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8 Sep Yellow-throated Warbler details ["Scott W. Morrical" ] 8 Sep Red Rocks (17 Warblers!) & last weekend [Thomas Ford-Hutchinson ] 7 Sep Jaegers -- additional sightings, L. Champlain [David Hoag ] 7 Sep Noblewood Park in Willsboro, NY [Gregory Askew ] 7 Sep Yellow-throated Warbler at Red Rocks Park ["Scott W. Morrical" ] 7 Sep cedar waxwings [Sue Wetmore ] 6 Sep Re: Hawk Watch - Sept 13 [Kathy Mayshar ] 6 Sep Re: Trees for Bird? [MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON ] 6 Sep Trees for Bird? [michael thomas ] 6 Sep Merlin [Michael Cosgrove ] 6 Sep Hawk Watch - Sept 13 [Susan Elliott ] 6 Sep Re: Jaegers on L. Champlain today. [Gregory Askew ] 6 Sep Re: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz [Fred and Chris Pratt ] 6 Sep Catamount Family Center birding [Bruce MacPherson ] 6 Sep Re: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz [Jim Block ] 6 Sep Re: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz [Fred and Chris Pratt ] 6 Sep more Jaegers / migration is NOW [David Hoag ] 6 Sep Jaegers on L. Champlain today. [David Hoag ] 5 Sep Re: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz [Pamela Coleman ] 5 Sep Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz [Jim Block ] 5 Sep Winter Wren [Ruth Stewart ] 5 Sep thrush [Sue Wetmore ] 4 Sep Ward Hill, September 4 [Fred and Chris Pratt ] 3 Sep Warbler show continues in Norwich [Jim Block ] 3 Sep Ward Hill, September 3 : warblers plus Philadelphia Vireo [Fred and Chris Pratt ] 3 Sep Scarlet Tanagers and Nighthawks Plus Good size Migration Yesterday on Lake Pauline [Peter Manship ] 2 Sep Fwd: eBird Report - Chittenden Reservoir , 9/2/08 [TRACEY BUSONY ] 2 Sep Fwd: eBird Report - Pine Hill Park - Rutland , 9/2/08 [TRACEY BUSONY ] 2 Sep Nighthawks - Wallis Farmhouse 882 VT 100 S, Moretown , 8/22/08 [dawna Foreman ] 2 Sep Ward Hill warblers, September 2 [Fred and Chris Pratt ] 2 Sep nighthawks [Jean Harrison ] 2 Sep Fw: lions and tigers and bears [MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON ] 2 Sep Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions [Don Clark ] 2 Sep Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions ["michael st. john" ] 2 Sep Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions ["William S. Schwenk" ] 1 Sep Common Nighthawks [Jim Mead ] 1 Sep Rutland Community Garden [Roy Pilcher ] 1 Sep Spruce Mountain Warblers [Bryan Pfeiffer ] 1 Sep ruddy duck?!? [Maeve Kim ] 1 Sep Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions [MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON ] 1 Sep Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions [Barbara Powers ] 1 Sep Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions ["William H. Barnard" ] 1 Sep Glastenbury Mountain Lions [MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON ] 1 Sep Vermont RBA 9-1-08 [Mary Holland ] 1 Sep Re: Question marks in my post [Kevin Plant ] 1 Sep Re: Question marks in my post [Will Raup ] 1 Sep Question marks in my post [Kevin Plant ] 1 Sep Colchester - late afternoon [Kevin Plant ] 31 Aug Black-legged Kittiwake in Shelburne Bay [Jim Mead ] 31 Aug Re: Saw the cranes! [Maeve Kim ] 31 Aug Re: Saw the cranes! [Bruce MacPherson ] 31 Aug HUMMERS Brandon Pearl St , 8/31/08 [Sue Wetmore ] Subject: Yellow-throated Warbler details From: "Scott W. Morrical" <smorrica AT UVM.EDU> Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 01:50:26 -0400 Species: Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica albilora, or ssp.) Location: Red Rocks Park, South Burlington, VT Observer: Scott Morrical Date/Time: 9/7/08. 2 sightings of apparently the same individual. 1st sighting at 8:45 AM, second sighting at 9:20 AM. Total observation time ~5 min. Weather: Overcast, temperature upper 50s F, wind NW 10-20 mph. Lighting/Optics: 1st sighting-- shaded forest understory, no backlighting; 2nd sighting-- forest opening with some diffuse backlighting. All observations made with Zeiss 7x42 binocs. Habitat: Mixed woods. 1st sighting-- bird in understory, 5-10 ft above ground, range 10-30 ft from observer. 2nd sighting-- bird in middle canopy, 20-30 ft above ground, range 30-50 ft from observer. Behavior: Both sightings?the bird?s movements were somewhat sluggish. The bird exhibited a distinctive, creeping foraging behavior similar to a Black-&-white Warbler. No hover gleaning. The bird would creep along one tree branch then make a short flight or hop to another. The bird made no vocalizations that I could detect. Although seen in an area of intense migrant activity, it did not appear to interact directly with other birds. Description: Size & Shape: This was a largish warbler, and appeared both long-tailed and long-billed. It was clearly bigger than nearby Magnolia, Blackburnian, and Black-throated Blue Warblers that I observed under similar conditions. Bill: The bill was entirely dark gray, long, and straight. The bill was clearly longer than those of Magnolia and Blackburnian Warblers that I observed under similar conditions. Legs & Feet: The legs and feet were entirely gray in color. Face Pattern: Distinctive. The eyes were black. A wedge-shaped black patch extended from the auriculars through the lores, where it connected with the base of the bill. A white crescent appeared just beneath the eye. A diagnostic white patch appeared just behind the auriculars, to the rear (thick end) of the wedge. The upper edge of the wedge bisected the eye. There was a clear white supercilium stripe with no evidence of yellow coloration in the supraloral region that I could see. The supercilium was bounded above by the edge of the bird?s gray crown, and below by the upper edge of the black wedge. Upperparts: The crown, nape, and back were all the same even gray color, without streaks. Two bold white wingbars appeared on each wing. Underparts: The bird had a bright yellow throat and upper breast, with a fairly sharp cutoff between the yellow and white zones on the breast. The throat was framed on both sides by heavy blackish streaks that extended down from the lower apex of the black face-wedge. The blackish streaks continued down each side and onto the flanks. The base color of the underparts (excluding the throat) was white, including the belly and undertail coverts. A dull buffy wash appeared on the flanks, however. Tail: The tail appeared relatively long in proportion to body size for a Dendroica warbler. There were large white tailspots, but I wasn?t able to get the exact formula. Conclusions: All the field marks of this bird point to Dendrocia dominica, a species I have previously observed on the breeding grounds in Virginia and Missouri, on the wintering grounds in Florida, and as a vagrant in coastal California. The most similar species, Grace?s Warbler of the southwest and (for the sake of argument) pale, first-fall female Blackburnian Warblers are easily eliminated by a combination of field marks including incorrect face patterns, streaked upperparts, smaller size, and proportionally shorter bills. Race/Sex/Age: Lack of obvious yellow color on supraloral region suggests albilora subspecies. A caveat to this is that albilora is shorter-billed than the nominate race dominica, and I thought that this individual was decidedly long-billed. So go figure! A probable albilora, I am calling it. This race is expanding its breeding range in the northeast and so vagrancy might be expected to increase in northern New England. As for sex and age, I am tempted to call this bird a first-fall female, due to the uniformly gray crown (an adult or male would have blackish highlights on the forehead and crown) and due to the extent of buffiness on the flanks. Other comments: For the record, this was the first Yellow-throated Warbler that I have seen in Vermont, and it becomes the 301st species on my state lifelist! My 300th species was the Great Gray Owl in Burlington last March! -- Scott W. Morrical, Ph.D. Professor of Biochemistry University of Vermont College of Medicine Burlington, VT 05405 802-656-8260 (voice) 802-656-8220 (fax) Subject: Red Rocks (17 Warblers!) & last weekend From: Thomas Ford-Hutchinson <thomas.ford-hutchinson AT UVM.EDU> Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 01:11:04 -0400 Mike Lester and I birded Red Rocks from 2:00pm to 5:30pm in hopes of seeing the Yellow-throated Warbler and we were rewarded with dozens of warblers everywhere, just not what we were looking for. Highlights are listed below: Pileated Woodpecker (Heard) Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper (1) Red-eyed Vireo NASHVILLE WARBLER (1) -To