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Feather Questers

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The FQ Newsletter is one of our newer ventures, and is a great way to find out about upcoming events, see what your peers have been doing, read trip reviews, check out the latest Bird ID Quiz, and more!
    - Vol. 1, Issue 1 (pdf)
    - Vol. 1, Issue 2 (pdf)

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Eastern Screech-OwlJanuary 30, 2010 - Superbowl of Birding VII
Essex County, MA

In keeping with the tradition of having winter events on cold days, we started birding at 5am with a howling wind and a bitter cold 6 degrees, but by the afternoon the sun was shining, the wind had died down, and it was in the 20's. We started the day whistling in an Eastern Screech-Owl, and for the next twelve straight hours, we searched high and low for every species of bird we could find. Our rarest species was a small group of Turkey Vultures (uncommon in winter) but our highlight was a beautiful red form Eastern Screech-Owl found by Nik and pictured on the right.


Superbowl Group ShotWhile our species count was down from last year, we had many new species and, most imporantly, had a great time. Winter finches have not been prevelant this year and a strong west wind made finding alcids difficult. Ground birds such as Horned Lark and Snow Bunting were absent as well. But some new finds for us included Red-necked Grebe, Red-throated Loon, Northern Shrike, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. In this competition, birds are ranked by difficulty to find (1 point being easiest and 5 points being hardest). In our complete species list is shown below, 2-pointers appear in bold, 3-pointers are bold and in caps, and our 5-pointer is bold, caps, and italicized:

 

Canada Goose Horned Grebe NORTHERN SHRIKE
BRANT Red-necked Grebe Blue Jay
Mute Swan Great Cormorant American Crow
Gadwall TURKEY VULTURE Black-capped Chickadee
American Black Duck Bald Eagle Tufted Titmouse
Mallard Northern Harrier White-breasted Nuthatch
Greater Scaup Red-tailed Hawk Carolina Wren
Common Eider PEREGRINE FALCON American Robin
Harlequin Duck Purple Sandpiper Northern Mockingbird
Surf Scoter Ring-billed Gull European Starling
White-winged Scoter Herring Gull YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER
Long-tailed Duck Iceland Gull American Tree Sparrow
Bufflehead Great Black-backed Gull Song Sparrow
Common Goldeneye Black Guillemot White-throated Sparrow
Hooded Merganser Rock Pigeon Dark-eyed Junco
Common Merganser Mourning Dove Northern Cardinal
Red-breasted Merganser Eastern Screech-Owl House Finch
Red-throated Loon SNOWY OWL American Goldfinch
Common Loon Downy Woodpecker House Sparrow

 

December 19, 2009 - Plainfield Christmas Bird Count
Barre & Montpelier, VT

As is often the case with our winter birding events, the coldest day of the year was aligned with the 50th annual Plainfield CBC. With starting temperatures of -11 F, and barely breaking above 0 (zero) by noon, it was harsh conditions. Yet, our youth component managed to locate some fantastic birds! The only Northern Shrike of the count was found by one of our youth participants in a suburban neighborhood near Barre. Even on the coldest of days, there are great birds just waiting to be discovered.

November 23, 2009 - Big Day Attempt #1
Champlain Valley, VT

When November hits, many birders put their binos away until the CBC's roll around, but today marked the first Vermont Big Day attempt by Feather Questers. From a strategical standpoint, the time of year was too late for most migrating breeders and too early for many migrating overwinterers, so we had our work cut out for us. The current November big day record stands at 60 species, as our group only managed to get 41. We did have great looks at some good birds, including Red-breasted Merganser, Horned Grebe, American Tree Sparrow, and Sharp-shinned Hawk to name a few. However, we didn't pick up many rare birds, and somehow managed to miss some common birds like American Robin and White-throated Sparrow (what's up with that!?) When all was said and done, we had a great time birding. And next November, we'll try again a little earlier in the month. (The list below is in order seen)

