This morning I took a stroll through Paradise Park at Lake Runnemede in Windsor, VT. Things got exciting right off the bat as I heard the calls of a Blackbird as I got out of my car in the Price Chopper parking lot across from the park. To my surprise I discovered it was a RUSTY BLACKBIRD. The bird was more proportionally similar to a Red-winged Blackbird than a Common Grackle. It was mostly a dark brownish color while the wings and tail appeared more blackish. There was a faint dark eye line and the eye had a light colored iris. The bill was smaller and thinner than that of a Grackle and the tail was much shorter than that of a Grackle as well. I only managed a couple of IDable photos before the bird flew off to the east over Price Chopper. This is by far my latest sighting of this species.

Later, while walking the trail that connects the main dike of the lake to the Constitution House, I heard the unmistakable calls of a Wren. While expecting a Carolina, I was pleasantly surprised to find a WINTER WREN instead. It came in very close where I got some good photos to confirm the ID. 

Another interesting sight was a major congregation of Woodpeckers. Near the entrance of the park I found 4 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, one Red-bellied and one Northern Flicker all in one small area.

-Dylan Jackson

Sunapee, NH