At 8:30 am this morning, I was surprised to find a molting Red-necked 
Grebe on the Ompompanoosuc River by Campbell Flats.  Not only was it an 
unusual location for this species, but the bird was was in a 
transitional plumage that I've never seen (and therefore I'm only ~95% 
sure it was a Red-necked...).  Rusty coloration was clearly visible at 
the base of the neck, but the head was a strange mottled/striped black 
and white.  It was diving and visible through the trees from the parking 
spot above the flats, where I had reasonable though brief looks through 
my spotting scope.  I walked down to the opening where the owners keep 
their canoes and pontoon boat in summer, across the corn field, but I 
was unable to find the bird again.  If anyone is in the area today, keep 
your eyes out.

Impressive numbers of robins (>240) covered the fields on both sides of 
the road.  Also in the fields below Pirouette Farm on Hogback Road were 
 >225 robins and 28 Killdeer.  A female Yellow-belled Sapsucker was 
foraging at Kendall Station.  The Ompompanoosuc R. channel is open 
through Pompy Flats, where there were 16 Mallards, 2 Green-winged Teal, 
4 Hooded and 2 Common Mergansers.

Chris

-- 
Chris Rimmer
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
P.O. Box 420
Norwich, VT 05055
802-649-1431 ext. 1
www.vtecostudies.org

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