the left, down the road as you walk in Northern Parula (3+) Chestnut-sided Warbler (10-20) Magnolia Warbler (Like Dirt) CAPE MAY WARBLER (1) -Pines South-West of the pumping station Black-throated Blue Warbler (5-10) Yellow-rumped Warbler (2) Black-throated Green Warbler (3+) Blackburnian Warbler (Everywhere, 15+) Pine Warbler (A Few around) Bay-breasted Warbler (6+++) Blackpoll Warbler (Many) Black-and-White Warbler (3++) American Redstart (5-10) Ovenbird (1) Common Yellowthroat (1) WILSON'S WARBLER (1) -The "View" i.e. Big ledge SCARLET TANAGER (1) -Beach White-Throated Sparrow (Singing) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2) -Beach --18 Warblers at Red Rocks over the course of a day reminds me of birding in NJ, not VT-- Thanks to the Lake Watchers for pointed out a Parasitic Jager, Black & Common Tern to Mike, Autumn and I on Saturday (8/6). And Killdeer & Spotted Sandpiper? (Everything is mixing together) A Trip to Charlotte Town Beach LAST Monday (8/1) with Allan Strong, Mike, and Autumn Turned up the following: AMERICAN WOODCOCK (1) Ruby-throated Hummingbird Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Veery Wood Thrush Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Purple Finch Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler PRARIE WARBLER (1) Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-White Warbler American Redstart Common Yellowthroat CANADA WARBLER (1) BREWSTER'S WARBLER (1) EASTERN TOWHEE (Heard) Also: Marsh Wren (Private) Swamp Sparrow (Private) Phalarope Sp. (Probable Red-necked) -Charlotte Beach, pointed out to us. Bobolink Flyover -Charlotte Town Beach No luck with the Sandhill Cranes Thomas Ford-Hutchinson Burlington, VT P.S. Total Birds Seen as of Coming Back to VT just over 2 weeks ago, 80 species. And we still have shorebird, hawk, duck, and gull migration. Subject: Jaegers -- additional sightings, L. Champlain From: David Hoag <SR71BLBRD AT AOL.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:13:27 EDT In a message dated 9/7/08, gregory.askew AT GMAIL.COM writes: > figured it for a light-morph juvenile jaeger, potentially the one the CTB crew saw shortly before from their vantage point. Saturday, September 6th, Grand Isle: juvenile LONG-TAILED JAEGER (and a juvenile BLACKLEGGED-KITIWAKE) Sunday, September 7th. Charlotte Town Beach: per Ted Murin and J. Osborn, J. Mead, C. Provost, and others. juv. LONG-TAILED JAEGER at 7. juv. PARASITIC JAEGER at 8:00 another Juvenile PARASITIC after 9:00, the latter acting as if it may linger on the lake. 8 SANDERLINGS 1 BALD EAGLE preying on a Ring-billed Gull. Sunday, Grand Isle: 1 MERLIN Dave Hoag, Grand Isle, VT ************** Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) Subject: Noblewood Park in Willsboro, NY From: Gregory Askew <gregory.askew AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 13:41:24 -0400 Okay...so it's not Vermont but the sightings will certainly overlap with the crew at Charlotte Town Beach this morning, whom we could just barely make out on the opposite shore... Much of the mass of white seen on the spit at Noblewood from the Vermont side turned out to be comprised mostly of Common Tern with a smattering of (mostly juvenile) Bonaparte's Gulls and Black Terns. From shore we observed larger groups of Bonies, Common and Black Terns. At one point, quite distant (in the direction of the Inn at Shelburne Farms) I observed a brownish blur in hot pursuit of a white blur and figured it for a light-morph juvenile jaeger, potentially the one the CTB crew saw shortly before from their vantage point. Also of interest: 2 Sanderlings and a lone Killdeer (keeping us company on the beach) 1 Goldeneye Greg Vergennes Subject: Yellow-throated Warbler at Red Rocks Park From: "Scott W. Morrical" <smorrica AT UVM.EDU> Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 10:58:06 -0400 Good morning: I have just returned from a good migrant show at Red Rocks Park in South Burlington. Highlights: 15 species of warblers including a vagrant YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER and a Bay-breasted Warbler. Northern Parula (1) Chestnut-sided Warbler (1) Magnolia Warbler (10-15) Black-throated Blue Warbler (7) Blackburnian Warbler (2) Yellow-rumped Warbler (1) Black-throated Green Warbler (8-10) Pine Warbler (4) Bay-breasted Warbler (1) Blackpoll Warbler (2) YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER (1) probably albilora subspecies Black-and-White Warbler (2) American Redstart (2) Ovenbird (3-4) Common Yellowthroat (2) Other species including: Red-eyed Vireo, House Wren The main concentration of warblers including the YELLOW-THROATED was in an area of mixed woods to the north of the pumping station overlook. You reach this area by following the dirt entrance road bearing slightly left and downhill about 50 yds past the entrance gate. Keep following this road for 1/10 mile or so until you see a wider gravel parking area with a small viewing platform overlooking Shelburne Bay, with the pumping station just below. As you face the lake the warbler area is on your right. Several trails enter this area of dense, mixed woods, and it is often alive with migrants on fall days with favorable weather, such as today! I first located the bird about 50 yds into the woods, near a trail intersection, and later saw it a second time about 50 yds back up the road from the overlook. I will post a detailed description of this bird here later today, but right now family duty calls! Scott Morrical South Burlington Subject: cedar waxwings From: Sue Wetmore <2birdvt AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 12:50:12 +0000 Things have become quite quiet on my usual Sunday morning walk, however a large number of cedar waxwings were about, a flock of adults and juveniles. Sue Wetmore - Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 12:46:43 +0000 > > > Location: Brandon Pearl St > Observation date: 9/7/08 > Number of species: 22 > > Wood Duck 3 > Great Blue Heron 2 > Mourning Dove 6 > Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 > Belted Kingfisher 1 > Downy Woodpecker 1 > Northern Flicker 1 > Eastern Phoebe 2 > Blue Jay 8 > American Crow 10 > Black-capped Chickadee 3 > White-breasted Nuthatch 3 > American Robin 1 > Gray Catbird 3 > European Starling X > Cedar Waxwing 40 > Common Yellowthroat 3 > Swamp Sparrow 2 > Northern Cardinal 1 > Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 > Red-winged Blackbird X > American Goldfinch 5 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: Re: Hawk Watch - Sept 13 From: Kathy Mayshar <cmectvtfl AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 20:44:40 -0400 Hi, I am sorry to say Kath and I won't make the hawk watch this year. We had planned a trip to Ottawa and we picked the wrong weekend. Maybe we will see you Sept 20th for the Rutland walk. Pris On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 6:01 PM, Susan Elliott wrote: > Next Saturday, Sept 13, Rutland County Audubon will make its annual trip to > Mt. Philo State Park to watch for migrating broad-winged hawks. > > Meet at 9 a.m. in Brandon at the parking lot behind the Mobil station (next > to the Vermont Sandwich Shop) on Rte 7 to travel to Mt. Philo where we will > drive to the top ($3 entrance fee to the park). > > Bring lunch. If the weather is not conducive to hawk migration, we will > visit other birding hotspots in the Champlain Valley. > > If you have any questions regarding this trip, contact Roy Pilcher at > shamwariVT AT aol.com > > Sue Elliott > http://www.rutlandcountyaudubon.org > > > > Subject: Re: Trees for Bird? From: MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON <mariekevinhemeon AT MSN.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 20:08:34 -0400 First, I recommend you take your time. Do some research and know your site conditions. Trees are long term, expense (unless you search out bargains) plantings. Plant trees that will do well on your site. An understory tree on a sunny bank will be unhealthy and not do what you want. There are a lot of good books describing bird attracting landscapes. Spend this Fall and Winter getting knowledge. Also be aware of potential problems and differences in cultivars. Crab apples are nice but choose an apple scab resistant variety, one with persistent fruits that are small enough for birds. There seem to be individual differences too. I have seen clumps of crab apples of the same variety where one is stripped quickly, one later and one untouched all winter. Don't know how to predict that one. So, don't just look for trees birds like but, ones that they like that will do well on you property. Kevin ----- Original Message ----- From: michael thomas To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 7:49 PM Subject: [VTBIRD] Trees for Bird? Hello - I am planning to plant a number of ornamental trees on my property and would like to select varieties that are both attractive and popular with the birds. I am considering mountain ash and flowering crab or other ornamental fruit trees. But i've noticed that the fruit of some ornamentals seems much more attractive to birds than others. Does anyone have any recommendations or insights as to specific varieties attracting specific birds? What have you been successful with? I hope this is not an inappropriate question for the list. If so, please email any answers to me at mjtlmb AT yahoo.com. Thanks. Michael Subject: Trees for Bird? From: michael thomas <mjtlmb AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 16:49:20 -0700 Hello - I am planning to plant a number of ornamental trees on my property and would like to select varieties that are both attractive and popular with the birds. I am considering mountain ash and flowering crab or other ornamental fruit trees. But i've noticed that the fruit of some ornamentals seems much more attractive to birds than others. Does anyone have any recommendations or insights as to specific varieties attracting specific birds? What have you been successful with? I hope this is not an inappropriate question for the list. If so, please email any answers to me at mjtlmb AT yahoo.com. Thanks. Michael Subject: Merlin From: Michael Cosgrove <mcosgrove AT GMAVT.NET> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 18:08:36 -0400 Fist Merlin of the fall calling in the back tree this afternoon here in N. Ferrisburg. Happy Birding, Mike C. Test for radon! Subject: Hawk Watch - Sept 13 From: Susan Elliott <ovenbird14 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 15:01:21 -0700 Next Saturday, Sept 13, Rutland County Audubon will make its annual trip to Mt. Philo State Park to watch for migrating broad-winged hawks. Meet at 9 a.m. in Brandon at the parking lot behind the Mobil station (next to the Vermont Sandwich Shop) on Rte 7 to travel to Mt. Philo where we will drive to the top ($3 entrance fee to the park). Bring lunch. If the weather is not conducive to hawk migration, we will visit other birding hotspots in the Champlain Valley. If you have any questions regarding this trip, contact Roy Pilcher at shamwariVT AT aol.com Sue Elliott http://www.rutlandcountyaudubon.org Subject: Re: Jaegers on L. Champlain today. From: Gregory Askew <gregory.askew AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 15:21:21 -0400 Might be the same juvenile Sabine's Gull that myself, Ted Murin, and Hank Kasner (sp?) saw around 8:00 this morning from Charlotte Town Beach just northeast of Noblewood. We caught sight of it twice within a half hour but then lost it when it appeared to settle on the water. Later we could actually see Matt (presumably) standing with his scope on the beach at Noblewood. Seemed like there was quite the gathering of gulls on the New York side. After the Sabine's action this morning, we saw 1 juvenile dark-morphed Parasitic Jaeger that hung out for nearly 20 - 30 minutes mid-lake, on two occasions pursuing ring-billed gulls for a meal. Other highlights: 80+ Common Tern 14 Black Tern (highest single count when scanning from CTB) and whatever else other members of this morning's crew would like to add. Greg Vergennes On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 10:22 AM, David Hoag wrote: > West Shore, Grand Isle, August 6th. > PARASITIC JAEGER (light adult) working south against the wind at 9:00, > and interacting with a light young POMARINE JAEGER on the water, > hovering close over the Pomarine whenever it flew up. > Both finally settled on the water to feed as a cormorant arrived to join > them. > Dave Hoag, Grand Isle > > FWD: NNYBirds -- Sabine's Gull > > Matt Medler just phoned (10am, Sat) to say that he is > > looking at a juvenile Sabine's Gull on the spit at Noblewood > > (http://www.noblewoodpark.com/). > ************** Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new > fashion blog, > plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. > (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) > Subject: Re: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz From: Fred and Chris Pratt <pipit AT WCVT.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 12:47:54 -0400 Jim, Very interesting discussion. I'm not a photographer and am not very skillful on the computer, especially with photos. In other words, I just looked at what I received - and realized I would have had difficulty identifying the Blackpoll photo, except for the significant clue of the leg color. I wasn't questioning your identification. I was questioning whether I would have been able to identify the bird from the photo. This isn't very shocking, since bird photos often are more tricky to identify than actual birds in the field. The second photo you sent was clearly a Blackpoll - and I would have had no difficulty at all in identifying it. The head color is perfect and the greenish tint below is very apparent. Even this photo shows very little streaking, however, so I think it just wasn't very pronounced on your bird. That the streaking is limited to the sides is not at all surprising. Also, most fall blackpolls show more contrast between the upper breast and the belly than does your bird. I see no contrast in the first photo and only very little in the second. Both Sibley and the National Geographic Guide show this contrast quite nicely. I'm nervous if you have other pictures more difficult than this one to identify. I might plead the fifth! Pipit Jim Block wrote: > Pipit, > > Thank you. I'll answer to the whole list because the (non-bird) information > might be of general interest to those viewing bird and other images on the > web. I'm also sending you separately a side view of the same bird taken 90 > seconds earlier. > > There a lot that goes on between digital capture and viewing an image on a > web site. Brightness and color can change. Many of the variables are not in > the viewer's control, but some are. For example are you viewing the image > on a calibrated/profiled monitor? Are you using a web browser that supports > color profiles (many do not)? And of course what existing lighting does > (the color of light changes considerably with many factors), what the camera > does, and what the photographer does can affect colors and brightness. > > To your points. This photo was not overexposed. There are no clipped > pixels and even if I significantly darken the breast with an editing program > there is little streaking on the front of the breast. But there is > definitely some on the side which can be seen in both images. So perhaps > this bird has less streaking than the average Blackpoll. Also, the colors > on my monitor closely match what I see in Sibley's and Peterson's for a fall > juvenile Blackpoll. Additionally, a younger but more experienced birder > than I "confirmed" the identification of this bird. > > I plan to post a similar (but harder) bird quiz on my web site as soon as I > get help in the identification of some of the photos I am unsure of. Since > these birds were photographed on the east side of the river I will notify > UVBird and NHBird (but not VTBird) when I get this page up. > > Jim > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vermont Birds [mailto:VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Fred and Chris > Pratt > Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 10:56 AM > To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU > Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz > > Jim, > > These photos are gorgeous! One photo that confuses me is the Blackpoll > Warbler, which I doubt I would have identified from the photo - and I > have 35 years of experience identifying fall warblers in the field. Was > the shot possibly overexposed? The colors don't seem true (breast > should be more greenish-yellow) and I can't detect any breast streaking > which should be quite apparent I would think. > > Pipit > > > Subject: Catamount Family Center birding From: Bruce MacPherson <BMacPhe AT AOL.