pix on my blog: https://tinyurl.com/58s7pa75.
You can subscribe to the blog at the bottom of the post if you'd like to know when I post.
And I'm looking for critters again. Anyone have foxes, coyotes or even a bobcat? I'm always looking for mammals larger than squirrels. Also looking for a woodpecker nest. I'd love to know if you've got any of them.
Date: 4/12/25 6:05 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 12 April 2025: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
6:11 a.m. (sunrise two minutes earlier than yesterday). Twenty-nine
degrees, wind North-northeast one mile per hour, gusting to seven. Sky:
uniform blue-gray, no breaks of light. The sun is up, but you'd never know
it. Snowing. An inch of small, wet, sticky flakes, straight down. A world
glazed, every branch, every twig. Hemlock limbs sag. The warmest patches of
the road are snowless, otherwise slushed and puddled. Everywhere else ...
white. Hurricane Hill, an out-of-season greeting card.
Wood frogs and peepers are silently and patiently below the water's surface
... waiting. Spotted and Jefferson's salamanders bide their time beneath
the snow and leaf litter. Also, waiting for that miraculous warm, all-night
rain that triggers their short spawning trek to vernal pools, a journey two
hundred million years in the making.
Yesterday's eastern towhee either moved to silence or absence. A flock of
cedar waxwings (twenty-plus) passes high above the meadow heading east, a
shapeless bunch of songbirds mute as marmalade. Flight vanishes into the
density of weather.
Robins look natty in a snowstorm, brick red bright against the white.
Everywhere and cheerfully singing. Background vocals: chickadees
(bedraggled and dripping), white-breasted nuthatches, red-breasted
nuthatches, song sparrows (returned in abundance while I was Colorado),
phoebes also moved to silence. Crows, ravens, and jays keep to themselves.
Turkey feeds in the meadow; no histrionics.
George, the neighborhood barred owl, has been busy with domestic chores and
has relinquished his daily backyard vigil. Even the snow hasn't lured him
back to my steady procession of floundering red squirrels below the bird
feeders ... yet.
Pileated takes apart a sugar maple—top of the tree excavations—five oblong
holes, two more than a foot long and several inches deep—a carpet of wood
chips under the rug of fresh snow.
Date: 4/11/25 6:37 am From: Allan Strong <Allan.Strong...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Bobolink Project - seeking donations for more bird-friendly fields
Hi VT Birders,
Over the past year, The Bobolink Project has been very active in working with farmers who are interested in enrolling their property in bird-friendly management haying operations.
You may remember from past emails, the way the project works is we solicit bids from farmers and other landowners with Bobolink habitat and ask them how much they would need to delay mowing on their fields so that Bobolinks and other grassland birds can successfully fledge young.
Once we have these bids, we reach out to the general public to secure donations that are paid directly to the farmers. This year, we have nearly doubled the potential acreage that can be enrolled, but we don't currently have enough funds to cover all of the bids.
If you are interested and able to help out, this has been a great project for our grassland birds. Last year, we fledged nearly 750 Bobolinks from Vermont fields, which also supported several Eastern Meadowlarks, one Grasshopper Sparrow, and lots of Savannah Sparrows.
Date: 4/11/25 3:16 am From: Marguerite Heckscher <00000e59ff4cc836-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Trumpeter Swans in Pittsford?
Hello and thanks for all the responses. Very exciting!
I spotted them in a valley between Rt 3 and a small cul-de-sac named Crown Point North, which is between Corn Hill and Stevens Roads off of Rt 3. The valley floods easily and often and looked like a lake a few days ago. I havent seen them since, but I’ve been away during the day all week.
Someone in this group asked if I was sure they weren’t mute swans. This is the downside of being an inexperienced birder: I didn’t know the telltale signs to look for in the moment. However, the pair I saw were very straight-necked. It’s my understanding that mute swans’ necks appear S-shaped as they glide. The necks on these birds were not S-shaped.
Marguerite
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
On Thursday, April 10, 2025, 3:30 PM, Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> wrote:
I was there at Pomaimville this morning and did not see them.
Sue Wetmore
Brandon
Sent from my iPod
> On Apr 10, 2025, at 3:29 PM, Eugenia Cooke <euge24241...> wrote:
>
> Where in Pittsford? Pomainville WMA? Would love to spot them. We saw one
> about 10 years ago near Brandon.
