Similar to last week, avian activity on the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline was 
pronounced on Monday evening and yesterday morning.  A brief evening 
thunderstorm chased the VCE team into our cars, but the sunset and 
moonrise that followed were spectacular.  Bicknell's Thrush 
vocalizations were in high gear, with birds calling and singing 
sporadically throughout the morning.  We mist-netted 10 birds, including 
3 new (unbanded) males and a 10 year-old male that we banded in 2003 as 
a yearling.  A nice surprise was a juvenile N. Saw-whet Owl captured at 
dusk, and found again the next morning thanks to mobbing chickadees.  
Non-local birds in our nets included an immature Eastern Phoebe, 3 
Hermit Thrushes (2 free-flying juveniles and a yearling male), and an 
adult female Ovenbird. Fledglings of several species were in evidence: 
Am. Robins, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Winter Wrens, Yellow-rumped 
Warblers, and Dark-eyed Juncos.  A singing Common Yellowthroat at 3800 
ft elevation was definitely out of habitat!

Swainson's Thrushes seem to be less abundant than they were earlier in 
June, though still far more common than 5-10 years ago, with both fewer 
singing and captured in our nets.

Chris

-- 
Chris Rimmer
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
P.O. Box 420
Norwich, VT 05055
802-649-1431 ext. 1
http://www.vtecostudies.org