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 11:50:44 EDT I don't see the Catamount Family Center in Williston mentioned very often as a birding site, but it offers some pretty good birds. There is a charge ($6) for using the trails and depending upon the time of day you may have to share the trails with mountain bikers, but the birds don't seem to mind. Here is a representative list from last Thursday afternoon. Merlin 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Northern Flicker 1 Alder Flycatcher 1 Least Flycatcher 2 Eastern Phoebe 1 Eastern Kingbird 1 Blue-headed Vireo 1 Warbling Vireo 1 Red-eyed Vireo 6 Blue Jay 2 American Crow 6 Black-capped chickadee 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 House Wren 1 Hermit Thrush 1 American Robin 2 Cedar Waxwing 2 Nashville Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 1 Common Yellowthroat 2 American Goldfinch 1 Bruce MacPherson South Burlington **************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) Subject: Re: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz From: Jim Block <jab AT VALLEY.NET> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 11:42:25 -0400 Pipit, Thank you. I'll answer to the whole list because the (non-bird) information might be of general interest to those viewing bird and other images on the web. I'm also sending you separately a side view of the same bird taken 90 seconds earlier. There a lot that goes on between digital capture and viewing an image on a web site. Brightness and color can change. Many of the variables are not in the viewer's control, but some are. For example are you viewing the image on a calibrated/profiled monitor? Are you using a web browser that supports color profiles (many do not)? And of course what existing lighting does (the color of light changes considerably with many factors), what the camera does, and what the photographer does can affect colors and brightness. To your points. This photo was not overexposed. There are no clipped pixels and even if I significantly darken the breast with an editing program there is little streaking on the front of the breast. But there is definitely some on the side which can be seen in both images. So perhaps this bird has less streaking than the average Blackpoll. Also, the colors on my monitor closely match what I see in Sibley's and Peterson's for a fall juvenile Blackpoll. Additionally, a younger but more experienced birder than I "confirmed" the identification of this bird. I plan to post a similar (but harder) bird quiz on my web site as soon as I get help in the identification of some of the photos I am unsure of. Since these birds were photographed on the east side of the river I will notify UVBird and NHBird (but not VTBird) when I get this page up. Jim -----Original Message----- From: Vermont Birds [mailto:VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Fred and Chris Pratt Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 10:56 AM To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz Jim, These photos are gorgeous! One photo that confuses me is the Blackpoll Warbler, which I doubt I would have identified from the photo - and I have 35 years of experience identifying fall warblers in the field. Was the shot possibly overexposed? The colors don't seem true (breast should be more greenish-yellow) and I can't detect any breast streaking which should be quite apparent I would think. Pipit Jim Block wrote: > On Wednesday I was privileged to see many bird species in a short period of > time in a marsh in Norwich. I have put a page of images taken that morning > at: > > http://mysite.verizon.net/vzes1eww/jimblockphotography/id48.html > > Subject: Re: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz From: Fred and Chris Pratt <pipit AT WCVT.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 10:56:01 -0400 Jim, These photos are gorgeous! One photo that confuses me is the Blackpoll Warbler, which I doubt I would have identified from the photo - and I have 35 years of experience identifying fall warblers in the field. Was the shot possibly overexposed? The colors don't seem true (breast should be more greenish-yellow) and I can't detect any breast streaking which should be quite apparent I would think. Pipit Jim Block wrote: > On Wednesday I was privileged to see many bird species in a short period of > time in a marsh in Norwich. I have put a page of images taken that morning > at: > > http://mysite.verizon.net/vzes1eww/jimblockphotography/id48.html > > > > > Subject: more Jaegers / migration is NOW From: David Hoag <SR71BLBRD AT AOL.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 10:45:38 EDT Grand Isle Southbound, in order of appearance at 10:30 Red-necked Grebe, dark morph PARASITIC JAEGER, with a light morph adult PARASITIC JAEGER I shoulda been watching the lake constantly this morning; wonder what else has slipped by. Dave Hoag, Grand Isle ************** Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) Subject: Jaegers on L. Champlain today. From: David Hoag <SR71BLBRD AT AOL.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 10:22:55 EDT West Shore, Grand Isle, August 6th. PARASITIC JAEGER (light adult) working south against the wind at 9:00, and interacting with a light young POMARINE JAEGER on the water, hovering close over the Pomarine whenever it flew up. Both finally settled on the water to feed as a cormorant arrived to join them. Dave Hoag, Grand Isle FWD: NNYBirds -- Sabine's Gull > Matt Medler just phoned (10am, Sat) to say that he is > looking at a juvenile Sabine's Gull on the spit at Noblewood > (http://www.noblewoodpark.com/). ************** Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) Subject: Re: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz From: Pamela Coleman <perryfalcon1013 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 22:31:22 -0700 AMAZING photos Jim!! --- On Fri, 9/5/08, Jim Block wrote: From: Jim Block Subject: [VTBIRD] Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU Date: Friday, September 5, 2008, 5:41 PM On Wednesday I was privileged to see many bird species in a short period of time in a marsh in Norwich. I have put a page of images taken that morning at: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzes1eww/jimblockphotography/id48.html You can see if you can name the species in the photos. Some are easy, a few may challenge. However, I left out the very challenging flycatcher. I thank Spencer Hardy for helping with the hard ones. The answers are at the bottom of the web page. If any are wrong I take full "credit". Here are some species to choose from: Black-and-White Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blue-headed Vireo Chestnut-sided Warbler Common Yellowthroat Magnolia Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Philadelphia Vireo Wilson's Warbler Jim Block Etna, NH Subject: Warblers and Vireos in Norwich -- a photo quiz From: Jim Block <jab AT VALLEY.NET> Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 17:41:42 -0400 On Wednesday I was privileged to see many bird species in a short period of time in a marsh in Norwich. I have put a page of images taken that morning at: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzes1eww/jimblockphotography/id48.html You can see if you can name the species in the photos. Some are easy, a few may challenge. However, I left out the very challenging flycatcher. I thank Spencer Hardy for helping with the hard ones. The answers are at the bottom of the web page. If any are wrong I take full "credit". Here are some species to choose from: Black-and-White Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blue-headed Vireo Chestnut-sided Warbler Common Yellowthroat Magnolia Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Philadelphia Vireo Wilson's Warbler Jim Block Etna, NH Subject: Winter Wren From: Ruth Stewart <birder_rws AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 11:47:32 -0400 While working in the garden this am, I thought I was hearing a very subtle Winter Wren song nearby. I suddenly heard one of our critter traps click. Lo and behold, the Winter Wren had tripped it. Nice closeup look before releasing. Glad I was there to let him out ASAP. Certainly not a common yard bird for me. ruth stewart e dorset _________________________________________________________________ See how Windows connects the people, information, and fun that are part of your life. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093175mrt/direct/01/ Subject: thrush From: Sue Wetmore <2birdvt AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 13:07:22 +0000 Northern waterthrush and warbling vireo in the yard this morning. The hummers seem to have departed as the feeder is no longer being daily drained. Sue Wetmore Brandon Subject: Ward Hill, September 4 From: Fred and Chris Pratt <pipit AT WCVT.COM> Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 09:50:47 -0400 Very slow this morning on Ward Hill - a reminder that these birds are migrating and as a result birding is unpredictable at this time of year. Obviously, all the birds from yesterday have moved on. (10) Common Yellowthroat, (2) Chestnut-sided Warbler, (2) Black-throated Green Warbler, (1) Magnolia Warbler Pipit Subject: Warbler show continues in Norwich From: Jim Block <jab AT VALLEY.NET> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 18:51:48 -0400 Thanks to Spencer and Doug Hardy for posting the ongoing warbler show at a wetland in Norwich. I spent some time photographing there this morning. Got over a dozen warbler species: Blackburnian Black-throated Green American Redstart Wilson's Ovenbird Common Yellowthroat Black-and-White Magnolia Chestnut-sided Northern Parula Yellow-rumped Nashville And several unidentified (as of now) Also Blue-headed and Philadelphia Vireo. Will post some photos when I get a chance. Jim Block Etna, NH Subject: Ward Hill, September 3 : warblers plus Philadelphia Vireo From: Fred and Chris Pratt <pipit AT WCVT.COM> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 11:07:05 -0400 Perhaps the most exciting morning this fall on Ward Hill. I was alone and needed help! All these birds were seen before breakfast. (8) Black-throated Green Warbler, (8) Common Yellowthroat, (5) Magnolia Warbler, (5) Yellow-rumped Warbler, (3) Nashville Warbler, (3) Black-and-white Warbler, (3) Chestnut-sided Warbler, (2) Northern Parula, (2) Blackburnian Warbler, (1) Mourning Warbler, (1) Wilson's Warbler, and (1) Canada Warbler. Also (5) Red-eyed Vireo, (2) Blue-headed Vireo, (1) Philadelphia Vireo, (3) Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and (2) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker as well as the usual chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches. Pipit Subject: Scarlet Tanagers and Nighthawks Plus Good size Migration Yesterday on Lake Pauline From: Peter Manship <maddog54l AT TDS.NET> Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 09:04:23 -0400 It all started yesterday morning with the Crow mobbing a Barred Owl across the lake from me. Then from about 6:30 to 7:10 am there was a good bird movement through the tree along side the lake feeding . Then again in the afternoon for about 45 minutes. Just before 6pm there was and amazing show of feeding that had the surprise of the day. Two female Scarlet Tanagers and two Common Nighthawks just before 7 pm last night. Heres the list of what I saw today. AM list: American Redstart 2 Common Yellowthroat 1 Brown creeper 1 Eastern Wood-pewee 1 Red-eyed Vireo 3 Catbird 2 Least Flycatcher 1 Black throated Blue 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Crows 7 Barred Owl 1 and the normal yard birds, White Breasted Nuthatch 1 Chickadee 7 Tufted Titmouse 5 Dark-eyed Junco 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Song Sparrow 4 Goldfinch 3 Purple Finch 1 Red Breasted Nuthatch 1 Chipping Sparrows 5 Blue Jay 7 Grackle 1 PM List: Common Nighthawk 2 Scarlet Tanager 2 f Cedar Waxwing 9 juveniles Red-eyed Vireo 1 Eastern Wood-pewee 2 Nashville Warbler 1 Blackpoll 1 Black Throated Blue 1 Black and White Warbler 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Common Yellowthroat 1 There was such a large hatch of bug yesterday that a Common Green Darner was feeding below the birds last night. Peter Manship Great fall birding from Lake Pauline Ludlow Vt. Subject: Fwd: eBird Report - Chittenden Reservoir , 9/2/08 From: TRACEY BUSONY <curtandtracey27 AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:03:59 -0400 Begin forwarded message: > From: do-not-reply AT ebird.org > Date: September 2, 2008 4:57:45 PM EDT > To: curtandtracey27 AT verizon.net > Subject: eBird Report - Chittenden Reservoir , 9/2/08 > > > > Location: Chittenden Reservoir > Observation date: 9/2/08 > Notes: Bald Eagle sat perched for 20 minutes. Great view. > Number of species: 4 > > Common Loon 1 > Great Blue Heron 1 > Bald Eagle 1 > Red-tailed Hawk 1 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt > ) Subject: Fwd: eBird Report - Pine Hill Park - Rutland , 9/2/08 From: TRACEY BUSONY <curtandtracey27 AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 17:03:19 -0400 Begin forwarded message: > From: do-not-reply AT ebird.org > Date: September 2, 2008 4:43:07 PM EDT > To: curtandtracey27 AT verizon.net > Subject: eBird Report - Pine Hill Park - Rutland , 9/2/08 > > > > Location: Pine Hill Park - Rutland > Observation date: 9/2/08 > Number of species: 15 > > Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 > Belted Kingfisher 1 > Downy Woodpecker 1 > Red-eyed Vireo 1 > Blue Jay 5 > American Crow 8 > Black-capped Chickadee 5 > Bicknell's Thrush 1 > American Robin 2 > Gray Catbird 1 > Cedar Waxwing 11 > American Redstart 2 > Song Sparrow 2 > Northern Cardinal 3 > House Sparrow 3 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt > ) Subject: Nighthawks - Wallis Farmhouse 882 VT 100 S, Moretown , 8/22/08 From: dawna Foreman <shewrites AT FEATHERRIVERPRODUCTIONS.COM> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 16:04:17 -0400 I thought I had forwarded this sighting of Nighthawks in Moretown, August 22 - Have not seen them since. dawna Foreman Location: Wallis Farmhouse 882 VT 100 S, Moretown Observation date: 8/22/08 Notes: Out on the deck and here comes a group of high erratic flight with white wing patches from below and notched tails... right size and shape of Nighthawk. So, we pull out Sibley and Peterson, as one of us watches them fly and dive and soar to form dihedral then soar again ... Number of species: 1 Common Nighthawk 20 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Subject: Ward Hill warblers, September 2 From: Fred and Chris Pratt <pipit AT WCVT.COM> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 16:01:57 -0400 Team Pipit went for an extended walk on Ward Hill this morning and came up with 12 species of warbler. Numbers were only modest, however, with no big wave evident during my pre-breakfast walk. The results: (7) Yellow-rumped Warbler, (7) Common Yellowthroat, (4) Black-throated Green Warbler, (4) Black-throated Blue Warbler, (3) Nashville Warbler, (3) Magnolia Warbler, (2) Chestnut-sided Warbler, (2) Blackpoll Warbler, (1) Tennessee Warbler, (1) Northern Parula, (1) Bay-breasted Warbler, and (1) Wilson's Warbler. Other interesting sightings included: (6) Broad-winged Hawk, (2) Pileated Woodpecker, (1) Ruffed Grouse and (1) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Good numbers of White-throated Sparrows were in the field early and about a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos were flitting about back in the woods later in the morning. Pipit. Subject: nighthawks From: Jean Harrison <seajean AT CRUZIO.COM> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 15:20:59 -0400 Dear VT birders, People seem interested in nighthawk sightings, so I'll post this from a few days ago. On August 29 in the evening, I watched two COMMON NIGHTHAWKS flying back and forth high above my yard in Hartland. Happy birding, Jean Harrison Subject: Fw: lions and tigers and bears From: MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON <mariekevinhemeon AT MSN.COM> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 13:04:54 -0400 I'll forward this as I just sent it to a friend who was chuckling with me. Add to it, I have a BA in zoology (for what that’s worth), I've helped with various faunal surveys and have had a huge interest in nature since childhood (which was spent in the hills of Petersburgh NY). I am very familiar with local wildlife and while not perfect, don't call an Osprey a Bald Eagle just because it’s a large bird flying over a lake. I know things like this need to be questioned and not just accepted (or Bigfoot would be in the Mammals of N.A.). I am prepared to describe what I saw and believe that is what they were. Just passing on the info. Have at me, I can laugh too. I only make reference to the questioning because it can sometimes seem nasty. Kevin Yes, I always wanted to be a Cryptozoologist. It is possible on the releases. What struck me on these is that while not kittens they were not fully grown. I got the impression they were play chasing. If this is so it would indicate breeding not just presence. It should be easier to find a breeding site as opposed to a lone adult with a huge home territory. And so you know I have seen Fishers up there near and far, both local species of foxes, and bobcats in the wild and new them instantly. I had good, close up profile views of these. They were