Yesterday the VCE team did its annual Birdathon, starting at dawn on 
foot around Lake Morey, continuing over to Lake Fairlee for a quick 
scan, then up to Bradford (via the Fairlee Palisades, and diner...), 
where we walked the RR tracks at the end of Depot Street (our most 
productive site of the day).  While we benefited from 2+ hours of dry 
conditions at dawn, the subsequent moderate rain and cool NE breeze held 
off plans for a canoe-kayak trip down the Connecticut until 11:00 am, 
when we finally launched our 5 kayaks and one canoe in Orford.  We 
paddled, stopping often to explore upland habitats, until 5:30 pm, when 
we took out in Lyme.  We ended up with a respectable total of 109 
species, starting with a calling Barred Owl outside my bedroom window in 
Norwich at 2:30 am and ending with a female Eastern Bluebird at the nest 
box in Hillside Cemetery.

Selected highlights from the day included:
Common Loon   5 on Lake Morey, including one yodeling
Double-crested Cormorant -- 1 each on L. Morey and Fairlee
Osprey -- a pair perched near the Lyme canoe take-out site.  Possible 
beginnings of a mated pair??
Bald Eagle -- pair with their 2 eaglets in the Orford nest
Blue-winged Teal -- one of the day's surprises, a pair along backwater 
in Bradford
Alder Flycatcher -- 2 singing at north end of L. Morey, 1 in Bradford
Willow Flycatcher -- 1 singing in Bradford, another along Conn R shore 
in Lyme
Yellow-throated Vireo -- 1 singing along NW shore of Morey, another 
along Conn R in Orford
Blackpoll Warbler -- 2 singing and foraging along Bradford RR tracks
Mourning Warbler -- 1 singing edge of woods across road from L. Morey 
golf course
Canada Warbler -- 2 singing N end L. Morey
White-crowned Sparrow -- 2 in backyard south of canoe take-out in Lyme
Evening Grosbeak -- a pair in same Lyme backyard

A few glaring but inevitable misses included Broad-winged Hawk, American 
Woodcock (3 staked-out spots failed to produce at dusk -- too late now 
for courtship flights?), Golden-crowned Kinglet (a tough bird to find 
anywhere this spring), Nashville Warbler, and Purple Finch. 

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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