Starting in fog dense enough to prevent distant views and then followed by a gradual clearing, this morning's bird trip along the Connecticut River from Wilson's landing in Hanover, NH, northward along River Road to Grant Brook in Lyme, yielded more than 30 bird species. This event was sponsored by the Mascoma Chapter of New Hampshire Audubon, the Hanover Conservancy, and the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT). Some highlights follow. Mallards, totaling a few dozen, were the most conspicuous of the waterbirds. Apparent family groups contained numerous young Mallards, many of which appeared nearly as large as adults. In the vicinity of Lower Slade Brook, 3 Great Blue Herons in a flock were winging their way sedately northward above the river. Among landbirds, flycatchers were especially notable. Both Willow and Alder Flycatchers were giving their diagnostic songs, with the Willow Flycatchers present at several stops, but Alder Flycatcher only near the Wilder Management area. Eastern Kingbirds seemed particularly numerous and were found at every riverside stop. Black-and-white Warblers were singing at several stops. At Grant Brook, a brightly colored male Scarlet Tanager was singing at the top of a riverside willow tree with a adult male Red- winged Blackbird perched nearby in the same tree; this juxtaposition of species was somewhat unexpected considering that the usual habitat of tanagers earlier in summer is within the interior of woodlands. Special thanks to Dartmouth Printing and Keith Ford for authorizing use of the company parking area, to Gail McPeek (Hanover Conservancy) and Doug Brown (UVLT) for coleading, and to Gail for compiling records to be entered into eBird. George Clark Norwich, VT **************************************************************** To post messages, send e-mail to: [log in to unmask] Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages. To contact the list owner: [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------- Web based archives and subscription management are available at: http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html ****************************************************************