This morning at 8:30 am, a striking pair of Long-tailed Ducks floated in the middle of Lake Runnemede. There were still there when I left 45 minutes later. I never saw them dive. The male was in full breeding plumage, the female nearly so. There are still >40 Ring-necked Ducks present, and there were 2 Pied-billed Grebes. Lakeside vegetation was teeming with Yellow-rumped Warblers. I conservatively counted 90, but I'm sure there were many more. All were actively foraging, some on the ground, and many were singing. Nearly every one was a male, but I observed at least 2 females. There were also 6 Yellow Palm Warblers, 4 Evening Grosbeaks, and >250 swallows foraging over the water. Almost all were Trees, with a few N. Rough-wingeds and Barns in the mix. Great morning to be out! Chris -- Chris Rimmer Vermont Center for Ecostudies P.O. Box 420 Norwich, VT 05055 802-649-1431 ext. 1 www.vtecostudies.org **************************************************************** 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 ****************************************************************