back lit as it was early, the sun was low and behind them and so the color appeared uniform and about the shade of a Hershey bar. They were cats not weasels or canines. Had long tails and were sleek and as tall as my knees roughly. If not Mt. Lions (which granted I have never seen in the wild) they had to be released somethings of uniform color. They did not look my way so I didn't have facial views at all. I wouldn't make a call on something like this unless I were sure in my head. Like I said in my post I am now confident that there are Mt. Lions in Vt. from whatever source. I looked for tracks but the ground in that area was too firm. I didn't linger though as there was one to either side of me and I didn't want a potentially protective mother to view me as a threat. On to Scotland and Lochness! Kevin Subject: Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions From: Don Clark <sapsbks AT SOVER.NET> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 12:26:01 -0400 Yes. On Sep 2, 2008, at 11:44 AM, michael st. john wrote: > Any expert, > Is the Glastonbury mountain lion the same thing as the catamount? > Or cougar? Or Puma concolor? > > Bewildered, > > mike Subject: Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions From: "michael st. john" <mstjohn AT VERMONTEL.NET> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 11:44:18 -0400 Any expert, Is the Glastonbury mountain lion the same thing as the catamount? Or cougar? Or Puma concolor? Bewildered, mike Subject: Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions From: "William S. Schwenk" <wschwenk AT UVM.EDU> Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2008 11:10:22 -0400 Kevin, I appreciate this posting. I've heard that Mountain Lions are tremendously rare in Vermont these days, so a sighting is along the lines of the Whooping Crane found in the state a few years back. I thought people considering a trip to Glastenbury to look for them would be interested in knowing more about what they looked like and how you ruled out bobcats when you saw them, as well as where they were. Thanks. -- Scott Schwenk, S. Burlington ------------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:19:49 -0400 From: MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON Subject: Glastenbury Mountain Lions Not a bird but, today in Glastenbury between 730 and 800 a.m. I saw 2 = young Mountain Lions. They were not small cubs but were not fully grown = They were about to my knee in height. I was within 50 feet when they = chased each other across the trail. A while later 1 went back over the = trail the other way. I had a really good look, am familiar with Fishers = and other wildlife and whether I'm believed or not, know what I saw and = now believe fully there are Mountain Lions in Vt. Kevin Subject: Common Nighthawks From: Jim Mead <jlmead AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 20:45:05 -0400 This morning I went to the Essex Outlet Stores parking lot to see if I could get the Common Nighthawks that Maeve Kim reported on 8/28/08. I was standing in the area around the front of the Brooks Brothers store when I heard and then saw one at 5:23 a.m. I then heard another one at 5:27 a.m. Enjoy Birds, Jim Mead Subject: Rutland Community Garden From: Roy Pilcher <ShamwariVT AT AOL.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 20:39:35 EDT Location: Rutland Community Garden Observation date: 9/1/08 Notes: With the setting of the sun, large numbers of blackbirds arrived at this wetland to bed down in the phragmites for the night. The merlin was observed for about 7 minutes during which time it made a single sortie after a dragonfly that it failed to catch! 46 species to date. Number of species: 20 Mallard X Green Heron 1 Merlin 1 Mourning Dove 7 Chimney Swift 3 Belted Kingfisher 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 Blue Jay 2 American Crow 4 House Wren 1 American Robin 1 Gray Catbird 2 European Starling 50 Cedar Waxwing 12 Common Yellowthroat 2 Song Sparrow 4 Red-winged Blackbird 60 Common Grackle 170 American Goldfinch 7 This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) Cheers, Roy Pilcher The Gables at East Mountain, Rutland, Vermont Speaking the same language. **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) Subject: Spruce Mountain Warblers From: Bryan Pfeiffer <Bryan AT VERMONTBIRDTOURS.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 19:28:03 -0400 OK, I'll join the cavalcade of warbler reports. Although they certainly can't compare to a couple of Mountain Lions, a dozen warbler species were among the birds I noticed during a morning hike up Spruce Mountain in Plainfield today. Black-throated Blue Warbler was still singing down low. And basic plumage Blackpoll Warblers were singing at the summit. Here's the trip list: Downy Woodpecker 2 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Red-eyed Vireo 3 Blue Jay 4 American Crow 2 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 20 Tufted Titmouse 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 12 Hermit Thrush 6 Wood Thrush 1 American Robin 2 Northern Parula 2 Magnolia Warbler 3 Black-throated Blue Warbler 6 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 9 Black-throated Green Warbler 4 Blackburnian Warbler 2 Pine Warbler 1 Bay-breasted Warbler 2 Blackpoll Warbler 10 Black-and-white Warbler 4 Ovenbird 6 Common Yellowthroat 1 Song Sparrow 1 White-throated Sparrow 2 Dark-eyed Junco 15 American Goldfinch 2 Best, Bryan Pfeiffer -- Vermont Bird Tours 113 Bartlett Road Plainfield, VT 05667 BIRDING THIS FALL IN MAINE ** FLORIDA IN FEBRUARY ** APRIL IN TEXAS Details at www.VermontBirdTours.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: ruddy duck?!? From: Maeve Kim <maevulus AT SURFGLOBAL.NET> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 18:24:48 -0400 This morning at Mud Creek WMA in Alburgh, I got a good long look at a small duck that had to have been a ruddy duck - but it seems so unlikely to see one there and at this time of year. There was only one duck like it, and I saw it only from the side. It had a round head with a rectangular-shaped white patch on the cheek. Its bill was light; once I thought I got a glimpse of blue color but couldn't convince myself of it again. The top of its head was dark. The whole side of the body was chestnut-colored. It wasn't holding its tail up as this species often does - but, other than a ruddy duck decoy, I can't think of anything else it could be. Also, at the Stephen J. Young Marsh on the Missisquoi NWMA, there were at least 40 green-winged teal. Maeve Kim Jericho Center Subject: Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions From: MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON <mariekevinhemeon AT MSN.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:39:45 -0400 Yes I left her a message. I plainly saw the long tails. Thanks K ----- Original Message ----- From: William H. Barnard To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 4:26 PM Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Glastenbury Mountain Lions Kevin, Please contact Kim Royar at Vermont F and W if you have not already done so. The biologists have an interest in collecting hairs and/or scats for DNA analysis. I have four sightings/records of lynx and/or mountain lions. A sighting in October of a mountain lion followed by finding tracks during deer season that same year 1/4 mile away. I think it is important to record these sightings to proper authorities to document their existence. Bill Barnard ________________________________ From: Vermont Birds on behalf of MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON Sent: Mon 9/1/2008 4:19 PM To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: [VTBIRD] Glastenbury Mountain Lions Not a bird but, today in Glastenbury between 730 and 800 a.m. I saw 2 young Mountain Lions. They were not small cubs but were not fully grown They were about to my knee in height. I was within 50 feet when they chased each other across the trail. A while later 1 went back over the trail the other way. I had a really good look, am familiar with Fishers and other wildlife and whether I'm believed or not, know what I saw and now believe fully there are Mountain Lions in Vt. Kevin Subject: Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions From: Barbara Powers <barkiepvt AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:39:06 -0400 In 1985 a group of 6 of us on the way to Danby, Vermont saw a mountain lion (cougar) crossing route 7a. We were able to observe it quite close when it went into a freeze mode. Of course, when I reported it no one believed the report. I do believe you saw them. What a wonderful sighting!! Barbara Powers Manchester Center > Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:19:49 -0400> From: mariekevinhemeon AT MSN.COM> Subject: [VTBIRD] Glastenbury Mountain Lions> To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU> > Not a bird but, today in Glastenbury between 730 and 800 a.m. I saw 2 young Mountain Lions. They were not small cubs but were not fully grown They were about to my knee in height. I was within 50 feet when they chased each other across the trail. A while later 1 went back over the trail the other way. I had a really good look, am familiar with Fishers and other wildlife and whether I'm believed or not, know what I saw and now believe fully there are Mountain Lions in Vt. Kevin _________________________________________________________________ Get ideas on sharing photos from people like you. Find new ways to share. http://www.windowslive.com/explore/photogallery/posts?