This is New Hampshire Audubon's Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, March 29, 2007. If you would like to leave a message about a bird sighting without listening to the recording first, press the pound key now.

A BARNACLE GOOSE has been seen on the Connecticut River in Hinsdale for several days. It was first reported (and photographed) on the 25th coming in to roost with CANADA GEESE on the Connecticut River just above the Vernon dam. It continued to be seen in the evening on both the 26th and 27th coming into the roost. On both the 27th and 28th it was also seen in the afternoon on the Vermont side of the river on Riverside Rd. in Vernon. It was feeding in a corn field with a large flock of CANADA GEESE. Observers on the 27th watched it fly over the ice to the Hinsdale roost at about 6:30 that evening.

CACKLING GEESE have also been seen with the flocks of CANADA GEESE on the Vermont side on Riverside Road, with 4 on the 28th, and 2 on the 25th.

Other waterfowl at the Hinsdale roost on the 27th included 4,000 CANADA GEESE, 34 SNOW GEESE, 226 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 87 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 6 GADWALL, 10 AMERICAN WIGEON, 1 LESSER SCAUP, 10 GREATER SCAUP, 4 BUFFLEHEAD, 44 NORTHERN PINTAIL, 68 WOOD DUCK, 33 COMMON GOLDENEYE, 12 COMMON MERGANSERS, 12 HOODED MERGANSERS, and good numbers of BLACKS and MALLARDS. There were also 50 TREE SWALLOWS, 1 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, and hundreds of “blackbirds” flying north up the river. Other species reported on the river above the dam earlier in the week include AMERICAN COOT, BALD EAGLE, MERLIN, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, and EASTERN PHOEBE.

The best area to view the roost is from the bluff above the Connecticut River at the Vernon dam. To reach the area, coming from Brattleboro on Rt. 119, make a sharp right onto River Road 6.7 miles from the bridge. Follow River Rd. to the end. Park on the right where the road ends and there is a gate for the shooting range. Walk under the railroad trestle and up onto the shooting range then scramble down the bank opposite the river to the railbed. Heading north along the railbed, watch for a gate on your left after about 2 tenths of a mile. There's a gate on the right too. Take the left at the gate and follow that road for about 8 tenths of a mile. This road leads you right out onto the bluff.  A telescope is almost a necessity. At about 6:30 geese begin flying in from the fields to the south, increasing in numbers until dark.

There is a Mondanock Audubon Chapter field trip to the area in search of waterfowl on Saturday the 31st that begins in Hinsdale. Participants should meet at the Dunkin Donuts at Winchester Street opposite the junction of Route 101 and 10 in Keene at 7:00am. 

On March 24th there were 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE in Charlestown in a cornfield with 200 CANADA GEESE just south of the town center and visible from the wastewater treatment facility. They were seen three hours later in cornfields a couple miles farther south, probably with same group of Canadas. There were also 29 SNOW GEESE in the Charlestown cornfields.

A pair of NORTHERN SHOVELERS was found at the Exeter wastewater treatment plant on the 23rd and seen daily through at least the 25th. A possible female BARROW’S GOLDENEYE was reported there on the 23rd, and more than 175 RING-NECKED DUCKS were seen on the 25th, while small numbers of several other species have been present.

At Pickering Ponds in Rochester there was a good selection of waterfowl on the 28th including 2 AMERICAN WIGEON, and 50 RING-NECKED DUCKS. The first winter BLACK-HEADED GULL that has been frequenting the wastewater treatment plant was also present on the ponds.

On March 27th there were 5 SNOW GEESE and a NORTHERN PINTAIL at the Moore fields on Route 155A in Durham. There were many other reports of various waterfowl on small ponds and rivers after ice-out.

An “OREGON” JUNCO was reported at Riverslea Farm in Epping on the 25th. This is a western race of our DARK-EYED JUNCO.

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS continue to be seen in good numbers at the Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson and Whitefield along with numerous singing PURPLE FINCHES and PINE SISKINS.

A BOREAL CHICKADEE was singing from Red Hill in Sandwich and 2 EVENING GROSBEAKS flew over on the 25th. There were several other EVENING GROSBEAK reports including Middle Route in Gilmanton on the 25th, Epping on the 24th and the Tin Mountain Nature Learning Center on Bald Hill Rd. in Albany.

Spring birds continue to arrive including 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS singing at the far eastern edge of the Post Office fields in Concord on the 23rd, 3 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS at Turkey Pond in Concord on the 23rd, and FISH CROWS in Manchester and Durham. There have been a number of sightings of returning RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, KILLDEER, EASTERN PHOEBE, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, WILSON’S SNIPE, PURPLE FINCH, and EASTERN MEADOWLARK.

This message is also available by phone recording: call 224-9909 and press 2 as directed or ask to be transferred. If you have seen any interesting birds recently, you can leave a message at the end of the tape or send your sightings to the RBA via e-mail at: [log in to unmask] Please put either "bird sighting" or "Rare Bird Alert" in the subject line and be sure to include your mailing address and phone number. The RBA is also available on-line at the New Hampshire Audubon web site, www.nhaudubon.org 

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