>
>> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025, 7:07 AM Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:
>>
>> Trumpeter swans were reintroduced into western Ohio along the shoreline of
>> Lake Erie. They're nesting in Magee Marsh and the adjacent national
>> wildlife refuge between Oberlin and Toledo. Perhaps, like sandhill cranes,
>> they're expanding their range eastward into historic breeding territory.
>> Time will tell.
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 4:08 AM Richard Littauer <
>> <richard.littauer...>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Both of these swans occur in Vermont, rarely. The eBird maps show that
>> they
>>> come here: https://ebird.org/species/truswa/US-VT and
>>> https://ebird.org/species/tunswa/US-VT.
>>>
>>> And there have been two Trumpeter Swans seen in the area recently. You're
>>> lucky to have seen them, too! Good ID.
>>>
>>>
>> https://ebird.org/map/truswa?neg=true&<env.minX...>&<env.minY...>&<env.maxX...>&<env.maxY...>&zh=true&gp=false&ev=Z&excludeExX=false&excludeExAll=false&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2025 >>>
>>> Best,
>>> Richard
>>>
>>> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM Marguerite Heckscher <
>>> <00000e59ff4cc836-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Yesterday afternoon, I saw two very large, straight-necked swans
>> gliding
>>>> on a body of water in a valley that often turns into a temporary lake
>> in
>>>> Pittsford. I got a good look at them through binoculars and, having
>> seen
>>>> many tundra swans in my lifetime, I think they must have been
>> trumpeters
>>>> because they were definitely bigger than tundras. Is that possible? Has
>>>> anyone in this community ever seen trumpeter swans in VT? The map for
>>> them
>>>> on Cornell Lab of Ornithology site does not include VT.
>>>>
>>>> Marguerite Lenius (a novice birder who is new to VT)
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Richard Littauer | burntfen.com <http://www.burntfen.com> | socials:
>>> richard.social
>>>
>>
Date: 4/10/25 12:30 pm From: Sue Wetmore <000006207b3956ac-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Trumpeter Swans in Pittsford?
I was there at Pomaimville this morning and did not see them.
Sue Wetmore
Brandon
Sent from my iPod
> On Apr 10, 2025, at 3:29 PM, Eugenia Cooke <euge24241...> wrote:
>
> Where in Pittsford? Pomainville WMA? Would love to spot them. We saw one
> about 10 years ago near Brandon.
>
>> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025, 7:07 AM Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:
>>
>> Trumpeter swans were reintroduced into western Ohio along the shoreline of
>> Lake Erie. They're nesting in Magee Marsh and the adjacent national
>> wildlife refuge between Oberlin and Toledo. Perhaps, like sandhill cranes,
>> they're expanding their range eastward into historic breeding territory.
>> Time will tell.
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 4:08 AM Richard Littauer <
>> <richard.littauer...>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Both of these swans occur in Vermont, rarely. The eBird maps show that
>> they
>>> come here: https://ebird.org/species/truswa/US-VT and
>>> https://ebird.org/species/tunswa/US-VT.
>>>
>>> And there have been two Trumpeter Swans seen in the area recently. You're
>>> lucky to have seen them, too! Good ID.
>>>
>>>
>> https://ebird.org/map/truswa?neg=true&<env.minX...>&<env.minY...>&<env.maxX...>&<env.maxY...>&zh=true&gp=false&ev=Z&excludeExX=false&excludeExAll=false&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2025 >>>
>>> Best,
>>> Richard
>>>
>>> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM Marguerite Heckscher <
>>> <00000e59ff4cc836-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Yesterday afternoon, I saw two very large, straight-necked swans
>> gliding
>>>> on a body of water in a valley that often turns into a temporary lake
>> in
>>>> Pittsford. I got a good look at them through binoculars and, having
>> seen
>>>> many tundra swans in my lifetime, I think they must have been
>> trumpeters
>>>> because they were definitely bigger than tundras. Is that possible? Has
>>>> anyone in this community ever seen trumpeter swans in VT? The map for
>>> them
>>>> on Cornell Lab of Ornithology site does not include VT.
