in memorium

This past year saw the loss of two longtime supporters and participants of RCAS, Verna Harvey and Betty Barbarise.

When I first became a team member on the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), it was with Verna Harvey. We shared some exciting finds over the years and now I am the team captain of that territory. Verna, always a birder, finally could no longer get into the field, but continued to enjoy watching her feeders. Each time I met her she would ask if I had heard a Winter Wren, a favorite of hers. How I wished I could have found a reliable spot for her to listen to this diminuative songster, but that was not to be!

Betty Barbarise, along with her husband Joe, were two of my first birding pals way back when I was a neophyte. It was with them that I made my first out-of-state birding trip to New Jersey. I had a whole new world of species opened to my wondering eyes. Betty was a veteran birder with a great sense of humor and we shared many exciting moments in the field. Joe was also a good birder and a willing driver. We participated in numerous CBCs as a team. As age took its toll, Bety was happy to watch her feeders and see the variety of species that frequented her yard. I spent many afternoons taking my photos to show her. We would spend the afternoon sharing stories about the many funny things that had occurred during our expeditions into the field.

How fortunate for me to have had these special folks in my life as mentors and friends. They are missed, but fond memories remain.

Our Nineteenth Annual Butterfly Count

Common Wood Nymphs lived up to their name during our count. Photo by Roy PilcherRutland County Audubon’s nineteenth Annual Butterfly Count was scheduled for Saturday, July 7, but inclement weather intervened and so the count was rescheduled for the following day, Sunday.  

Good fortune dictated a perfect day, Sunday, for the rescheduled count. Temperatures ranged from 73 to 77 degrees with partly cloudy skies and only a gentle northwest breeze.

The four participants managed to tally 688 individual butterflies covering 40 species over a period of 6 hours.  These numbers are well within the range when compared to the eighteen year average of 653 individual butterflies and 34 species.

The butterfly of the day with the highest aggregate was Common Wood Nymph with 92 individuals tallied.  It certainly lived up to the designation, “common”!

While the count circle was adhered to, only three of the five count sites were consistent with past counts hence comparisons are not strictly valid!

Count tallies were entered into the North American Butterfly Association’s country-wide data bank.

Species’ numbers followed by an asterisk indicate a record high for the local count.

Black Swallowtail 15*, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 29*, Cabbage White 86, Clouded Sulphur 57, Orange Sulphur 60*, Acadian Hairstreak 5, Banded Hairstreak 15, Eastern Tailed Blue 8,

Silvery Blue 2, Azure complex 1, Great Spangled Fritillary 17, Aphrodite Fritillary 1, Atlantis Fritillary 7, Meadow Fritillary 15, Crescent species [Pearl/Northern] 78, Question Mark 2, Eastern Comma 1, Mourning Cloak 1, Milbert's Tortoiseshell 5, Red Admiral 1, American Lady 3, Painted Lady 2, Viceroy 1, Eyed Brown 4, Little Wood Satyr  2, Common Ringlet 17, Common Wood Nymph 92*, Monarch 67*, Silver-spotted Skipper 33*, Northern Cloudywing 1, Least Skipper 8, European Skipper 30, Peck's Skipper 1, Tawny-edged Skipper 1, Northern Broken Dash 1, Little Glassywing 1, Delaware Skipper 1, Mulberry Wing 1, Hobomok Skipper 1, Dun Skipper 15.

watch us Temporarily Lose our Senses – 2012 Butterfly Count

For one day each summer Rutland County Audubon members and friends temporarily lose their senses as they forsake their traditional bird quest for a butterfly quest!  

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly | Photo by Marv Elliott

On Saturday, July 7, at 9:00 in the morning, we will gather at the West Rutland Price Chopper parking area in anticipation of the West Rutland butterfly count. Butterfly counts parallel Christmas Bird Counts in that they occur at a particular time of year and are restricted to a single day in a circle of prescribed 15 mile diameter.  

The West Rutland count was inaugurated in 1994 by the late Monica Gregory, making this the nineteenth consecutive count, one of the longest running in Vermont. We can anticipate a nice variety of butterflies, thirty-four being an average number of species encountered but the number of individual butterflies can vary widely from a low of 150 to a high of 2090 depending upon recent weather conditions and flights. 

The local butterfly counts are part of a larger effort sponsored by the North American Butterfly Association, now in its thirty-eighth year. For those wishing to have their names recorded as participants in the report published by the NABA, there is a $3 donation.       Counting usually proceeds throughout the day with a break for lunch, so bring something to eat and plenty to drink. Since we will be moving through grassy and brushy areas preparedness should be exercised for the probability of encountering ticks!   

Those with butterfly nets will be capturing several specimens that will be temporarily restrained in glass jars for all to see enabling both immediate identification and reference going forward as the count progresses. The learning curve is surprisingly steep and as competence is gained so is the enjoyment and admiration of these delightful winged creatures.

The count otherwise is free and open to the public. If you have a butterfly net, be sure to bring it along. For further information concerning the West Rutland count call Roy at 775-3461.

wind Power on Grandpa’s Knob, a rock and a hard place

We all know the old “between a rock and a hard place” adage, but the issue of wind power at a site of exceptional ecological value as quoted from a letter by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources sure brings it home. 

ridge overlooking West Rutland MarshWe all know the extent of our demand for energy. Gasoline prices are down a little but we can easily remember over $4 per gallon. Realistically, we know they will be back and get higher. We can also remember well the disaster that unfolded in the Gulf of Mexico. Yes, it was caused by carelessness, stupidity and greed, but all driven by the desire to tap into oil as a source of energy. And who in Vermont doesn’t know about the problems and pollution from nuclear power? Solar power is just gearing up, and hopefully, will become an important part of the mix. 