1. Ring-billed Gull 15. Northern Cardinal 29. American Goldfinch
2. House Sparrow 16. Red-tailed Hawk 30. Wild Turkey
3. American Crow 17. Black Duck 31. American Tree Sparrow
4. Mallard 18. Wood Duck 32. Common Goldeneye
5. White-breasted Nuthatch 19. Downy Woodpecker 33. Red-breasted Merganser
6. Common Merganser 20. Great Black Backed Gull 34. Northern Harrier
7. Red-breasted Nuthatch 21. Common Loon 35. House Finch
8. Black-capped Chickadee 22. Common Raven 36. Herring Gull
9. Tufted Titmouse 23. Mourning Dove 37. Bufflehead
10. Blue Jay 24. Hooded Merganser 38. Horned Grebe
11. Golden-crowned Kinglet 25. Canada Goose 39. Sharp-shinned Hawk
12. European Starling 26. Great Blue Heron 40. Snow Goose
13. Rock Dove 27. Dark-eyed Junco 41. Pileated Woodpecker
14. Hairy Woodpecker 28. Brown Creeper  

 

October 23, 2009 - Birding & Hawkwatching in the Champlain Valley
Addison & Charlotte, VT

A group of seven young birders spent a cool Friday in the Champlain Valley. Upon arrival to Dead Creek, we were greeted by a flock of at least 400 Red-winged Blackbirds, foraging amongst the recently mowed corn field near the goose viewing area. A Northern Harrier approached the flock, seemingly trying to hunt, but was chased off by the mobbing group of blackbirds. Later on, a Cooper's Hawk tried its luck and even managed to seperate a blackbird from the flock. It took several dives at it's prey, but in the end, it flew off with empty talons.

Red-bellied SnakeOther highlights from the day included several thousand Snow Geese flying overhead and congregating at the far ends of the fields. American Pipits and Green-winged Teal were plentiful, being seen in several locations. Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen as well as several unidentified shorebirds. In only 20 minutes hawkwatching at Mt. Philo, we saw at least 20 raptors including Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk and Red-shouldered Hawk. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was that we saw three species of reptiles! (it never got over 45 degrees F) The Red-bellied Snake (pictured right) was a first record for Addison as indicated by the Vermont Reptile & Amphibian Atlas. See below for a complete checklist from our trip:

Great Blue Heron Red-shouldered Hawk American Robin
Snow Goose Red-tailed Hawk American Pipit
Canada Goose Downy Woodpecker Yellow-rumped Warbler
Wood Duck Blue Jay Song Sparrow
American Black Duck American Crow White-thoated Sparrow
Mallard Black-capped Chickadee Dark-eyed Junco
Green-winged Teal Tufted Titmouse Northern Cardinal
Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-winged Blackbird
Turkey Vulture White-breasted Nuthatch House Sparrow
Northern Harrier Golden-crowned Kinglet  
Cooper's Hawk Hermit Thrush  

 

Northern Saw-whet OwlOctober 10, 2009 - Saw-whet Banding at Snake Mountain
Addison, VT

The air was cool and the sky clear as a group from Feather Questers gathered by a sugar shed in Addison. For many years, this has been a site where Northern Saw-whet Owls have been banded during their fall migration. Not many owls are caught when it is rainy, windy, or too bright. Conditions were perfect in the early evening and we were privileged to see the banding of four Saw-whets. To be able to view these common, yet seldom seen inhabitants of our own backyards was quite a treat.