>>>>
>>>> Marguerite Lenius (a novice birder who is new to VT)
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Richard Littauer | burntfen.com <http://www.burntfen.com> | socials:
>>> richard.social
>>>
>>
Date: 4/10/25 7:48 am From: Ryan Tomazin <wvwarblers...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Trumpeter Swans in Pittsford?
I do believe they're spreading eastward in Ohio, and I know the odd few have been showing up in NW PA recently. I've since moved from SW PA to just south of Minneapolis, and we have a glut of them here, so they're bound to be marching eastward. Can't think of a better bird for Vermont! Also can't wait for my first springtime with them here in MN!
Ryan Tomazin
(now) Burnsville, MN
________________________________
From: Vermont Birds <VTBIRD...> on behalf of Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...>
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2025 7:07 AM
To: <VTBIRD...> <VTBIRD...>
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Trumpeter Swans in Pittsford?
Trumpeter swans were reintroduced into western Ohio along the shoreline of
Lake Erie. They're nesting in Magee Marsh and the adjacent national
wildlife refuge between Oberlin and Toledo. Perhaps, like sandhill cranes,
they're expanding their range eastward into historic breeding territory.
Time will tell.
On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 4:08 AM Richard Littauer <richard.littauer...>
wrote:
> Both of these swans occur in Vermont, rarely. The eBird maps show that they
> come here: https://ebird.org/species/truswa/US-VT and
> https://ebird.org/species/tunswa/US-VT.
>
> And there have been two Trumpeter Swans seen in the area recently. You're
> lucky to have seen them, too! Good ID.
>
> https://ebird.org/map/truswa?neg=true&<env.minX...>&<env.minY...>&<env.maxX...>&<env.maxY...>&zh=true&gp=false&ev=Z&excludeExX=false&excludeExAll=false&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2025 >
> Best,
> Richard
>
> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM Marguerite Heckscher <
> <00000e59ff4cc836-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> > Yesterday afternoon, I saw two very large, straight-necked swans gliding
> > on a body of water in a valley that often turns into a temporary lake in
> > Pittsford. I got a good look at them through binoculars and, having seen
> > many tundra swans in my lifetime, I think they must have been trumpeters
> > because they were definitely bigger than tundras. Is that possible? Has
> > anyone in this community ever seen trumpeter swans in VT? The map for
> them
> > on Cornell Lab of Ornithology site does not include VT.
> >
> > Marguerite Lenius (a novice birder who is new to VT)
> >
>
>
> --
> Richard Littauer | burntfen.com <http://www.burntfen.com> | socials:
> richard.social
>
Date: 4/10/25 4:47 am From: Eugenia Cooke <euge24241...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Trumpeter Swans in Pittsford?
Where in Pittsford? Pomainville WMA? Would love to spot them. We saw one
about 10 years ago near Brandon.
On Thu, Apr 10, 2025, 7:07 AM Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:
> Trumpeter swans were reintroduced into western Ohio along the shoreline of
> Lake Erie. They're nesting in Magee Marsh and the adjacent national
> wildlife refuge between Oberlin and Toledo. Perhaps, like sandhill cranes,
> they're expanding their range eastward into historic breeding territory.
> Time will tell.
>
> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 4:08 AM Richard Littauer <
> <richard.littauer...>
> wrote:
>
> > Both of these swans occur in Vermont, rarely. The eBird maps show that
> they
> > come here: https://ebird.org/species/truswa/US-VT and
> > https://ebird.org/species/tunswa/US-VT.
> >
> > And there have been two Trumpeter Swans seen in the area recently. You're
> > lucky to have seen them, too! Good ID.
> >
> >
> https://ebird.org/map/truswa?neg=true&<env.minX...>&<env.minY...>&<env.maxX...>&<env.maxY...>&zh=true&gp=false&ev=Z&excludeExX=false&excludeExAll=false&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2025 > >
> > Best,
> > Richard
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM Marguerite Heckscher <
> > <00000e59ff4cc836-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> >
> > > Yesterday afternoon, I saw two very large, straight-necked swans
> gliding
> > > on a body of water in a valley that often turns into a temporary lake
> in
> > > Pittsford. I got a good look at them through binoculars and, having
> seen
> > > many tundra swans in my lifetime, I think they must have been
> trumpeters
> > > because they were definitely bigger than tundras. Is that possible? Has
> > > anyone in this community ever seen trumpeter swans in VT? The map for
> > them
> > > on Cornell Lab of Ornithology site does not include VT.