All of this leads us toward wanting wind power to be a viable solution. On May 14, Reunion Power made its case to the West Rutland Select Board for the installation of 20 wind turbines along the Taconic Ridge that includes Grandpa’s Knob. After the company’s presentation, Roy Pilcher and I, along with many other Vermonters, had a brief opportunity to ask questions. I asked Reunion if they have agreed to the wind power construction guidelines set by the U.S.  Fish and Wildlife Department and supported by National Audubon. The answer was not “yes.” We can all interpret for ourselves the meaning of the response from Reunion.  I believe they will not accept those strict guidelines because they know they can’t meet the requirements. At Audubon, we believe those guidelines help find a creative solution to the wind energy dilemma. For the view of National Audubon, click here. Wind power can be worth the risks if it is properly sited.

Roy Pilcher, RCAS Co-president, prepared and presented charts with actual species of raptors seen over the ridge where the wind farm is to be built and the area near the West Rutland Marsh IBA as well as near the Hubbardton Battlefield.

On May 16 the Rutland County Audubon Board of Directors voted to oppose the commercial development, the Grandpa's Knob Wind Project, sited on the ridge of the Taconics. We are quite satisfied that our approach to this thorny issue is correct. We want the decision to be based on hard facts. the ultimate decision on this project rests with the Vermont Public Service Board. They will decidde whether this project meets a public good. Before that we, as concerned citizens, have a responsibility to invetigate this issue and decide for ourselves whether it is worth the risks.

One of the possible indirect, but positive outcome could be uniting the community over the value of the West Rutland Marsh. We at Rutland County Audubon have long valued the marsh for its great variety of bird life. By getting together now we can move the marsh from a convenient place to dump trans and shoot holes in a computer full of toxic metals to a beautiful natural area springing with life. To do that will take extensive local support. A few outsiders from adjoining areas can come in and do a cleanup, but local residents can find a way to stop the abusive treatment.

Here is hoping for the future of West Rutland Marsh.

century count XVII

Prairie WarblerFor the eighth consecutive year Rutland County Audubon has exceeded its goal of 100 species in Rutland County during its annual Century Count. This year's count, the seventeenth, totaled 110 species by 13 participants! Our record was 114 in 2010.

Although no rarities were observed, there was a good representation of the species to be found in Rutland County in May. By comparison this a little more than twice the number of species tallied during the annual Christmas Bird Count.

Prairie Warblers were in full song along the Pleasant Street power line in West Rutland and, as we left, the Eastern Towhees were tuning up. Both Blue-winged and Golden-winged warblers were heard.

West Rutland Marsh produced the expected species - American Bittern, Virginia Rail, Marsh Wren - as well as a Green Heron. A Canada Warbler, heard along Whipple Hollow Road during last week's marsh monitoring walk, is still singing. A Northern Waterthrush and Yellow-billed Cuckoo were also heard.

Many of us are now calling what used to be known as the Golden-winged Warbler pull-off (the rest area on Route 4), the Tick pull-off, no pun intended. No Golden-winged or Blue-winged warblers were heard, but the ticks are plentiful. Use caution when visiting! Five Wood Thrush were heard as well as one Mourning Warbler, a Black-billed Cuckoo and the first of many Eastern Wood-pewees of the day.

Castleton State College has a nice, easy-to-walk trail behind the athletic center. It produced Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper and Louisiana Waterthrush.

At the Kehoe Fishing Access on the west side of Lake Bomoseen, we could see an adult Bald Eagle sitting on a tree on Neshobe Island. An Osprey was also observed flying down the lake.

During the heat of mid-afternoon the grassland species were still singing - Savannah Sparrow at Fair Haven Municipal Airport, Bobolinks at several locations in West Haven and Benson, and Brown Thrasher and Eastern Meadowlark in Benson.

Unbelievably the only Red-tailed Hawk sighting of the day came at 7 p.m. in Brandon.

Common Loon and Spotted Sandpiper were observed at both Chittenden Reservoir and Kent Pond. The single Hermit Thrush of the day was heard at Chittenden Reservoir as well.

The day ended with the evening song of a Swainson's Thrush at Kent Pond in Killington and at Lefferts Pond in Chittenden "peent" of American Woodcock, the "oong-ka-choonk" of American Bittern, the White-throated Sparrow's "old Sam Peabody."

Two new species were added to the annual Century Count list: Carolina Wren at West Rutland Marsh and American Wigeon, a pair, at Lefferts Pond.

As an added bonus several Giant Swallowtail butterflies were observed during the day at various locations.

The day's list:

Canada Goose Wood Duck American Wigeon American Black Duck Mallard Common Loon American Bittern Great Blue Heron Green Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Virginia Rail Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Wilson’s Snipe American Woodcock Ring-billed Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cucko o Black-billed Cuckoo Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-belled Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-pewee Alder Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Yellow-throated Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Tree Swallow Bank Swallow Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren House Wren Winter Wren Marsh Wren Eastern Bluebird Veery Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher European Starling Cedar Waxwing Ovenbird Louisiana Waterthrush Northern Waterthrush Blue-winged Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler Black-and-white Warbler Nashville Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Blackburnian Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow

annual meeting, program and potluck - june 27

Black-and-white WarblerThe Annual Meeting of the Rutland County Audubon Society will be held on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 6 PM. In keeping with tradition it will include a potluck supper the Proctor Library. Allon Wildgust will present a program on his trip to Africa, which includes many beautiful photos.