September 13, 2009 - Shorebirding the Champlain Valley
Dead Creek area, VT

It was an exciting day of birding for a small group that turned out for our fall shorebirding trip. We decided to forego a trip to the coast, and instead, stuck closer to home. While we only saw three species of shorebirds, our decision payed off with 51 other species, with the highlights including extended views of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Magnolia Warbler. A complete list is below:

Canada Goose Greater Yellowlegs Black-capped Chickadee
Wood Duck Lesser Yellowlegs Tufted Titmouse
American Black Duck Ring-billed Gull White-breasted Nuthatch
Mallard Rock Pigeon Marsh Wren
Blue-winged Teal Mourning Dove American Robin
Green-winged Teal Yellow-billed Cuckoo Gray Catbird
Wild Turkey Belted Kingfisher European Starling
Double-crested Cormorant Downy Woodpecker American Pipit
Great Blue Heron Northern Flicker Cedar Waxwing
Green Heron Eastern Wood-Pewee Magnolia Warbler
Black-crowned Night-Heron Eastern Phoebe Black-throated Green Warbler
Turkey Vulture Yellow-throated Vireo Common Yellowthroat
Osprey Warbling Vireo Savannah Sparrow
Bald Eagle Red-eyed Vireo Song Sparrow
Northern Harrier Blue Jay Bobolink
Red-tailed Hawk American Crow Red-winged Blackbird
American Kestrel Horned Lark American Goldfinch
Killdeer Barn Swallow House Sparrow

July 18-19, 2009 - Bicknell's in the Mountaintops
Sunset from KillingtonKillington, VT

Our attempt at this trip last July was thwarted by weather, but this year proved to be a different story. We had a clear night on Saturday with a spectacular sunset and a foggy Sunday morning in which we observed Bicknell's Thrush at close distances as well as the other high-elevation species and more! A complete checklist from the trip can be found below:

Ruffed Grouse Winter Wren Cedar Waxwing
Blue-headed Vireo Golden-crowned Kinglet Black-throated Blue Warbler
Red-eyed Vireo Bicknell's Thrush Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blue Jay Swainson's Thrush Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-capped Chickadee Hermit Thrush Blackpoll Warbler
Red-breasted Nuthatch Wood Thrush Dark-eyed Junco
Brown Creeper American Robin Purple Finch

June 20, 2009 - Peregrine Falcon Foray
Marshfield, VT

During our final organized monitoring day for the Marshfield Mountain Peregrines, we were treated to views of both adults in the same field-of-view in our telescopes! Although we didn't see any fledglings during our visit, we did see stray climbing gear within a close proximity of the perched adults. Such sightings are stark reminders that despite the past successes of this mating pair of falcons, without monitoring, conflicts with humans are still a threat.

June 19, 2009 - NBNC Monitoring Walk #1
Montpelier, VT

It was a moist morning for our first in a series of summer monitoring walks on our property, but some good birds were seen despite the weather. Highlights included fledgling American Robins, House Wrens entering a nest box with food and exiting with fecal sacs, and a Baltimore Oriole. Our complete list is below:

Mourning Dove 2

White-breasted Nuthatch

1 Ovenbird 2
Downy Woodpecker 3 House Wren 4 Common Yellowthroat 2
Northern Flicker 1 Veery 2 Savannah Sparrow 2
Alder Flycatcher 3 American Robin 6 Song Sparrow 2
Eastern Phoebe 1 Gray Catbird 6 White-throated Sparrow 1
Eastern Kingbird 2 European Starling 1 Northern Cardinal 1
Blue Jay 4 Cedar Waxwing 6 Red-winged Blackbird 8
American Crow 5 Yellow Warbler 3 Common Grackle 6
Common Raven 2 Chestnut-sided Warbler 6 Baltimore Oriole 1
Tree Swallow 4 Black-throated Green Warbler 1 American Goldfinch 4
Black-capped Chickadee 5 Pine Warbler 1    
Tufted Titmouse 1 American Redstart 4    

June 6, 2009 - NEK Beginner Bird Walk: Joe's Pond
Walden, VT

A group of young birders were treated to some excellent birds this morning. The highlight of the morning might have been the discovery of an American Kestrel nest cavity. Although the kestrels didn't enter the nest while the youths were there, we were treated to extended views of one kestrel feeding on a small rodent while the other called incessantly.

