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| Nature News - 2007
Discover what's happening outside around you. Our on-line nature journal is a bit like a blog of natural events. We'll update it often. If you've explored the North Branch Nature Center recently, send us your sightings and we’ll post them here. We’d love to hear from you. 2007 January December 15, 2007 What a day for a birdcount! Teams of bird counters braved the cold for the 45th annual Plainfield Christmas Bird Count. Although we are still waiting for one team's results to post final tallies, some highlights thus far include:
December 14, 2007 Chip, Larry, and Amelia braved the snow for the Mad River Christmas Bird Count, and recorded the following:
December 13, 2007
December 12, 2007 Among the usual visitors to the large Maple outside our office windows was a Brown Creeper. Anticipation is building for the upcoming Christmas Bird Counts. Stay tuned, for results will be posted here as they become available. December 11, 2007 As Chip and a board member walked towards eachother down the path at the Nature Center, a Wild Turkey found itself caught in the middle. The startled turkey took off into the field. December 10, 2007
December 5, 2007 A Northern Shrike perched on a tree limb outside our window just long enough to give an amazing close-up look! A Mourning Dove in a nearby branch remained frozen in place throughout the ordeal. December 3, 2007 Late last week, in East Montpelier, Sandal discovered a caterpillar walking atop the snow. The caterpillar was identified as a Large Yellow Underwing, an invasive accidentally introduced into eastern Canada from Europe around 1979. It is not uncommon to see this species during thaws throughout the winter, so keep your eyes peeled! A Northern Goshawk was sighted in Middlesex by Brandon, a former camper and friend on North Branch. It perched in a tree long enough for him to enjoy a great view! November 15, 2007 About two weeks ago, USA Today ran a story about Citizen Science featuring NBNC's Monarch Tagging Program. Click here to view the article.
Photos by Larry Clarfeld
November 12, 2007
November 11, 2007 During a walk around Berlin Pond, Chip sighted Common Loon, Ring-necked Duck, Common and Hooded Merganser, and Common Goldeneye. Farther north, Larry observed a Barred Owl perched on a telephone line outside Shelburne Farms during the early afternoon. November 9, 2007 A lone Grackle was seen at the Nature Center. November 3, 2007 Bohemian Waxwings continue to be seen down along the North Branch where they are feeding on honeysuckle fruits. White-crowned Sparrows and American Tree Sparrows are also being seen at the Nature Center. A large flock of 18 plus Bohemian Waxwings were seen down by the river this afternoon. The birds were resting in the tops of the trees and not actively feeding. October 31, 2007 Snow Buntings and a Clouded Sulphur were both sighted at the Nature Center today. How strange to see a butterfly and visitors from the arctic in the same day! The group 5 Snow Buntings were seen in the parking lot this morning and the lone sulphur was seen visiting Johnny Jump-ups in the community garden. A mixed flock of Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings were also sighted flying over the Center. Another surprise visitor was seen at the end of the day - a Northern Shrike. We were fortunate to watch the shrike catch and devour a dragonfly! October 30 , 2007
October 25 , 2007 A Red-tailed Hawk was seen perched in the vacinity of the community gardens. Two Hermit Thrushes were also sighted.October 23 , 2007
October 17 , 2007 The NBNC teen birders headed over to the Champlain Valley today to check out the Snow Geese and search for other migrants. We estimated there were 750 to 1,000 Snow Geese visible in the fields north of Route 17 at Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area. There also a few lingering shorebirds including Black-bellied Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs and a probable Long-billed Dowitcher. The highlight of our day though was seeing the family of 3 Sandhill Cranes in Bristol that nesting this past summer at Lake Winona - a first nesting record for this beautiful species in Vermont! October 14 , 