This year’s slate of officers and directors, in keeping with the guidelines of our constitution and bylaws, is as follows:

Co-presidents:     Roy Pilcher and Marvin Elliott

Secretary              Kathleen Guinness

Treasurer             Open

Director                Fred Bates

Director                Marsha Booker

Director                Tracey Busony

Director                Susan Elliott       

Director                David Jenne

Director                Renee Warren

Director                Mary Lou Webster

Director                Sue Wetmore                

We invite all interested parties to let us know if they would like to serve as an Officer or Director. We will vote on this slate at the meeting as well invite nominations from the floor.

This is also a time to recognize two people who will be stepping down from their positions. Angele Brill has been on the board for many years, most recently serving as our Treasurer. Angele feels it is time to step down and give someone new a chance. She will help us to get a replacement trained.

In addition, Susan Elliott is stepping down as Secretary, but will continue assisting us with other support functions (the RCAS website, Facebook, eBird reporting, etc.)

We thank Angele and Susan for all their service. We also thank Kathleen Guinness for accepting the nomination to serve as secretary.

We always need volunteers so please let us know if you have an interest. Our goal is to follow the old saying that “many hands make light work.”  By having more volunteers we can spread out the work and allow more time for the part of Audubon we enjoy the most – watching birds. We would also like help with maintaining West Rutland Marsh, monitoring Mountain Top Farm (our conservation easement), helping at the State Fair Forestry Building and many other potential projects. Please contact me at vtbirdhouses@yahoo.com or 775-2415 if you would like to discuss it further.

Hope to see you at the meeting! Bring a dish to share. Beverages and utensils will be provided.

thank you Green Up volunteers!

A big thank you to the thirteen(!) RCAS members who volunteered their Saturday morning to clean up West Rutland Marsh during this year’s Green Up Day! With all your hard work the marsh is sparkling again and ready for the spring migrants that are pouring into the marsh and beyond.

Joining with other community members, we picked up everything from computer parts to tires to things too disgusting too name. Meanwhile West Rutland highway department employees worked hard patrolling the roads picking up the trash with their front-end loaders and trucks.

Always with our ears to the birds, we managed to compile a list of 33 species, many of them first of year birds for us. The che-bek of the Least Flycatcher was heard across from the boardwalk. The beautiful Baltimore Orioles are back at several of their usual spots along Marble Street. A Veery was heard along Whipple Hollow Road, where volunteers were also serenaded by a Winter Wren. Great Blue Heron, Osprey and Belted Kingfishers flew over. 

Each year we shake our heads in wonder that such thoughtless dumping occurs. By mid-day we are glad we made the effort again and can enjoy the marsh and its amazing birds in this best season of the year.

april bird update

Surprisingly Rutland County ended April with 139 species, nine short of what was recorded this time last year. What happened? The weather, mostly, with a north wind holding back many migrants at month-end. Click here for a full list of what was seen in April. 

White-winged Scoters on Kent PondWaterfowl continued their strong showing through most of the month with many of the highlights being observed at the Lake Bomoseen/Hubbardton IBA. These included Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail and Ruddy Duck. Ring-necked Ducks, as many as 220, were also present for much of April at this spot. American Coots were also noted after a two and a half month hiatus. 

With Kent Pond free of ice, two Common Loons wasted no time in returning, possibly the same pair that nested successfully last year. Greater Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Pied-billed and Red-necked Grebe also put in an appearance. Three Spotted Sandpipers and seven Greater Yellowlegs were observed at Kent Pond as well as a surprising Vesper Sparrow, the same week one was seen in Danby. 

A Golden Eagle, an unexpected treat, was seen in Danby. Osprey and Broad-winged Hawks are back so our expected complement of raptors is accounted for. 

A Great Egret was seen at Long Swamp in Brandon and Great Blue Herons are on their nests in several locations. We await the first report of the Green Heron. 

A Solitary Sandpiper (just one!) was seen in Brandon as was a very early Least Flycatcher. The first of the vireos, the Blue-headed, appeared at several locations by mid-month. 

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have returned to their usual spot at the Kehoe Fishing Access on Lake Bomoseen as have the Northern Rough-winged Swallows that nest in the old quarry behind the upper parking lot. Bank Swallows were seen cruising along the riverbank behind Green Mountain College. 

Eight species of warblers – Louisiana and Northern waterthrush, Black-and-white, Yellow-rumped, Palm, Pine and Black-throated Green warbler appeared the last week in April with many more to come in the next couple weeks. 

Vesper Sparrow at Kent PondField Sparrows and Eastern Towhees are back on the power lines singing away to claim their territories. Hopefully the Prairie Warblers are not far behind. Brown Thrashers were seen in several locations. 

Two Horned Larks, a bird in short supply this year, were reported in Danby. 

Although fewer  eBird checklists were submitted in April of this year (260) than last (284), there are some new eBirders out there. Hope you are one of them!

time to visit the marsh

The final days of April are here and the floodgates of migration are wide open. In the past two weeks several species have returned to Rutland County. And plenty more are on the way! Saturday’s trip RCAS trip to West Rutland Marsh is a good example of why it’s a great time to get out there and go birding.

Despite unfavorable weather predictions, 27 participants joined RCAS for the April 21 monthly monitoring walk around the marsh. Fifty species were tallied, well above our April average of 41 species. The marsh birds are back – American Bittern, Virginia Rail, Marsh Wren and Swamp Sparrow. All we need is now is Least Bittern and Sora to complete the picture.