May 9, 2009 - World Series of Birding
Cape May County, NJ

Norther ParulaAs a new twist to this annual competition, in which NBNC has participated since 1999, our team was comprised of 'alumni' youth birders, who have participated in past programs and are now pursuing higher education. For 24-hours, we birded non-stop across Cape May County.

Fueled by caffeine and adrenaline, the “North Branch Noddies” managed to see and hear 156 different species of birds, topping their previous yeaBlack-necked Stiltr’s total.  While the Noddies placed fourth in their division of the competition, they found more rare and unusual birds than ever before including Black-necked Stilt (pictured right) and Swallow-tailed Kite. 

We also raised over $5,000 to support NBNC’s Youth Birding Program. Our team's total species count for the trip was 173 and icluded two dozen species of warblers (Northern Parula pictured above, photo by Sean Beckett) Other non-avian sightings included Box Turtle, Spotted Turtle, Common Five-lined Skink, Fowler's Toad, American Bullfrog, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, American Beauty and much, much more!

The North Branch Noddies

"The North Branch Noddies"
Top row: Henry Wilton, Amelia Klein, Nik Kotovich, Chip Darmstadt & Sean Beckett
Bottom row: Mathius Sirch, Eric Cannizzaro & Larry Clarfeld

 

 

Mute Swan Sanderling Hermit Thrush*
Snow Goose Semipalmated Sandpiper Wood Thrush
Brant Least Sandpiper American Robin
Canada Goose Dunlin Gray Catbird
Wood Duck Short-billed Dowitcher Northern Mockingbird
Gadwall Laughing Gull Brown Thrasher
American Black Duck Bonaparte's Gull European Starling
Mallard Ring-billed Gull Cedar Waxwing*
Northern Shoveler* Herring Gull Blue-winged Warbler
Black Scoter Great Black-backed Gull Northern Parula
Long-tailed Duck Gull-billed Tern Yellow Warbler
Red-breasted Mergamser Royal Tern Chestnut-sided Warbler
Wild Turkey Common Tern Magnolia Warbler
Common Loon Forster's Tern Black-thoated Blue Warbler
Northern Gannet Least Tern Yellow-rumped Warbler
Double-crested Cormorant Black Skimmer Black-throated Green Warbler
Great Blue Heron Rock Pigeon Yellow-throated Warbler
Great Egret Mourning Dove Pine Warbler
Snowy Egret Black-billed Cuckoo* Praire Warbler
Little Blue Heron Yellow-billed Cuckoo Blackpoll Warbler
Tricolored Heron Great Horned Owl Cerulean Warbler*
Cattle Egret* Barred Owl** Black-and-white Warbler
Green Heron Chuck-will's-widow American Redstart*
Black-crowned Night-Heron Whip-poor-will Prothonotary Warbler
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Chimney Swift Worm-eating Warbler
Glossy Ibis Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ovenbird
White-faced Ibis Red-headed Woodpecker Northern Waterthrush**
Black Vulture Red-bellied Woodpecker Louisiana Waterthrush
Turkey Vulture Downy Woodpecker Kentucky Warbler
Osprey Northern Flicker Common Yellowthroat
Swallow-tailed Kite* Eastern Wood-Pewee Hooded Warbler
Mississippi Kite Acadian Flycatcher Yellow-breasted Chat
Bald Eagle Eastern Phoebe Summer Tanager
Northern Harrier Great Crested Flycatcher Scarlet Tanager
Cooper's Hawk Eastern Kingbird Eastern Towhee
Red-shouldered Hawk* White-eyed Vireo Chipping Sparrow
Broad-winged Hawk* Blue-headed Vireo Field Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk Yellow-throated Vireo** Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Merlin Red-eyed Vireo Seaside Sparrow
Peregrine Falcon Horned Lark Song Sparrow
Clapper Rail Purple Martin White-throated Sparrow
King Rail Tree Swallow Northern Cardinal
Virginia Rail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Rose-breasted Grosbeak
American Coot Barn Swallow Blue Grosbeak
Black-bellied Plover Blue Jay Indigo Bunting
Semipalmated Plover American Crow Bobolink
Piping Plover Fish Crow Red-winged Blackbird
Killdeer Carolina Chickadee Eastern Meadowlark
American Oystercatcher Tufted Titmouse Boat-tailed Grackle
Black-necked Stilt White-breasted Nuthatch* Common Grackle
Greater Yellowlegs Carolina Wren Brown-headed Cowbird
Lesser Yellowlegs House Wren Orchard Oriole
Solitary Sandpiper Marsh Wren Baltimore Oriole
Willet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Purple Finch*
Spotted Sandpiper Blue-gray Gnatcatcher House Finch
Whimbrel Eastern Bluebird American Goldfinch
Ruddy Turnstone Gray-cheeked Thrush House Sparrow
Red Knot Swainson's Thrush*  