2007 The cover article of The Burlington Free Press featured citizen science projects in Vermont, and the photograph featured NBNC's Monarch Tagging Program offered in September. Click here to view the article. If you are interested in citizen science projects at NBNC, but missed out on the Monarchs, stay tuned for winter bird counts and Amphibian Monitoring this spring! October 10 , 2007 It has been a spectacular day for wildlife sightings at NBNC! During lunch, we viewed a Peregrine Falcon fly directly overhead, a new addition to the NBNC bird list! Other sightings include White-crowned and Song Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet displaying. We also found a Common Snapping Turtle hatchling on its way to the river. Click here to see the baby turtle. October 9 , 2007 Still lots of sparrows around the community garden at the nature center - mostly White-crowned, White-throated and Song Sparrows. The songs of migrating Ruby-crowned Kinglets can be heard occasionally and a Pileated Woodpecker has been seen flying over the center almost daily for the last week. Pictures from our recent Plum Island teen birding trip are now posted! Scroll down to the News for 9/23 to see them. October 6, 2007 A NBNC trip over to Dead Creek to see the Snow Geese produced few Snow Geese (around 200 birds), but many other interesting migrants, including: American Pipit, Greater Yellowlegs, Northern Harrier, Black-crowned NIght-Heron, Merlin and 15 Great-blue Herons (all in one area!). A VESPER SPARROW put in an appearance today, down by the community gardens. The bird was quite skiddish, flying out and up into the tree tops when disturbed. Vesper Sparrows have only been seen here 3 or 4 times in the last 10 years. September 28, 2007 A flurry of bird activity this morning for our last bird walk of the fall. Highlights included two low flying Osprey, a Lincoln's Sparrow and a Palm Warbler. Here's the complete list:
September 23, 2007
Our bird list is as follows:
September 19, 2007 More Monarch tagging today - that makes about two dozen or so tagged so far. Also a Band-winged Meadowhawk around the butterfly garden today. September 18, 2007 It's a great time of year for darner dragonflies. Black-tipped, Lance-tailed and Canada. Yellow-legged Meadowhawks are also still flying. September 17, 2007 Some interesting bird reports from over the weekend, including a Red-necked Grebe on Berlin Pond and an immature Hooded Merganser from a small pond in Middlesex. Also in Middlesex an Ovenbird was heard giving its breeding season "flight song", a song usually heard in the summer months. September 14, 2007 More migrants about for this morning's bird walk. A Northern Parula Warbler put in a brief appearance, as well as Black-throated Green, Yellow-rumped and Chestnut-sided Warblers. Purple Finches, Gray Catbirds, and large flocks of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins are all taking advantage of the abundance of fruit along the river. Seed heads of Ten-rayed Sunflower are attracting the attention of Black-capped Chickadees. September 13, 2007 More migrants out and about today - Solitary Sandpiper, Red-eyed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Flicker - as well as more Monarchs! September 12, 2007 Despite the winds, a good day for Monarch. We tagged 10 this afternoon during our first Monach Butterfly Tagging program of the season. Also a good day for raptors - Turkey Vulture, Broad-winged Hawk and Northern Harrier were all seen migrating south today. September 8, 2007 Pictures of the emerging Black Swallowtail have been posted. Click here, or scroll down to the news for August 31st.September 7, 2007 A wonderful assortment of migrating songbirds graced our first morning bird walk of the fall. A young Merlin seemed to be attracted to the large flock of migrants foraging in the woods along the river. The following birds were all seen or heard along the trails at the nature center:
Two Ospreys were spotted flying over the North Branch of the Winooski from the Nature Center. August 31, 2007 With summer camp a few weeks behind us, it is time to share some of the natural wonders we have witnessed with our campers:
August 29, 2007 Chip, Sandal, Amelia, and Larry took a field trip to Peecham Bog, and found Common Gartersnakes, Pitcher Plants, Labrador Tea, Cranberry, and more It's been a great year for Peregrine Falcons in Vermont. The Marshfield Mountain pair, which NBNC staff and volunteers monitored successfully fledged one chick. This report is courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation in Vermont. Preliminary Statistics: Site by Site Results: July 13, 2007 The rescheduled North Montpelier NABA (North American Butterfly Count) was held today. A great day for butterflies, until the clouds rolled in mid-afternoon. And here are the results of our 8th annual count, which covers a full 15-mile diameter circle:
Finally a day that feels like summer! The butterflies are happy to see the sun as well. Butterflies flying around the fields and gardens at the nature include both Baltimore and Harris' Checkerspots, European Skipper and Monarch. And yesterday kids during summer camp discovered a recently emerged Copper Underwing (moth) in one of their terrariums. 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 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
The final Friday bird walk of season this morning. Most of the birds we saw were residents (with maybe a few migrants mixed in) inlcuding: Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck, Veery, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Oriole
May 25, 2007 NBNC conducted a birdwalk this morning in Barre at the "Cow Pasture". The Cow Pasture is across the street from Hope Cemetary and features deciduous woods, fields and early successional habitat perfect for birds. Our list for the morning included: Pileated Woodpecker May 23, 2007 We conducted our first "unofficial" butterfly census at the Nature Center. This is something we plan to do every week or every other week. Chip, Larry and Amelia walked the perimeter of the field for an hour and recorded the following: Cabbage White - 5 We also noted a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail earlier in the day. May 21, 2007 The warm weather has brought with it butterflies - finally! A Silvery Blue was seen checking out wild strawberry flowers in the butterfly garden and several Milbert's Tortoiseshells were found skimming over the fields. May 19, 2007 Venus and the moon formed a beautiful pair in the evening sky tonight. Brilliant Venus was situated just below the crescent moon, forming a "cosmic question mark!" May 18, 2007
Meanwhile, back at the North Branch Nature Center, staff added two new species to the bird list - a Northern Waterthrush and a flock of about 30 Brant! A flock of 60 Brant were also reported yesterday from Lake Willoughby. May 17 , 2007
May 8, 2007 A definite influx of migrant birds overnight! Gray Catbird, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird and House Wren all first of season birds at the Nature Center. And reported from the local area were Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green and Nashville Warblers. Enjoy!
Nature Center staff are often in the habit of eating lunch outside, which inevitably results in some interesting wildlife sightings. Today's catch featured the first Spring Azure (butterfly) of the season, a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle, a Bee Fly (probably Bombylius major), a Broad-winged Hawk and a Savannah Sparrow visiting the birdfeeders.
Participants in our regular Sunday afternoon women's walks were treated to a nice display of early spring wildflowers. Between the nature center and the trail to Hubbard Park, walkers enjoyed blooming Spring Beauty, Blue Cohosh, Coltsfoot, Bloodroot, Dutchman's Britches and Red Trillium. Meanwhile, around the Wrightsville Reservoir, some interesting bird sightings were reported:
More birds were heard than seen on a Middlesex Notch bird walk this morning. New arrivals included a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Hermit Thrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo and a pair of Winter Wrens. Wildflowers are just starting to bloom in the notch, including hepatica, Red Trillium and Trout Lily. Spring ephemerals should be in full bloom in a week or so! There were also masses of Eastern Red-spotted Newt eggs in the beaver ponds at the top of the notch.