Highlights of the walk included a large number of American Bitterns (5), seen in flight and heard “pumping.” Unusually high numbers of Wilson’s Snipe (7) were observed as well. Besides Marsh Wren, both Carolina and Winter wrens were heard. A female Northern Harrier was flying gracefully over the marsh.

Warblers are putting in their first appearance of the year. Both Northern Waterthrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler were heard along Whipple Hollow Road. And the group had a good look at a bird that would have been a fitting subject for Ansel Adams - the Black-and-white Warbler.

In keeping with this week’s reports from around the state, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher and Chipping Sparrow were all seen and/or heard. Click here for a full list of what was seen during the walk.

West Rutland Marsh, as always, needs our help. May 5 (Saturday) will be your chance to pitch in. RCAS spends each Vermont Green Up Day picking up the trash that has accumulated over the winter. Meet us at the West Rutland Town Hall at 9 a.m. to join in the effort. Trash bags are provided and work gloves suggested. If you need any encouragement, Least Bittern was heard during last year’s clean up.

May and June tie for the best months at West Rutland. Plan to join us on May 17 (Thursday) or June 23 (Saturday) for our monthly monitoring walk around the marsh. Meet at the West Rutland Price Chopper at 7 a.m.

march bird update

female Common Mergansers on Lake BomoseenWaterfowl continues to be the biggest contributor to the high number of species seen so far in Rutland County this year. With most bodies of water completely open by mid-March, ducks and geese are now free to move out to smaller lakes and ponds  Some of the species that have been reported, and that will disappear as spring moves into summer, include Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, both scaup, Red-breasted Merganser and Ruddy Duck. While Common Merganser is abundant, the less common Red-breasted Merganser has been spotted at Lake St. Catherine, Lake Bomoseen and Kent Pond.

With only one quarter of 2012 behind us, Rutland County has already tallied 101 species, about half what we see in any given year. Even more amazing, it is 13 species MORE than what we saw as of March 2011. Click here to see a full list of this year’s species.

Common Loon returned to Lake Bomoseen late in the month after a short hiatus since early January. Very shortly they will start to be seen on our smaller ponds and lakes, claiming some for their nesting activities. Pied-billed Grebes have been spotted on Lake Bomoseen and also a pond in Benson.  Horned and Red-necked grebe have also been seen on Lake Bomoseen.

At long last Barred Owl made it onto this year’s Rutland County list with reports from Hubbardton, Chittenden, Mendon, West Rutland and Clarendon. Red-shouldered Hawk has been spotted in Danby and also Bomoseen State Park. Reports of American Kestrel, while seen off and on over the winter, have increased.

While Black Vulture sightings have increased in Vermont over the past several years, they certainly can’t be counted on. Fortunately, one was spotted along Route 7 in Wallingford. It’s worth taking a second look when you see any vulture  - the Black Vulture’s silhouettte is distinctly different than that of the Turkey Vulture.

Improbable as it seems for insect eaters, Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow and Eastern Meadowlark are all back as are Killdeer. Perhaps staking out an early claim for nesting territory is worth the risk.

Winter Wren appeared by mid-March and has begun to fill the woods with their improbable song with reports from Lake St. Catherine State Park, Lefferts Pond and Aitken State Forest among others. There have been two reports of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker so far, at West Rutland Marsh and in Danby.

Song Sparrows are back in full song and Fox Sparrows have begun to move through.

So far 227 eBird checklists have been submitted this year. Keep up the good work, eBirders! 

upcoming power line survey - volunteers needed!

RCAS will begin a new birding project this spring. We hope will appeal to members and non-members alike . Details will be provided at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 17, 6:30 PM at the Union Church Parish house in Proctor. For newcomers, park in the back lot by driving past the main entrance and going left and down the hill. We will meet downstairs; there is a lower entrance just off the lot.

We have been asked to complete a bird species list by Audubon Vermont and Vermont Power (VELCO) for several power line areas. We expect this to involve surveying seven or eight power line routes in our area of Rutland County. It may involve more such as finding which species actually nest and where.

Experienced birders know that power lines are great places to find some of our favorite species.  The Eastern Towhee shown here came from a power line, a place we find them consistently. It’s also good for Blue-winged and Golden winged warblers and their hybrids. When it comes to finding birds we know there could be some exciting discoveries. That’s why we are doing it.

The meeting is being held to explain the project, answer questions and sign up volunteers. The meeting will be conducted by Mark LaBarr and Margaret Fowle of Audubon Vermont. We also hope to have a VELCO representative present. Sue Wetmore, RCAS board member and birder extraordinaire, will lead the project in Rutland County.

This is a way to learn about birds, enjoy seeing birds and contribute to their preservation and protection. We hope to see you there.

pete dunne on bird watching

I was presented Pete Dunne on Bird Watching, for review, by another Auduboner, who thought it was a good introductory book that, while slightly dated (2003),  is still available and ought to be more well known.

Pete Dunne as authored many books on birds and bird watchingCertainly Pete Dunne is to be acknowledged for taking a holistic approach to birding, by accruing numerous diverse skills in order to successfully identify birds in the field. But I don’t consider this a beginner’s book. It is not a handy guide to keep in the glove box or on the windowsill to determine what flits by in the campground or backyard. Having finished chapter one, I felt he was writing at least for the serious beginner. By the end of the book, I concluded that Mr. Dunne’s audience is the committed birder, well on his or her way to building a life list, with enough experience to ask intelligent questions the likes of which he can answer.