*  bird found in Cape May but not during competition
** bird found on the way to/from New Jersey but not during competition

 

Painted TurtleMay 2, 2009 - NEK Birding Walk
Well's River, VT

A group of eight participants joined us for our first of a series of walks in partnership with NEK Audubon. It was a fair-weathered morning at the Blue Mountain School nature trails. Both male and female Red-winged Blackbirds are now present, calling away with Common Grackles as Tree Swallows circled overhead. Black-and-white Warblers, Northern Parulas and others were singing and a large flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers gleaned insects off the pines less than 10 feet from our group! Other non-avian highlights included basking Painted Turtles (7 on one log!) and a fully in-tact deer skeleton.

April 13, 2009 - Tales from Texas - Installment 4
Central Texas

A new installment of Tales from Texas is now posted in which Alyssa explores sometimes shaky interactions with the public and poses some interesting issues and misconceptions that can occur when dealing with Golden-cheeked Warblers and their preferred ashe juniper habitat.

April 11, 2009 - Peregrine Falcon Foray
Marshfield, VT

It was a beautiful day for our first Peregrine monitoring trip of the season. Roughly a dozen youths ventured into Groton State Forest hoping for the opportunity to view Peregrines at their nest. Although we didn't see any Peregrines, wildlife was abundant. Moose sign was plentiful, including fresh tracks, scat and fur. Butterflies were awing including Mourning Cloak and unidentified orange lepidoptera. Great Blue Herons were seen on the nest atop the cliffs at Marshfield Mountain. Our bird list is shown below:

Great Blue Heron (2, on nest at top of cliffs) Black-capped Chickadee (1, heard only)
Turkey Vulture (6, seen in flight) Brown Creeper (2, heard only)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1, heard drumming) Golden-crowned Kinglet (2, heard only)
Pileated Woodpecker (2, seen and heard, close!) American Robin (1, heard only)
American Crow (2, seen on rail trail) Song Sparrow (2, heard only)
Common Raven (1, heard once at viewing site) Common Grackle (3, seen on rail trail)

April 1, 2009 - Tales from Texas - Installment 3
Central Texas

More "Tales from Texas" are now posted. Ever wonder how you tell two Golden-cheeked Warblers apart? Well, I don't want to spoil it, you'll just have to check out Installment 3 to find out.

March 25, 2009 - Tales from Texas - Installment 2
Central Texas

The second installment is now posted, with lots of great info for anyone who ever wondered what it might be like to work in the field studying birds.

Golden-cheeked WarblerMarch 22, 2009 - Tales from Texas - new Online Journal!
Central Texas & South Hero, VT

One of our former youth birders, Alyssa Borowske, is currently in Texas studying Golden-cheeked Warbers. Read her story, as it unfolds in Texas, by visiting our Discussion Forum.

In some local news, an impromptu trip to Lake Champlain islands in search of ducks turned up migrants and rarities. Among the migrants, flocks of geese (Canada and Snow) were seen overhead traveling north. Other returning residents and passing migrants included Northern Pintail, Wood Duck, Northern Shoveler, Great Blue Heron, Ring-necked Duck, American Wigeon, Gadwall and more. Some winter ducks still remained, including roughly 1,000 Scaup, Common Goldeneye, and Bufflehead. Wild Turkey were also seen displaying. The highlight may have been a male Tufted Duck, a rare Eurasian stray which shows up almost yearly in Vermont. After two hours of birding, our total duck count was 15 species.

