At least 16 participants enjoyed this morning's walk along the first  
foggy, then sunny, River Road in Lyme, NH, one of a series of bird  
walks of the Mascoma Chapter of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire.  
More than 40 species of birds were found, but only some of the  
highlights are mentioned here. If you'd like to have a complete list  
of the birds, email Spencer Hardy <curlewsandpiper17ATgmail.com>,  
who's generously volunteered to send a copy of a full ebird report to  
those requesting.

Young Wood Ducks put on a good show at close range along North  
Thetford Road just off River Road in Lyme. A few participants had an  
exceptional sighting of a mature Cooper's Hawk capturing an  
unfortunate Mourning Dove on the ground with dove feathers reported to  
be flying in all directions. Intriguing, but regrettably unidentified  
and not subsequently relocated, was a shorebird seen flying away with  
a nearby Killdeer which was clearly larger in size than the  
unidentified wader.

A Black-billed Cuckoo was seen and heard. Other species seen on or  
near the shores of the Connecticut River included 2 Ruby-throated  
Hummingbirds together and a Belted Kingfisher. Good views were  
obtained of four species of swallows (Tree, Rough-winged, Cliff, and  
Barn) perched near one another along a single utility wire which  
crosses the Connecticut River. A Veery was present in a residential  
yard, quite a different location from the usual woodland habitat in  
which that species nests. Brilliantly colored birds still in breeding  
plumages included a male Scarlet Tanager, also away from his usual  
summer woodland habitat, an "eye popping" male Indigo Bunting, and a  
male Baltimore Oriole, who provided a brief sample of song.

George Clark
Norwich, VT

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