Binoculars and spotting scopes are discussed at length in several chapters. Here must be everything you will ever need to know about the optics of lenses and the critical evaluations to consider when purchasing (porro vs. roof prisms, lens coatings, BAK-4 vs. BK-7 glass, optimal magnifications, etc.). The avid birder will be more confident when shopping for optical accessories. The beginning birder will be daunted by Dunne’s assessment that any binoculars with a tag less than $200 isn’t worth a second look.

Dunne follows with a detailed description of the maneuvers for correct use of binoculars, an acquired skill of frustrated beginners. He nearly envisions the experience birder as performing a choreography of mind-hand-binocular-bird intuitive flow of action for maximum identification success.

Although this is not a typical field guide akin to Sibley, Peterson, etc., Dunne does give a nod to their variable design, accuracy and illustration format. Here

 a subsection covers process guides, “those guides that work best are those whose format is not so much anchored in a process as an embodiment of it.” This sounds to me, that if you’re well-versed in such apparently biblical field guides, you’ve mastered the Tao Te Ching of birding!

A chapter on where to bird mentions various local sites by habitat, noting that some of the best birding is upwind of sewage treatment plants, and gives extensive coverage of hotspots across the country and abroad, as well as pelagic (by sea) adventures.

Scattered throughout the book are inserts by guest writers with tips and anecdotes, such as one beginner’s expedition being matched with an (unknown to her) expert birder on a Christmas Bird Count.

Dunne is at his best when he comes down to reiterating his ten steps of bird identification, only the first few of which concern size, shape, and field marks. The more experienced birder then knows to consider behavior, flight patterns, ground and roosting activity, habitat, nearby birds, reaction to human presence, etc. He gives ample pages enlarging on these nuances.

Nonetheless, Dunne does seem to delight in propounding the proper ‘pishing’ pronunciation protocol, or enthralling with the near esoteric, as how to predict a fallout by watching the moon with your spotting scope on the night before you plan to go birding.

Fortunately, for the novice, such terms as “fallout” or “passerine,” glided by in the text, are defined by a glossary at the end of the book, where there is also an American Birding Association Checklist of the Birds of North America and a code of birding ethics.

This book is an omnibus of all things about birding outside of classic field guide identification. It will refine your skills and advance you toward your goal of expert birders. It is clear that the author finds himself a guru in that category.

The book is available at the Rutland Free Library and also at Amazon.com where it received a rating of four out of five stars.

february bird update

a Bohemian Waxwing reaches for fruitAn extra day in February isn’t enough to explain the large increase in species seen this year over last year this time. Perhaps the enthusiasm generated by last year’s County Quest has carried over. Maybe there are some new eBirders out there. Or maybe it has been the weird winter, or lack thereof, weather. Whatever the reason, an amazing 11 more species have been observed in Rutland County over the first two months of last year. Some highlights from February:

Our unusually large number of species of waterfowl this winter increased with the addition of a Snow Goose and four Northern Pintail thanks to the open water of Otter Creek in Proctor and an alert birder.

A Merlin, a bird that has expanded its range into Vermont over the past several years, was seen near the ball fields of Giorgetti (Pine Hill) Park in Rutland. 

Our largest and smallest regularly occurring owls have been reported this year. A Great Horned Owl was seen draped over a TV dish in Danby when the owner went out to make an adjustment. A Northern Saw-whet Owl was heard on a calm, moonlit night, also in Danby. 

American Robin continues to be bird of the year, with flocks of a handful of birds to a few dozen, being seen throughout the county. Small numbers of Bohemian Waxwings have been seen in Danby and also around the Diamond Run Mall in Rutland. Most of these flocks have been under a dozen, but one flock in Danby consisted of 68 birds.

Enormous flocks of Snow Buntings were seen in Addison County the last week of February. Although not numbering in the thousands like the ones up north, two flocks of 250 and 500 each were spotted swirling over farm fields in Proctor and Rutland Town.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler, about the only species of warbler likely to be seen this time of year, was observed twice along the Cadwell Loop of the Pittsford Trails.

One bird not included in this month’s numbers is Swamp Sparrow, two actually, seen at the Pomainville WMA. Because it out of its expected date range, a report and photos, must be approved by the Vermont Bird Records Committee.

Red-winged Blackbirds are back! A few have been seen here and there with one flock of about 80 seen in Clarendon along with about 20 Common Grackles. Two Rusty Blackbirds, a species in serious decline, were seen in Danby.

A sharp-eyed birder spotted five White-winged Crossbills in the conifers along the ‘strip’ on Route 7 south on February’s extra day.

A couple of species are missing from this year’s list. After all of last year’s Barred Owl sightings, not one has been reported this year. Without heavy snow, they are probably finding enough to eat without being forced to hunt near the sides of roads. A loss for us, but it is probably better and safer for the owls.  Although Horned Larks were reported at the end of last year, none have been reported yet in 2012.

Also, good to note, 150 eBird checklists were submitted this February compared with 123 last February. For a complete list of this year's sightings click here. Keep up the good work, birders!

great backyard bird count: february 17-20

Attention birders! Pick up your binoculars and get ready to count! Friday, February 17 kicks off the 15^th annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Hosted by National Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the count is geared to beginners and experienced birders alike.

The premise is simple: Look out your window (or head to your local park or outdoor area), count the species and numbers of birds you see for at least 15 minutes on any or all of the days of the count and enter the information online.

The 2011 GBBC brought in more than 92,000 bird checklists submitted by participants from across the United States and Canada. Altogether, bird watchers identified 596 species with 11.4 million bird observations. Phenomenal! Vermont contributed 662 checklists comprised of 82 species and 899 individual birds.