North Branch NoddiesJanuary 24, 2009 - The Superbowl of Birding VI
Essex County, MA

This weekend, our youth group (pictured on the right) competed in the Superbowl of Birding Competition, birding for twelve straight hours from 5AM to 5PM. We started the day with Eastern Screech-Owl and ended it with Snowy Owl and saw an amazing variety of birds in between. Although we ranked second in the youth division (winners are determined by a points system based on the difficulty of finding each species) we managed to see 59 species, more than any other youth team. Our team was also featured in an article in The Boston Globe. Our bird list for the day is below:

Canada Goose Peregrine Falcon Carolina Wren
Gadwall Sanderling American Robin
American Black Duck Bonaparte's Gull Northern Mockingbird
Mallard Ring-billed Gull European Starling
Greater Scaup Herring Gull Cedar Waxwing
Common Eider Iceland Gull American Tree Sparrow
Harlequin Duck Glaucous Gull Savannah Sparrow
Surf Scoter Great Black-backed Gull Song Sparrow
White-winged Scoter Black Guillemot White-throated Sparrow
Black Scoter Rock Pigeon Dark-eyed Junco
Long-tailed Duck Mourning Dove Lapland Longspur
Bufflehead Eastern Screech-Owl Snow Bunting
Common Goldeneye Snowy Owl Northern Cardinal
Red-breasted Merganser Downy Woodpecker Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Loon Blue Jay House Finch
Horned Grebe American Crow White-winged Crossbill
Great Cormorant Black-capped Chickadee Common Redpoll
Bald Eagle Tufted Titmouse American Goldfinch
Cooper's Hawk Red-breasted Nuthatch House Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk White-breasted Nuthatch  

January 10, 2009 - Mid-Winter Bald Eagle SurveyPine Grosbeak (female)
Washington & Chittenden Counties, VT

The recent trend of cold days for youth birding events continued today, but the full sun and lack of wind made for a comfortable day of birding. Our transect for the survey, which covered the Lower Winooski River (between Waterbury and Lake Champlain), was mostly frozen over and not productive for sighting any eagles. Although we didn't see eagles, winter finches were plentiful. Our group got views of Pine Siskins, Pine Grosbeaks (picture above), a Common Redpoll, and a White-winged Crossbill. Other highlights included a large flock of several hundred ducks, mostly Mallard, in which a Northern Pintail was spotted.

December 14, 2008 - Plainfield Christmas Bird Count
Plainfield, VT

Another great year of the Christmas Chickadee Count... I mean the Christmas Bird Count. While Chickadees topped the list as most numerous again this year, highlights included Brown-headed Cowbirds spotted by our youth team, the first time they've been seen on the count in five years! Some other highlights included Hermit Thrush and Turkey Vulture, both first time sightings in the 49 years of the Plainfield CBC. The species total was 45, and complete results will be posted as soon as the compilation is complete.

December 6, 2008Snowy Owl - Owl Prowl
Whiting/Shoreham, VT

After numerous sightings of Snowy Owls during the week, a few teens went out on an imptomptu owl trip in search of the sought-after birds. We were successful, and maganged to see two Snowy Owls.

Other raptors seen during the afternoon included Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk and Northern Harrier. A search for Short-eared Owls in Addison around dusk turned up empty.