> > >
> > > Marguerite Lenius (a novice birder who is new to VT)
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Richard Littauer | burntfen.com <http://www.burntfen.com> | socials:
> > richard.social
> >
>
Date: 4/10/25 4:07 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Trumpeter Swans in Pittsford?
Trumpeter swans were reintroduced into western Ohio along the shoreline of
Lake Erie. They're nesting in Magee Marsh and the adjacent national
wildlife refuge between Oberlin and Toledo. Perhaps, like sandhill cranes,
they're expanding their range eastward into historic breeding territory.
Time will tell.
On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 4:08 AM Richard Littauer <richard.littauer...>
wrote:
> Both of these swans occur in Vermont, rarely. The eBird maps show that they
> come here: https://ebird.org/species/truswa/US-VT and
> https://ebird.org/species/tunswa/US-VT.
>
> And there have been two Trumpeter Swans seen in the area recently. You're
> lucky to have seen them, too! Good ID.
>
> https://ebird.org/map/truswa?neg=true&<env.minX...>&<env.minY...>&<env.maxX...>&<env.maxY...>&zh=true&gp=false&ev=Z&excludeExX=false&excludeExAll=false&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2025 >
> Best,
> Richard
>
> On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM Marguerite Heckscher <
> <00000e59ff4cc836-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> > Yesterday afternoon, I saw two very large, straight-necked swans gliding
> > on a body of water in a valley that often turns into a temporary lake in
> > Pittsford. I got a good look at them through binoculars and, having seen
> > many tundra swans in my lifetime, I think they must have been trumpeters
> > because they were definitely bigger than tundras. Is that possible? Has
> > anyone in this community ever seen trumpeter swans in VT? The map for
> them
> > on Cornell Lab of Ornithology site does not include VT.
> >
> > Marguerite Lenius (a novice birder who is new to VT)
> >
>
>
> --
> Richard Littauer | burntfen.com <http://www.burntfen.com> | socials:
> richard.social
>
On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM Marguerite Heckscher <
<00000e59ff4cc836-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Yesterday afternoon, I saw two very large, straight-necked swans gliding
> on a body of water in a valley that often turns into a temporary lake in
> Pittsford. I got a good look at them through binoculars and, having seen
> many tundra swans in my lifetime, I think they must have been trumpeters
> because they were definitely bigger than tundras. Is that possible? Has
> anyone in this community ever seen trumpeter swans in VT? The map for them
> on Cornell Lab of Ornithology site does not include VT.
>
> Marguerite Lenius (a novice birder who is new to VT)
>
Yesterday afternoon, I saw two very large, straight-necked swans gliding on a body of water in a valley that often turns into a temporary lake in Pittsford. I got a good look at them through binoculars and, having seen many tundra swans in my lifetime, I think they must have been trumpeters because they were definitely bigger than tundras. Is that possible? Has anyone in this community ever seen trumpeter swans in VT? The map for them on Cornell Lab of Ornithology site does not include VT.
Marguerite Lenius (a novice birder who is new to VT)
Date: 4/9/25 12:08 pm From: Jeanne Elias <moosewoman...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Mad Birders Spring Bird Walks- Correction!!!
Our first walk, the Tree ID walk, will be led by Mad Birder Tammy Tuck, along with Brandon Benedict!
> MAD BIRDERS 2025 SPRING WALK SCHEDULE IS UP!
> We are very excited about this year’s slate of walks, starting with our second annual Tree Identification Walk on April 18th with Washington County Forester Brandon Benedict and Mad Birder Tammy Tuck!
> DETAILS at https://madbirders.org/ > Open to the public. All are welcome.
Date: 4/9/25 5:47 am From: Jeanne Elias <moosewoman...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Mad Birders spring Bird Walks
MAD BIRDERS 2025 SPRING WALK SCHEDULE IS UP!
We are very excited about this year’s slate of walks, starting with our second annual Tree Identification Walk on April 18th with Washington County Forester Brandon Benedict and Mad Birder Ali Wagner!
DETAILS at https://madbirders.org/ Open to the public. All are welcome.
