Eastern KingbirdWe say it every year - it’s hard to beat June at West Rutland Marsh! Birds are still singing and the nesting season is in full swing so there is plenty to hear and see. Fifteen observers tallied 64 species, three more than our average for this month of the year and four more than last June. Our high for 
Mourning DoveJune was 69 species in 2009.
Waterfowl for the day consisted of one mallard and one hooded merganser, a female. There was no sign, or sound, of the Canada geese that were spotted with young earlier in the season. No doubt we will see the geese again when October rolls around.
As we walked down Marble Street, a least bittern flew over the road near the power line. It was a quick, but satisfactory look, a first for some of us and a highlight for all. Our other bittern, the American bittern, gave us a flight show over Water Street later in the walk. A green heron and a great blue heron were seen as well.
A Virginia rail was heard from the boardwalk where the marsh wrens and swamps sparrows are as vocal as they were a month ago.
Another highlight for the morning came when we heard the sound of young woodpeckers in a cavity and then watched as a male downy woodpecker came in with food.
Other nesting activity included a mourning dove carrying nesting material, recently fledged phoebes and a veery, a gray catbird, and a red-winged blackbird each carrying food for its young.
Red-winged BlackbirdHouse wrens were heard in three locations while a winter wren gave out one burst of song along Marble Street.
Several warbler species were seen and/or heard. We counted 14 common yellowthroats, 10 American redstarts, 10 yellow warblers and eight black-and-white warblers. A single Canada warbler, a species that has eluded us earlier this season, was spotted along Whipple Hollow Road. Two northern waterthrushes were singing in this area as well. Chestnut-sided warblers and several ovenbirds were also observed.
The morning concluded with a belted kingfisher hovering over open water, followed by an osprey soaring over and then disappearing to the north.
Our next walk is scheduled for Saturday, July 14, 7 a.m.
Today’s list: