This morning, at least 2 Great Egrets, spectacular as usual, were among 17 species of birds found towards the western end of North Hartland Reservoir. At least one Great Blue Heron was also present. As might be expected for this time of year, bird song was infrequent in that wetland area, but a Common Yellowthroat and Swamp Sparrow were still occasionally singing.

Access to this western end of the reservoir today was from a northside pulloff towards the western end of Clay Hill Road in Hartland, VT, then by farm road and an overgrown woodland trail leading downward towards the edge of the water. The water level today was high enough that so no mudflats or sandbars were seen, and no plovers or sandpipers detected. From this Clay Hill Road access, the reservoir is seen mainly through the trees on the woodland slope so that viewing conditions for egrets or other waterbirds are less favorable than, for example, from some of the more open settings by the wetlands upstream from the North Springfield (VT) Dam. Distances in both these locations can be considerable so a scope is helpful.

As first introduced to me years ago by Bill Shepard, an alternative, slower but enjoyable, route to this western part of the North Hartland Reservoir is to paddle westward from the boat launch for about 2.5 miles.

George Clark
Norwich, VT

  
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