monitoring walk #108On Saturday, July 22, 2010 Rutland County Audubon members and friends completed the 108th month of bird monitoring of the West Rutland Marsh. The monitoring consists of walking the 3.7 mile perimeter of the marsh each month and recording all birds seen and/or heard during the walk. Any individual who has participated in all 108 monthly monitoring walks would have covered 399.6 miles and would have seen or heard 139 different species of birds!
While those numbers may be impressive, what is more important is the ever expanding data set that has been faithfully recorded on eBird, a collaborative effort of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon and publicly available to researchers, bird enthusiasts and the curious. During nine years of marsh monitoring, 1,266 individuals participated, constituting a potential community of informed and empathetic advocates willing and ready to ensure the sustainability of the marsh and its diverse inhabitants.
While monitoring is both collegial and fun, many participate in welcoming the opportunity to hone their birding skills, both auditory and visual. It would be difficult to imagine a more dynamic and inviting classroom in which to learn, to exercise and to contribute.
While celebrating this birding milestone, there is more to the marsh than just the birds! The ten-station Bridge to Bridge Interpretive Trail, with the help of a brochure available at the kiosk, can expand the horizons of the curious to the flora, to the landscape and even to the soils characteristic of a wetland as it traverses River Street to the south and Marble Street to the east.
West Rutland Media CampThis summer, among the curious, there were three groups of young people who visited the marsh to experience some of the treasures that it has to offer, a Tapestry class from Rutland, the West Rutland Academy and the West Rutland School Media Camp. Click here to see the video created by the students.
Everyone is welcome to participate in Rutland County Audubon’s field trips and activities. There is no charge. Notice of events may be found in the local press and also on the Events section of this website.