As an addendum to George's comprehensive narrative, the count on robins 
was 565. Virtually all of these were seen in directed flight, heading 
south, several hundred feet above ground level. Since we were also 
enjoying birds which were not flying overhead, it is conceivable that 
1,000 may have flown by - primarily during the first 2 hours of our visit.

The full eBird checklist is available here:
   <http://ebird.org/ebird/vt/view/checklist?subID=S13729476>

Within the next couple days there will be embedded links to images of 
the Hoary Redpoll and the Vesper Sparrow, for anyone interested.

If anyone who was in attendance would like me to share the list with 
them, please reply directly to me with your request. This is a great 
time-saving feature of eBird.

Doug


On 4/13/2013 1:53 PM, george clark wrote:
> This morning's bird walk, cosponsored by Windsor County 2013 Birding 
> Quest and Mascoma Chapter of NH Audubon, yielded more than 40 species 
> of birds at Lake Runnemede in Windsor, VT. Temperatures at the start 
> were in the low 30s, and about a dozen participants traversed the area 
> which was covered by a crunchy mix of ice and snow. During the the 
> walk, sight of emerging patches of blue sky added to the enjoyment of 
> the morning. The following report is preliminary, and special thanks 
> go to coleader Doug Hardy who is preparing a full list for eBird. 
> Thanks also to other coleaders: Ed Hack, Kyle Kittelberger, and Chris 
> Rimmer.
>
> One of the most unusual sightings was an extended southward flight of 
> numerous groups with many dozens of  American Robins passing over Lake 
> Runnemede. We wonder whether this might have been an example of the 
> phenomenon of reverse migration in which birds switch from  the normal 
> migratory direction and begin moving in the opposite direction upon 
> encountering severely adverse conditions.
>
> Water birds at Lake Runnemede this morning included Canada Geese, Wood 
> Ducks, American Black Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Buffleheads, 3 
> species of mergansers, Red-necked Grebes, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a 
> Double-crested Cormorant . Having both an adult Bald Eagle and an 
> Osprey perched in trees at the same time provided a fine opportunity 
> for comparison of the two species. A Northern Harrier was seen flying 
> northward. A Belted Kingfisher was present.
>
> Highlights among landbirds included a few Northern Flickers, Eastern 
> Phoebes, and numerous Tree Swallows. One Rough-winged Swallow was 
> sighted. Seven species of sparrows included American Tree Sparrows, a 
> Chipping Sparrow, a Vesper Sparrow, a Savannah Sparrow, a few Fox 
> Sparrows, numerous Song Sparrows, and a few White-throated Sparrows. 
> Some Dark-eye Juncos were present. Among several redpolls, one 
> digiscoped bird showed characteristics of a Hoary Redpoll.
>
> George Clark
> Norwich, VT
>