This year, as we have in the past, RCAS will hold its monthly monitoring walk around West Rutland Marsh to coincide with the Great Backyard Bird Count. Meet on Saturday, February 18 at 8 a.m. in the West Rutland Price Chopper parking lot. See you there!

Click here to see photos and explore all the results from last year.

january bird update

Winter may not have arrived yet this year, but many of our avian winter visitors have. Rough-legged Hawks were seen hovering over a field in Brandon and the Pomainville Wildlife Management Area in Pittsford. Northern Shrike, known as the butcher bird, was at West Rutland Marsh while Bohemian Waxwing and Common Redpoll have been observed in Danby and Rutland, respectively. The latter two species have not been seen in great numbers as they have in past years. Next time you see a flock of Cedar Waxwings, look for the rusty undertail of Bohemians.

American RobinRobins seem to be the bird of the month. Even non-birders (is there really such a thing?) are commenting on their presence. Large flocks have been observed feeding on sumac and other fruits and, at higher elevations, mountain ash. Click here to see where all they’ve been reported this month.

Thanks to open water at Lake Bomoseen until mid-month, species not usually seen in January included Ring-necked Duck, both scaup species, White-winged Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Loon, and American Coot. Now that the lake is frozen, we’re not likely to see these birds again until mid-March.

Snipe? Yes, a Wilson’s Snipe was seen in the Clarendon ‘flats’ area. This species, not normally associated with winter, has been reported on several past Christmas Bird Counts and was seen again in January. Great Blue Heron (also in the Clarendon 'flats'), American Kestrel (in West Haven), and Belted Kingfisher (in Rutland Town and West Rutland) have also been reported.

Overall, we’re off to a great start! Although the number of checklists submitted to eBird is down compared to last year (121 versus 164 in 2011), Rutland County has tallied 64 species in January for the year compared to 59 this time last year.

For a full list of the species seen this past January, click here.

A handful of species on last year’s list, but not reported to eBird yet include Merlin, Snow Bunting, Horned Lark, Rusty Blackbird, and Evening Grosbeak. Keep your eyes open and don’t forget to eBird!

2011 quest wrap-up

DunlinOn January 22, birders from across the state gathered at the Montshire Museum in Norwich to celebrate the successful conclusion of the first Vermont Quest and to toast the winners. Awards were given to the winning county based on a par system, the top birder in each county, and the top eBirder in each count, among other categories. Windham and Windsor counties took top honors  - congratulations to birders there! Click here to see how Rutland County stacked up (pretty much in the middle).

From all the chatter at the gathering, birders seem eager to continue the competition in 2012. Stay tuned to see how we are faring this year compared to last. In the meantime, here is a summary of highlights, first through fifth sightings of the 'unusual' birds seen in Rutland County in 2011:

Tundra Swan	4/13/85 11/30/90 4/9/98 4/11/11	Lake Bomoseen Shrewsbury Brandon Rutland
Red-throated Loon	11/27//97 10/28/11	Lake Bomoseen Lake Bomoseen
American White Pelican	5/31/11 11/17/11	Kent Pond, Killington Kent Pond, Killington
Sandhill Crane	10/4/92 8/26/95 4/7/09 4/11/11 9/29/11	Lake Hortonia Brandon Clarendon “flats” Mt. Tabor – Otter Creek wetlands Lefferts Pond, Chittenden
Dunlin	11/5/88 6/4/08 10/29/11	Lake Bomoseen/Hubbardton IBA Lefferts Pond, Chittenden Lefferts Pond, Chittenden
Red-necked Phalarope	10/5/11	Lake Bomoseen
Laughing Gull	9/20/11	Lake Bomoseen
Black Tern	5/29/89 6/15/04 5/4/11 5/16/11	Rutland Lake Bomoseen/Hubbardton IBA Kent Pond, Killington Kent Pond, Killington
Common Tern	5/20/89 5/4/11 8/27/11 10/3/11	Lake Bomoseen Kent Pond, Killington Chittenden Reservoir Lake Bomoseen
Snowy Owl	11/15/91 1/25/01 11/27/11	Shrewsbury Chittenden Mt. Tabor
Connecticut Warbler	9/5/81 10/2/11	White Rocks Nat'l Rec. Area Rutland Town

feathers - a book review

Surprisingly, Thor Hanson begins his treatise on feathers with a titillating introduction that describes the role of birds in shamanism and ancient mythologies, and he goes on to speculate why most religions share a belief in angels as intermediaries on a flight path toward unity with God. But from there on, the reader encounters a definite shift of tone. The remainder of the book follows three themes: the evolution of feathers, their biological utility to flight and life functions, and the commercial use of feathers.

As someone who has persistently bypassed the dinosaur articles in National Geographic as being the epitome of ennui, I was totally engulfed by Hanson’s lucid discussion of Archaeopteryx studies in unraveling the evolution of feathers. (Archaeopteryx was a pre-historic linchpin having physical properties of reptiles and birds.) Traditional theories argue that feathers evolved for the purpose of flight. Others proposed non-aerodynamic proto-feather structures that facilitated the insulation, waterproofing and display and courtship colors, were the first to appear.

But more recent studies jettison origin from reptile scales or the multiple potential uses of the emerging new feather form. Instead, they focus on a how a feather grows, as the key to answering questions as to how feathers evolved. Hanson very carefully, with precise diagrams, details the five states of feather development. This theory attempts to overcome the confounding discordance of the structural difference between flat scales and tubular feathers. Though initially speculative, this theory has received profound support from numerous fossils exemplifying the five stages, unearthed by paleontological studies in northeast China in the 1900s.