 

 

 

November 15, 2008 - Coastal Birding at Cape Ann
Cape Ann, Massachussetts

Despite a forecast calling for terrentialdownpours and gale-force winds, we headed straight for the coast. Somehow, we still managed to get a dry but hazy day of birding. Even though visibility was poor, we managed to see 43 species, highlighted below. The most notable sighting had to be that of a Cave Swallow, which was only found in Massachussets for the first time in 2003. In recent years they have been sighted far outside their normal range in the fall. (One was also seen in Charlotte, VT that same weekend)

Common Loon Bonaparte's Gull
Red-throated Loon Ring-billed Gull
Northern Gannet Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant Glaucous Gull
Great Cormorant Great Black-backed Gull
Great Blue Heron Razorbill
Mute Swan Black Guillemot
Mallard Rock Pigeon
Black Duck Mourning Dove
(Black Duck X Mallard hybrid) Blue Jay
Ring-necked Duck American Crow
Common Eider Cave Swallow
Harlequin Duck Black-capped Chickadee
Long-tailed Duck Carolina Wren
White-winged Scoter Northern Mockingbird
Common Goldeneye Northern Cardinal
Bufflehead Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich population)
Red-breasted Merganser Song Sparrow
Peregrine Falcon White-throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey Dark-eyed Junco
American Coot House Sparrow
Purple Sandpiper House Finch

November 10, 2008
Norwich, VT

Local teen-birder Spencer Hardy was featured in an article in The Boston Globe, which discussed research he has been conducting on bird nests found on glacial ice high in the Andes. Spencer helped to discover that those nests belonged to White-winged Diuca Finch. Read more about Spencer's discovery of one of the most extreme breeders in the world.

July 19, 2008 - Bicknell's Thrush at Killington
Killington, Vermont

A few brave teens set out despite a sketchy forecast in search of Bicknell's Thrush, and other high elevation species. Waking up at dawn didn't leave much time for our search. As impending rain clouds billowed towards us, we heard some Bick's, but saw none. After only a short search, we descended the mountain, getting thoroughly soaked on the way.

After we reached level ground, and changed into some dry clothes, it was off to West Rutland Marsh, where we heard many Virginia Rail at our feet, but failed to spot the elusive birds. A cuckoo sp. was also seen flying accross the street.

May 10, 2008 - The World Series of BirdingSong Sparrow
Cape May County, New Jersey

NBNC teens competed for the eighth time since 1999 in the World Series of Birding competition in New Jersey. For 24-straight hours, we looked for and listened to every tweet and twitter of avian life in Cape May County. Hearing the Chuck-will's-widow at quarter-to-midnight, our team raced to the finish line, having seen or heard 154 species in the day, and ranking fifth in our division. In addition, we expect our team to have raised $5,000 for youth birding programs at NBNC. A complete checklist is below. Birds seen during the scouting day, but not the competition, include Black Skimmer, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Meadowlark.

 

 

 

