Advantages of having an office only a couple of hundred yards away from 
the Coop gardens and fields: I took a mid-afternoon stroll today and had 
8 sparrow species. Highlights:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Gray Catbird  1
Palm Warbler (Yellow)  4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  2
Field Sparrow  1
Savannah Sparrow  5
Song Sparrow  20
Lincoln's Sparrow  2
Swamp Sparrow  4
White-throated Sparrow  25
White-crowned Sparrow  7
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)  1

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15347164


A few people have asked about parking and birding at this site. Parking 
can be done anywhere, either in the gravel park-and-ride behind the 
Farmer's Market or in the grassy area just to its north.  My typical 
route is to walk along the north side of the garden - slowly, as the 
sparrows tend to be very skittish - then work the small wooded patch to 
the northeast (many birds move from the garden into this patch), then 
across the grassy opening and north along the edge of thickets bordering 
the small shrubby wetland.  From there, cross the parking area for the 
King Arthur trails and walk east to a weed-covered 'borrow pit' left 
over from the playing fields construction several years ago.  This can 
be chock full of sparrows, and sometimes other species (2 Yellow Palms 
today), but it's tough to bird.  I often climb up on one or more of the 
corners to gain a good vantage point.  Standing quietly, sometimes 
pishing, can be productive.

 From there I walk south to the baseball field and skirt the woods edge 
outside the fence along its west side, ducking into the woods on a short 
path to a landscaping business whose "office" is a trailer, at the end 
of a road that passes from Rt. 5 past the Norwich Racquet Club.  This 
can be a really good area for landbirds.  I then walk along the road 
back to the racquet club and turn right just beyond the small pond, to 
the east end of Fogg's Hardware warehouses.  There are a couple of 
dumpsters in an opening, and this can be a good spot too.  From there, 
walk back to the Farmer's Market parking lot.  In fall, sparrows are 
often feeding on the ground around the two lines of fruiting shrubs that 
divide the parking lot.  I've seen Snow Buntings here later in the 
fall.  You can then work the weedy south side of the Coop gardens.  
That's it.  I usually figure on a half hour, but if activity is hopping, 
more time can easily be spent.

If anyone would like to meet there this Thursday at 8:30 am, I'll be 
glad to walk this route.  I'll be able to spend up to 45 minutes.  I'll 
park in the grassy lot to the left as you pull in to the Farmer's Market.

Chris

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