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
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 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. 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. March 28, 2007 Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and American Robins are everywhere now! A lone Turkey Vulture was spotted flying over downtown Montpelier this afternoon. March 22, 2007 A Carolina Wren was heard singing in Waterbury today. Did this bird survive our cold winter or is it an early migrant from further south? March 20, 2007 It may not feel like it, but spring officially starts today at 8:07pm! Early spring migrants, like Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles, are being seen throughout the area. Keep your eyes out for Eastern Phoebes and Song Sparrows - they won't be far behind. Now is a good time to look for Jupiter in pre-dawn sky. If you're up and out by 6am, you'll notice a brilliant "star" in the eastern sky. That's Jupiter in the constellation Scorpius and it outshines everything else in that section of the sky. March 15, 2007 More signs of spring from East Montpelier. A single American Kestrel and 2 Killdeer were seen on Gould Hill Road (about a mile from the nature center). March 13 , 2007 A singing Red-winged Blackbird at NBNC today made it official - spring is on its way! A Barred Owl was heard calling during the daylight hours from the trail across the footbridge. And, from the local area, Common Grackles, American Robin and Red-winged Blackbirds in Berlin. American Goldfinches and Purple Finches have very vocal lately and Brown Creepers were reported singing in Middlesex over the weekend. A single Brown Creeper explored the Red Maple right next to the office building at the Nature Center this morning. Keep your ears open - these inconspicuous birds will soon be singing their beautiful cascading song. February 25, 2007 More reports of amorous owls! A Barred Owl was heard calling in Middlesex (during the day). And in Montpelier a Great-horned Owl was heard in the vicinity of Hubbard Park. February 24, 2007 Six intrepid souls joined Dr. Bill Barnard over at Victory Basin WMA to search for Gray Jays and other boreal birds. Gray Jays were no where to be seen, but Victory Bog was alive with the sight and sounds of White-winged Crossbills and other winter finches. After lunch our group headed to Moose Bog (Wenlock-Buxton WMA) near Island Pond to search for the Three-toed Woodpecker. No luck finding the woodpecker but we did finally see some Gray Jays. Here's our bird list for the day:
February 23, 2007 A Northern Saw-whet Owl was vocalizing in Middlesex last night, across the street from Rumney School. Another sign of spring right around the corner? February 21, 2007 Bird song is in the air! A Tufted Titmouse was heard singing today at the Nature Center and a Northern Cardinal was heard pouring out its heart in Waterbury. February 19, 2007 Venus and the crescent moon formed a beautiful pair in the evening sky. Look for Venus in the west after sunset now and through March. It's the brightest object in the night sky after the sun and moon. You can't miss it (although you might think it's a UFO)! Just in time for Valentine's Day, Bryan Pfeiffer noticed a Tufted Titmouse singing in downtown Plainfield on Febaruary 13. American Tree Sparrows, regular winter visitors, have been making the rounds at area bird feeders. And Carolina Wren reports from feeders seems to have picked up in the last few weeks. Feeder activity may rise as the winter storm covers natural food supplies birds normally pursue in winter. But perhaps the biggest birding news comes from the Northeast Kingdom, where a rare Three-toed Woodpecker has been visiting a frozen beaver pond since mid December. This boreal species is one of the rarest woodpeckers in the eastern United States. It wasn't seen over this past weekend, but stay tuned for more reports. And, by the way, yes indeed, unlike other woodpeckers, which have four toes, this species (and its cousin the Black-backed Woodpecker) has only three by design. Go figure. January 24, 2007 While skiing, Dave Thurlow flushed a Wilson's Snipe from a marshy area at Sparrow Farm in East Montpelier. January 19, 2007 Chip and the teen birders spent last weekend birding on the coast of Massachusetts. Highlights included King Eider, up to nine gull species and Short-eared Owl. Here's the trip list:
Here's an acrostic poem composed by the 15 women and 7 Girl Scouts on the Sunday afternoon Women's Nature Walk with NBNC educator Sandal Cate: Nature Walk Acrostic It was a fun Sunday! Plainfield Christmas Count Results
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North
Branch Nature Center |
Open Monday -
Friday, 9am to 4pm Trails open every day Directions to the Nature Center Contact Us |
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.
Our butterfly listed included Canadian Tiger Swallowtail,
Cabbage White, Silvery Blue, Northern Crescent, Harris' Checkerspot
(pictured here) and Hobomok Skipper.
A Nature Center bird walk at Sodom Pond in Adamant this morning turned up 2 more Black Terns (see Erika Mitchells photo to the right). As reported elsewhere, the terns were feeding along with swallows (Tree, Barn, Cliff and No. Rough-winged). Common Loon, Wilson's Snipe and Ring-necked Duck were also seen on the walk.
If
you need proof that low-pressure systems knock birds out of
migration and into view, just go outside. The wet, wild weather of
the past two days has produced nice fallouts across Vermont. Here
in Central Vermont, 
A 
The
Plainfield Christmas Bird Count, held on December 12, 2006, revealed
a lot about the birds now wintering in the area. More than 20 intrepid
observers counted a total of 34 species (4,128 individual birds) on
December 12 -- plus another five species (43 individuals) not on count
day but during the week of the count. Here's the list (with some highlights
in bold):