Secondly, Hanson discusses the physiological properties of feathers, and their numerous survival functions. Although feathers are composed of keratin, as are our hair, nails and skin, it is a chemically unique keratin providing the molecular basis for particular characteristics: strong yet light, firm yet flexible, durable and elastic. Each individual skin follicle can produce all the feather types and colors over a lifetime, from natal down to juvenile, adult, and breeding plumages. Each follicle is modulated by muscles and nerves that give a finely tuned agility to individual feathers. Likewise, molting is more than a random, diffuse shedding. It occurs in a staggered pattern from innermost primaries out to wing-tips, although in ducks the molt can take place more precipitously, leaving them rather helpless in hunting season, giving rise to the phrase “sitting duck.”

Besides physiological molting, birds can release a mass of feathers in a moment of stress or fright, leaving a predator with a feathery mouthful. Although feathers also provide insulation, they are positioned in clusters or tracks with in-between bare patches, providing for cool drafts and evaporation.

The third major theme is man’s commercial use of feathers. Of course, the author is obliged to briefly cover the pre-World War I global “plume-boom” (which gave rise to the Audubon Society), but Hanson has also dug up tales of ostrich magnates and African ostrich espionage! He also points out that although women were the feather industry’s principle market, women founded nearly every local Audubon chapter and made up most of the early membership.

Hanson undertook several excursions to investigate the current feather market. He visited the only remaining New York City milliner, who handcrafts here artisan ally designed hats. After several reassurances of his purely academic interest, he is finally given a tour of the “The Rainbow Feather Company” where feathers are dyed in a secretive industrial process. He also inveigles an interview with the producers of “Jubilee!,” the most extravagant show in Las Vegas, followed by a visit to backstage storage replete with elaborate feathers costumes.

However, present uses of feathers go beyond the commercial uses that serve our vanity. “Biomimetics” is a recent approach to scientific innovation whereby researchers go back to nature, now with very high powered microscopes and digital instruments, to look for high-tech ways to mimic what nature has accomplished superbly on its own. As I alluded to previously, birds can instinctively, independently, move individual feathers in a much nuanced response to wind conditions in order to manipulate speed, orientation, etc. A specific example is soaring birds’ adjusting their wing-tip “fingers” as needed. Engineers have closely studied birds and devised artificial “winglets” that have been added to the tips of plane wings to increase flight efficiency. They have been found to decrease fuel use by 6%.

This just skims the surface of the revelations in Feathers. The evolution research chapters are clear and accompanied by explanatory diagrams. Hanson’s junkets exploring commercial uses of feathers are lighter reading, with a sprinkling of humorous anecdotes.

Check out this month's issue of National Audubon for an article on feathers by author Thor Hanson and beautiful photos of feathers by Robert Clark. Click here to read the article.

For a great winter read, you can check this book out from the Rutland Free Library and the Brandon Library.

winter regulars and rarities in the champlain valley

Sixteen participants rose to the challenge of temps in the low teens and a brisk wind for Rutland County Audubon’s annual winter visit to the Champlain Valley. Starting north at Shelburne Bay and ending on Gage Road in Addison, 39 species plus one hybrid were tallied and entered on 17 eBird checklists. Thanks to Roy Pilcher’s advance scouting and careful planning, the day was a great success despite the weather.

a frosty morning along Lake ChamplainShelburne Bay brought the first Bald Eagle of the trip, an adult, and one of nine eagles, seen throughout the day. Mallard, American Black Duck, Bufflehead, and Common Goldeneye were also observed here as they were at most of our other shoreline stops which included Shelburne Point, Shelburne Farms, Charlotte Town Beach and the ferry landing as well as Fort Cassin Point.

Along Harbor Road at Shelburne Point, a Merlin was seen at fairly close range, dining on a chickadee. A Pileated Woodpecker flew about the woods nearby. Four Red-breasted Mergansers were out on the bay. A Northern Flicker, one of three for the day, was also seen in the area.

Two more Bald Eagles were seen at Shelburne Farms, both immatures. Other raptors at this location included Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk and Rough-legged Hawk. At nearby Meach Cove (Shelburne Beach), an American Black Duck x Mallard hybrid was spotted among a group of other members of its gene pool. Four Horned Grebes were also present.

Fort Cassin produced four Gadwall among a group of Mallard and American Black Duck plus four more eagles, two adult and two immature.

Other sightings of the day included two Red-winged Blackbirds in a lilac bush near a feeder, a single Snow Goose among a large flock of Canadas, and a good number of American Robins. Large flocks of Snow Buntings were observed swirling over frozen farm fields in Charlotte and Gage Road in Addison. Small groups of Horned Larks were also seen as well as Wild Turkeys.

Three members of the group visited the Champlain Bridge at the end of the day and added Redhead, Ring-necked Duck and Greater Scaup to the list.

The day's list:

Canada Goose

Snow Goose

Gadwall

American Black Duck

American Black Duck x Mallard

Mallard

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Greater Scaup

scaup sp.

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Wild Turkey

Horned Grebe

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Red-tailed Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

Merlin

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Mourning Dove

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Blue Jay

American Crow

Horned Lark

Black-capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

European Starling

Snow Bunting

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

House Sparrow

rcas 38th christmas bird count results

Why, you ask, give up eight or nine hours of your time to participate in an annual count of the birds?