Muse Swan Short-billed Dowitcher Marsh Wren
Snow Goose American Woodcock Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Brant Laughing Gull Eastern Bluebird
Canada Goose Ring-billed Gull Veery
Wood Duck Herring Gull Wood Thrush
Gadwall Great Black-backed Gull American Robin
American Black Duck Gull-billed Tern Gray Catbird
Mallard Royal Tern Northern Mockingbird
Blue-winged Teal Common Tern Brown Thrasher
Black Scoter Forster's Tern European Starling
Red-breasted Merganaser Least Tern Cedar Waxwing
Wild Turkey Mourning Dove Nashville Warbler
Common Looon Rock Pigeon Northern Parula
Northern Gannet Black-billed Cuckoo Yellow Warbler
Double-crested Cormorant Eastern Screech-Owl Chestnut-sided Warbler
Great Blue Heron Great Horned Owl Magnolia Warbler
Great Egret Barred Owl Black-throated Blue Warbler
Snowy Egret Common Nighthawk Yellow-rumped Warbler
Little Blue Heron Chuck-will's-widow Black-throated Green Warbler
Tricolored Heron Whip-poor-will Pine Warbler
Cattle Egret Chimney Swift Prairie Warler
Black-crowned Night-Heron Ruby-throated Hummingbird Black-and-white Warbler
Glossy Ibis Belted Kingfisher American Redstart
Black Vulture Red-headed Woodpecker Prothonotary Warbler
Turkey Vulture Red-bellied Woodpecker Worm-eating Warbler
Osprey Downy Woodpecker Ovenbird
Bald Eagle Hairy Woodpecker Louisiana Waterthrush
Red-tailed Hawk Northern Flicker Common Yellowthroat
Merlin Eastern Wood-Pewee Hooded Warbler
Peregrine Falcon Acadian Flycatcher Yellow-breasted Chat
Clapper Rail Eastern Phoebe Scarlet Tanager
Sora Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Towhee
Black-bellied Plover Eastern Kingbird Chipping Sparrow
Semipalmated Plover White-eyed Vireo Field Sparrow
Piping Plover Red-eyed Vireo Savannah Sparrow
Killdeer Purple Martin Seaside Sparrow
American Oystercatcher Gree Swallow Song Sparrow
Greater Yellowlegs Northern Rough-winged Swallow White-throated Sparrow
Lesser Yellowlegs Bank Swallow Northern Cardinal
Solitary Sandpiper Cliff Swallow Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Willet Barn Swallow Blue Grosbeak
Spotted Sandpiper Blue Jay Indigo Bunting
Whimbrel American Crow Bobolink
Ruddy Turnstone Fish Crow Red-winged Blackbird
Red Knot Carolina Chickadee Boat-tailed Grackle
Sanderling Tufted Titmouse Common Grackle
Semipalmated Sandpiper White-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Cowbird
Least Sandpiper Brown Creeper Orchard Oriole
Purple Sandpiper Carolina Wren House Finch
Dunlin House Wren American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

 

Upcoming Events

All fall programs are free to members, but please register at least one week in advance. You can RSVP by emailing Larry or Chip or by calling 802-229-6206.

Winter Ducks
Saturday, March 20, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
As winter slowly transitions to spring, we will venture to Lake Champlain in search of wintering and migrating ducks such as shoveler, pintail, goldeneye, and a dozen others.

Bird Skinning Workshop
Sunday, March 28, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Are you tired of straining your eyes to identify distant waterfowl? Well here’s an opportunity to get up-close-andpersonal as we learn to preserve bird specimens as “study skins”. This hands-on demonstration will be led by teen birding alumnus extraordinaire Henry Wilton.

Owl Prowl & Snipe Search
Friday, April 9, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
There are so many great reasons to explore the forest after dark, and a new set of birds is just one reason. We’ll start at dusk by looking for snipe and woodcock and then go searching for Saw-whet, Greathorned, and Barred Owls.

Beginners Birdwalk – Berlin Pond
Saturday, May 1, 8:30 -10:00 a.m.
Another bird walk for younger birders (ages 8-16), with a focus on how to use optics and how to find birds like loons, ducks, warblers, and more. Please call for directions.

Boreals at Moose Bog
Sunday, May 2, 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Before the black flies take over, we’ll head up to this famed Northeast Kingdom site in search of Spruce Grouse, Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker and Gray Jay.

Beginners Birdwalk – Well’s River
Saturday, May 8, 8:30 a.m. -10:00 a.m.
Please join us for the first walk in a series for younger birders (ages 8-16). We’ll learn how to use optics, how to identify some common birds, and more! This program is sponsored by NEK Audubon, The Fairbanks Museum, and NBNC. For more information and to register contact nekaudubon@myfairpoint.net or call 802-751-7671.

World Series of Birding
Thursday – Sunday, May 13-16
This year we hope to bring two teams to Cape May, NJ, to experience spring migration at its best. Our plan is to host a youth team (ages 8-16) and a college team (ages 17+) in this competition/fundraiser: a decade-long NBNC tradition.

North Branch Nature Center
713 Elm Street, Montpelier VT 05602
(802) 229-6206
info@northbranchnaturecenter.org

Open Monday - Friday, 9am to 4pm
Trails open every day
Directions to the Nature Center
Contact Us