Late this morning (July 10) while looking from Old Bridge Road in Norwich (VT), Blake Allison and I were fortunate to find two Lesser Yellowlegs and a Least Sandpiper on exposed flats ("Pompy") of the Ompompanoosuc River between Vermont Route 5 and I-91.  Southward migration of shorebirds through northern New England ordinarily begins by early July but is usually much more evident along the coast than in many inland locations such as the Upper Valley where suitable habitats for shorebirds are less frequent. 

We then went to the nearby I-91 overpasses which cross the river and state Route 132. There Blake spotted a Cliff Swallow nest up by the ceiling on the eastern side of the northbound (eastern) overpass. Eventually we watched two adults fly from that nest. In at least some past years, Cliff Swallows have nested under that overpass, and today's sighting confirms a continued, but limited, use of that site by Cliff Swallows, a relatively uncommon nesting species in the Upper Valley. There were also at least three active Barn Swallow nests and an active Rock Pigeon nest on beams beneath the overpasses. It's impressive that so many vehicles moving at high speed pass so closely above a center of bird nesting.

Special thanks to Blake for preparing this morning's Pompy eBird list which can be seen at https://ebird.org/nh/view/checklist/S58075326

George Clark
Norwich, VT
 


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