Tufted TitmouseCould it be because there are birds out there to be counted and birds are part of our natural world? And the more one knows about them the more one appreciates them and the greater the wonderment? Or is it because there are those fellow enthusiasts whose addiction and concentration may rival your own and whose company is to be enjoyed?

However, striking a more rational stance, don’t forget there is a tradition now stretching back one hundred and eleven years of generations of birders who were similarly motivated to record and to contribute their time and their efforts to an ever expanding database of information of which the local contribution is a mere miniscule, nevertheless essential part! With the enormous capabilities of computers to store data, Christmas Bird Counts have now gone global expanding beyond the U.S.A and Canada to many countries of the Western Hemisphere. 

Saturday, December 31, was the appointed day for Rutland County’s thirty-eighth annual count.  The weatherman’s prediction was for sleet and rain after midnight but we were spared! Intermittent light rain and a generally cloudy day were as favorable conditions as could be expected for this season of the year. Our standard 15-mile diameter circle was divided as usual into eight sectors. It was covered by eight designated teams of three to seven members each with the mandate and responsibility to record with due diligence the numbers and species of birds present. These teams totalling 38 individuals traveled 289 miles by car and another 38 miles on foot. While at home six households within the count circle maintained a watchful eye on their feeders over a combined period of 48 hours.

Following the day's efforts, and despite it being New Year's Eve, over two dozen participants gathered at the Proctor Library to enoy a bountiful potluck and to count down the day's birds.

With the last list submitted and a final tally made, the data for the local Rutland Count is ready to be transmitted electronically and gathered with between two to three thousand similar counts from across the hemisphere.

Roy tallies the day's resultsFor our Rutland County count, 58 bird species were observed on count day with two additional species not seen on count day but during count week (three days prior and three days following the actual CBC day), yielding a grand total of 60 species. As to individual birds, a total of 8,744 was tallied on count day. By way of comparison the running ten year average of species for the Rutland count is 52.3, an increase this year of 15%, and 9,200 individual birds, a decrease this year of 5%.

This year’s list:

Great Blue Heron (1), Canada Goose (819*), American Black Duck (14), Mallard (329), Hooded Merganser (1), Common Merganser (7), Northern Harrier (2), Sharp-shinned Hawk (1), Cooper’s Hawk (2), Red-tailed Hawk (24), American Kestrel (1), Merlin (CW), Peregrine Falcon (1), Ruffed Grouse (2), Wild Turkey (74), Wilson’s Snipe (3), Rock Pigeon (581), Mourning Dove (603), Eastern Screech Owl (1**), Barred Owl (3), Belted Kingfisher (2), Red-bellied Woodpecker (6*), Downy Woodpecker (65), Hairy Woodpecker (43), Northern Flicker (1), Pileated Woodpecker (10), Horned Lark (CW), Blue Jay (302), American Crow (794), Common Raven (19), Black-capped Chickadee (873), Tufted Titmouse (44), Red-breasted Nuthatch (14), White-breasted Nuthatch (97), Brown Creeper (20), Carolina Wren (8), Golden-crowned Kinglet (10), Eastern Bluebird (30), American Robin (136*), Northern Mockingbird (1), Gray Catbird (1), Cedar Waxwing (244), Northern Shrike (2), European Starling (2276), Yellow-rumped Warbler (3**), Northern Cardinal (79), American Tree Sparrow (91), Chipping Sparrow (1), Song Sparrow (3), White-throated Sparrow (7), Dark-eyed Junco (221), Snow Bunting (13), Red-winged Blackbird (73), Brown-headed Cowbird (5), Purple Finch (11), House Finch (149), Common Redpoll (29), Pine Siskin (15), American Goldfinch (195), House Sparrow (382).

BOLD       Equal to previous Numerical Record.

BOLD*     New Numerical Record.

BOLD**   New Species to the Count.

The thirty-eight local Rutland counts have now tallied 100 species!

Historical information on Rutland's counts and CBCs across the hemisphere, click here.

county quest update

2011 has ended and with it the first County Quest, a yearlong friendly competition among Vermont’s 14 counties to count the most species in a year.

searching high and low for birdsRutland County tallied an astounding 216 species! While not the most (Addison County holds that honor at 249), we have much of which to be proud. An amazing 2,247 checklists were submitted to eBird for our county alone by a small, but dedicated and hardy, group of birders. 

2012 marks ten years since eBird, a real time, online checklist program, was first launched. And we’ve come a long way! In 2001 188 species were observed in Rutland County and reported on 449 checklists. This year represents a new high in both categories. Our previous highs were 202 species in 2009 and 1,652 checklists in 2010. In that light this year's results are remarkable.

We are very fortunate in Vermont to have our own portal into eBird. We are grateful to the Vermont Center for Ecostudies for maintaining this valuable resource. If you haven’t done so already, plan to check it out soon for the latest in Vermont birding news. We also hope that if you haven’t used eBird in the past, you submit your first checklist in 2012. Click here to get started.

Some of this year’s highlights include:

• 26 species of waterfowl including all three scoters
• Red-throated Loon at Lake Bomoseen
• Golden Eagle, three reports, in Hubbardton, Rutland and Chittenden
• American White Pelican, a county first, at Kent Pond in Killington in May and again in November
• 12 species of shorebird including Dunlin and Red-necked Phalarope
• Laughing Gull, another first, at Lake Bomoseen
• Black Tern at Chittenden Reservoir and Kent Pond and Common Tern at Lake Bomoseen
• 29 species of warbler including Cerulean, Bay-breasted and Cape May plus both Blue-winged x Golden-winged hybrids (Brewster's and Lawrence's)        

 Click here to see the full list for Rutland County.