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Photo_Gallery_082008 Subject: Re: Glastenbury Mountain Lions From: "William H. Barnard" <barnard AT NORWICH.EDU> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:26:06 -0400 Kevin, Please contact Kim Royar at Vermont F and W if you have not already done so. The biologists have an interest in collecting hairs and/or scats for DNA analysis. I have four sightings/records of lynx and/or mountain lions. A sighting in October of a mountain lion followed by finding tracks during deer season that same year 1/4 mile away. I think it is important to record these sightings to proper authorities to document their existence. Bill Barnard ________________________________ From: Vermont Birds on behalf of MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON Sent: Mon 9/1/2008 4:19 PM To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: [VTBIRD] Glastenbury Mountain Lions Not a bird but, today in Glastenbury between 730 and 800 a.m. I saw 2 young Mountain Lions. They were not small cubs but were not fully grown They were about to my knee in height. I was within 50 feet when they chased each other across the trail. A while later 1 went back over the trail the other way. I had a really good look, am familiar with Fishers and other wildlife and whether I'm believed or not, know what I saw and now believe fully there are Mountain Lions in Vt. Kevin Subject: Glastenbury Mountain Lions From: MARIE/KEVIN HEMEON <mariekevinhemeon AT MSN.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 16:19:49 -0400 Not a bird but, today in Glastenbury between 730 and 800 a.m. I saw 2 young Mountain Lions. They were not small cubs but were not fully grown They were about to my knee in height. I was within 50 feet when they chased each other across the trail. A while later 1 went back over the trail the other way. I had a really good look, am familiar with Fishers and other wildlife and whether I'm believed or not, know what I saw and now believe fully there are Mountain Lions in Vt. Kevin Subject: Vermont RBA 9-1-08 From: Mary Holland <mholland AT VERMONTEL.NET> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:02:28 -0400 *Vermont *Statewide 9.1.08 *VT0403.06 This is the Vermont Rare Bird Alert for September 1, covering the period August 25 - 31, 2008. The highlights of the week include the juvenile BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE sighting at Shelburne Bay on 8/31, the BLACK-HEADED GULL sightings on 8/27 at Charlotte Town Beach (1) and on 8/25 in Grand Isle (1) and the 4 PHALAROPES (species undetermined) at Charlotte Town Beach on 8/25. Eighteen GREAT EGRETS were seen in Cornwall on 8/29. Five SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were spotted at Salisbury Station on 8/29, along with 60 KILLDEER and 30 LEAST SANDPIPERS. Six LESSER YELLOWLEGS were seen at Dead Creek on 8/31. SOLITARY SANDPIPERS were seen on 8/29 at Lake Bomoseen (1) and Tunbridge (1). On 8/25 1,000 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were observed at Charlotte Town Beach and 240 in Grand Isle. Two CASPIAN TERNS were sighted at Charlotte Town Beach on 8/25 and BLACK TERNS were spotted in Grand Isle (2) and Charlotte Town Beach (52) on 8/25. COMMON NIGHTHAWKS are migrating through and several sightings were reported: 17 in West Brattleboro on 8/28, Saxton's River on 8/28, 46 in Norwich on 8/28, 3 in Essex on 8/27, 2 at Dead Creek on 8/26, and 1 in Morrisville on 8/24. A PHILADELPHIA VIREO was spotted in Brandon on 8/31 and in Norwich on 8/30. Wood warblers are also coming through Vermont and include the following highlights: BLUE-WINGED WARBLER - 1 at Charlotte Town Park on 8/31, 8/30 and 8/29; TENNESSEE WARBLER - One in Norwich on 8/30 and 1 in Ripton on 8/29; CAPE MAY WARBLER - 1 on Ward Hill in South Duxbury on 9/1 and 8/30, 1 at Charlotte Town Park on 8/27; BAY-BREASTED WARBLER - 3 in Norwich on 8/30, 1 in South Duxbury on 8/30 and 1 in Ripton on 8/29; WILSON'S WARBLER - 2 in Norwich on 8/30, 1 in South Duxbury on 8/30, 1 in South Starksboro on 8/30, 1 in Waitsfield on 8/29, and 2 at Charlotte Town Park on 8/29. This weekly Vermont birding report is a service of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE). VCE is a non-profit organization dedicated to the understanding and conservation of birds and other wildlife. With a reach extending from northern New England through the Caribbean to South America, our work in wildlife research and population monitoring unites people and science for conservation. Our offices are located in White River Junction. Please visit VCE's web site at www.vtecostudies.org . Please report your sightings of rare or unusual birds to VCE, or email reports to rba AT vtecostudies.org. Better yet, enter your sightings on Vermont eBird at http://ebird.org/content/vt/. Mary Holland Chris Rimmer Kent McFarland Roz Renfrew Vermont RBA Compilers, Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) 802-649-1431 Subject: Re: Question marks in my post From: Kevin Plant <kevvt61 AT AIM.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:45:28 -0400 Your explanation is consistent with another list member's. It too involves formatting and I've now disabled HTML mode. Thanks very much for the help. Kevin Plant Winooski, VT P.s. Nice photos at PBase -----Original Message----- From: Will Raup To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU Sent: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:33 am Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Question marks in my post Many newer e-mail programs have coding and formating to make things look pretty, however often when you send things through these list-servs, the servers are generally running hardware/software that is older than the e-mail programs and the list serv gets confused doesn't understand the formating or coding and repalces what it doesn't know with "?". If you have a plain text option (I know you do in hotmail), use that and I don't tend to see the same problems. If I don't do it with hotmail, it tends to compress the message and remove all spacing, making my post 1 large paragrah! Will Raup Albany, NY www.pbase.com/cabbage_hollow > Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 00:26:53 -0400 > From: kevvt61 AT AIM.COM > Subject: [VTBIRD] Question marks in my post > To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU > > Hi, > The post I just submitted (Colchester - late afternoon) came back with question marks throughout my text. I have no idea why this happened but will try to find out if it's something I didn't do correctly. > > Kevin 0A_________________________________________________________________ Get thousands of games on your PC, your mobile phone, and the web with Windows®. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/108588800/direct/01/= Subject: Re: Question marks in my post From: Will Raup <hoaryredpoll AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:33:57 -0400 Many newer e-mail programs have coding and formating to make things look pretty, however often when you send things through these list-servs, the servers are generally running hardware/software that is older than the e-mail programs and the list serv gets confused doesn't understand the formating or coding and repalces what it doesn't know with "?". If you have a plain text option (I know you do in hotmail), use that and I don't tend to see the same problems. If I don't do it with hotmail, it tends to compress the message and remove all spacing, making my post 1 large paragrah! Will Raup Albany, NY www.pbase.com/cabbage_hollow > Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 00:26:53 -0400 > From: kevvt61 AT AIM.COM > Subject: [VTBIRD] Question marks in my post > To: VTBIRD AT LIST.UVM.EDU > > Hi, > The post I just submitted (Colchester - late afternoon) came back with question marks throughout my text. I have no idea why this happened but will try to find out if it's something I didn't do correctly. > > Kevin _________________________________________________________________ Get thousands of games on your PC, your mobile phone, and the web with Windows®. