Today Ed Hack and I looked for birds in the vicinity of the  
Connecticut River in the Vermont towns of Norwich, Hartford, and  
Windsor. Spencer Hardy joined us for part of our Norwich coverage  
during the initial morning hours. Some highlights follow.

As Spencer previously reported, Ed and I saw two Northern Pintails in  
a cove next to Route 5 across from Pompy Farms in Norwich. A Green- 
winged Teal flock was again at Pompy in Norwich. A Common Loon was  
south of the Ledyard Bridge between Hanover and Norwich. Two Pied- 
billed Grebes were at Lake Runnemede in Windsor. Three Double-crested  
Cormorants were near the boat launch at Kilowatt Park in Wilder  
(Hartford). Gray Catbird was seen at both Lake Runnemede and in the  
floodplain near the Simon Pearce facilities in Windsor. American  
Pipits were at Campbell Flats in Norwich, at Lake Runnemede, and in  
the Windsor floodplain site. An Indigo Bunting was at Lake Runnemede.  
Other species in the Windsor floodplain site included Yellow-bellied  
Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Palm Warbler, and representatives  
of Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, and Rusty Blackbird.

As indicated by recent observations including many reports from UV-B  
and elsewhere by others, migrating sparrows have lately been present  
in substantial numbers at numerous locations in the Upper Valley.  
Today, in the Windsor floodplain site, we were greatly impressed by a  
spectacle of hundreds each of both White-throated and Song Sparrows.  
Indeed, the numbers of these sparrows were so great as to overwhelm an  
attempt to count individuals. Interspersed among the sparrows were  
many dozens of American Robins attracted in part by a prolific crop of  
pokeweed berries. Also well seen today at that floodplain site was a  
Gray Fox.

George Clark
Norwich, VT