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/108588800/direct/01/ Subject: Question marks in my post From: Kevin Plant <kevvt61 AT AIM.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 00:26:53 -0400 Hi, The post I just submitted (Colchester - late afternoon) came back with question marks throughout my text. I have no idea why this happened but will try to find out if it's something I didn't do correctly. Kevin Subject: Colchester - late afternoon From: Kevin Plant <kevvt61 AT AIM.COM> Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 00:11:48 -0400 Hello, I joined the list a couple of months ago as?a novice birder. I have a lot to learn including bird song/call id and have been reluctant to post.?Sometimes I can't?reference?the bird I've seen which is frustrating, but I'm photographing most of them to try?identifying?later from my field guide or on the net. It was a great couple of hours late this afternoon?at Colchester Pond. I met two other birders for the first time as well.?Really nice?people. 2? Blue Jays (heard) 2? Belted Kingfishers 1? Red-tailed Hawk (over Colchester Village) 1? American Robin 14 Cedar Waxwing 2? Tree Swallow 2? American Crow (heard) 4? Mourning Dove (perched, Colchester Village) 1? Eastern Pewee 1? Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (f) 1? American Goldfinch (f) Several Sparrows and 20+ Gulls I couldn't get a close enough look at. Regards, Kevin Plant Winooski Subject: Black-legged Kittiwake in Shelburne Bay From: Jim Mead <jlmead AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:43:36 -0400 Hi All, I stopped at Shelburne Bay at 6:12 a.m. and was treated to a juvenile Black- legged Kittiwake laying on the northern tip of the big rocky ledge at the end of the parking lot. At one point it stood up and I got my first real good look at a Kittiwake's legs. This juvy did not have black legs. They were kind of pale gray. It's toes however were black. I got to observe this gull for 22 minutes and then it flew away toward the north. I also went to the Charlotte Town Park At 8:00 a.m. The actual name of this park (by the way) is- Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge. It was much less active today. 1 Least Flycatcher 2 Gray Catbird 1 Blue-winged Warbler (m) 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler (j) 1 Magnolia Warbler (j) 1 American Redstart (f) 1 Ovenbird 1 Common Yellowthroat 1 Eastern Towhee (heard) 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 Nortrhern Cardinal (j) Later on, I stopped at the Charlotte Town Beach and counted 67 Canada Geese at 11:03 a.m. I then went back to the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge: 1 House Wren (heard) from the south end of parking area at 11:23 a.m. 1 Pileated Woodpecker (m) between stations 8 and 9 at 11:43 a.m. 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk flew in front of me as I was walking back down the trail, just above station 7 Enjoy Birds, Jim Mead Subject: Re: Saw the cranes! From: Maeve Kim <maevulus AT SURFGLOBAL.NET> Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:00:40 -0400 I think there is a fifth crane lurking around, although it might not always be right with the family of four. When my friend and I saw them two weeks ago, I saw two adults and two young, and my friend saw a fifth bird ducking down behind a little rise just as I stopped the car. Maeve Kim Jericho Center On Aug 31, 2008, at 11:10 AM, Bruce MacPherson wrote: > Like Graham, I took a short jaunt to Bristol Pond to see the cranes > as well > and, indeed, they were there as advertised in full display-two > adults and two > colts. The question is-where is the crane that fledged last year? > Typically, > Sandhill Cranes produce 1-2 chicks/year. The two juveniles look to > me to be > the products of this year's nest. Usually, Sandhill Cranes stick > together as > a family unit, but I saw no sign of a 5th crane. > > Great photos of last year's brood are still up at > _http://www.whiterockphotos.com_ (http://www.whiterockphotos.com) . > In addition to the Cornell Lab of > Ornithology's website, some interesting Crane Facts can be found at > _http://www.rowesanctuary.org_ (http://www.rowesanctuary.org) . > > Bruce MacPherson > South Burlington > > > In a message dated 8/31/2008 8:59:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > batesg AT GMAIL.COM writes: > > Yesterday my wife and I took a ride over to Bristol, and were > psyched to see > the 4 sandhill cranes (lifers for both of us) feeding in a field > just south > of a large farm. As someone else had said, they were in between > Church Road > and Mountain road (thanks for the good directions). We had good, > long looks > at 30 feet or so, and were able to easily distiguish the 2 adults > from the 2 > young. Very cool!! We also got good looks at a pair of Northern > Harriers > over Winona lake from the fishing access. A great day... > > Graham > Waterbury, VT > > -- > http://teamrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/ > > > > > > **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find > your travel > deal here. > (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) Subject: Re: Saw the cranes! From: Bruce MacPherson <BMacPhe AT AOL.COM> Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:10:53 EDT Like Graham, I took a short jaunt to Bristol Pond to see the cranes as well and, indeed, they were there as advertised in full display-two adults and two colts. The question is-where is the crane that fledged last year? Typically, Sandhill Cranes produce 1-2 chicks/year. The two juveniles look to me to be the products of this year's nest. Usually, Sandhill Cranes stick together as a family unit, but I saw no sign of a 5th crane. Great photos of last year's brood are still up at _http://www.whiterockphotos.com_ (http://www.whiterockphotos.com) . In addition to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website, some interesting Crane Facts can be found at _http://www.rowesanctuary.org_ (http://www.rowesanctuary.org) . Bruce MacPherson South Burlington In a message dated 8/31/2008 8:59:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, batesg AT GMAIL.COM writes: Yesterday my wife and I took a ride over to Bristol, and were psyched to see the 4 sandhill cranes (lifers for both of us) feeding in a field just south of a large farm. As someone else had said, they were in between Church Road and Mountain road (thanks for the good directions). We had good, long looks at 30 feet or so, and were able to easily distiguish the 2 adults from the 2 young. Very cool!! We also got good looks at a pair of Northern Harriers over Winona lake from the fishing access. A great day... Graham Waterbury, VT -- http://teamrunswithscissors.blogspot.com/ **************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047) Subject: HUMMERS Brandon Pearl St , 8/31/08 From: Sue Wetmore <2birdvt AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:05:30 +0000 I now have a juv. male hummer who thinks he can intimidate me. Seems as if he thinks the backyard belongs solely to him. Warbling vireo was singing without much conviction. The mosquitoes are nearly impossible near the swamps. -------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- From: do-not-reply AT ebird.org To: 2birdvt AT comcast.net Subject: eBird Report - Brandon Pearl St , 8/31/08 Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:59:36 +0000 > > > Location: Brandon Pearl St > Observation date: 8/31/08 > Number of species: 24 > > Green Heron 1 > Mourning Dove 5 > Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3 > Hairy Woodpecker 2 > Northern Flicker 1 > Eastern Phoebe 3 > Warbling Vireo 1 > Philadelphia Vireo 1 > Red-eyed Vireo 1 > Blue Jay 6 > American Crow 7 > Black-capped Chickadee 7 > Tufted Titmouse 3 > White-breasted Nuthatch 3 > American Robin 1 > Gray Catbird 5 > European Starling 7 > Cedar Waxwing 7 > Common Yellowthroat 4 > Chipping Sparrow 5 > Song Sparrow 2 > Swamp Sparrow 3 > Northern Cardinal 5 > American Goldfinch 6 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)