Trip Highlights

The birding began even before we reached Judy’s property.  On way up South Central Street in Plainfield two Turkey Vultures were spotted in a field next to the road, then a Turkey with 5 chicks in another field, joined quickly by another adult with 9 young.  Once the whole group was joined together, we took a more western trail through forest when a bridge was out, arriving at edge of the big marsh.  A Creeper and 2 Pine Warblers were in a wet area, and Juncos and White-throated Sparrows were found along the trail.  The ponds were low, but productive, with a flying Bittern. Many thought it the day’s best bird sighting. Also there were an Alder Flycatcher, 2 Kingbirds, 2 Swamp Sparrows and a Purple Finch.  In the woods on way back there were 2 Blue-headed Vireo, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Hermit Thrush singing, more wood warblers and some Purple Finches.  We relaxed on the porch with more refreshments than we earned, served with great hospitality by our host.  There we waited in vain for Evening Grosbeaks, but still we were amused by purple finches at one feeder and a beautiful little hummingbird at another.

This trip has been run bi-annually since 2008.  The weather for the entire time this year was warm, sunny and only a bit breezy from time to time.  Day one focused on several prime birding locations within the Connecticut River Valley as we made our way to the Northeast Kingdom.  Our first stop at Allen Brothers Marsh in Winchester brought us a Green Heron that called out getting our attention, and then flew across the marsh for all to see.  A pair of female Hooded Mergansers with two ducklings shared the marsh with several female Wood Ducks and their young.  Kestrel, Kingfisher, and Purple Finch were also added to the list.  Our next stops were the grasslands that surround the Windsor State Correctional Facility plus the extensive farm fields nearby.  As we studied a close Wilson’s Snipe, we were all treated to what many felt was the most exciting part of the entire trip.  An American Bittern flew from a distant portion of the farm fields into the reeds within 100 feet of our group.  We admired and photographed the bird in its often seen, long necked "frozen" pose.  What occurred next is not so common.  A second bittern flew in and landed a short distance from the first bird.  We were then treated to an apparent courtship activity as the first bird slowly strutted over towards the second bird proudly displaying its white shoulder patches for all to see.  We left to continue our journey north quite, well pleased to have observed such a wonderful moment together.  After several more stops, one including two Common Loons on Stiles Pond in Waterford, we arrived at our last major destination of the day, the "Blowdown" trail in Victory Bog.  This is a well-known trail frequented by birders in search of a group of species collectively known as "Boreal Species".  We did not locate any of the big four permanent residents, (Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker or Spruce Grouse).  We did however have excellent views of a Mourning Warbler.  Northern Parula, Palm Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren, White-throated Sparrow and Hermit Thrush were also heard or seen.

Day two brought a return to Victory Bog, and a two hour morning walk along the Rogers Brook/Lee's Hill trail that winds through beautiful boreal forest habitat.  We were again in search of the "big four" boreal species.  We were only able to get in "close proximity" to a Black-backed Woodpecker that was seen ever so briefly by several of our group, but we all heard the bird calling and briefly tapping.  Other species added to our trip list were Swainson's Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Broad-winged Hawk and Red-shouldered Hawk.  We next headed further north to walk the Moose Bog trail located in Ferdinand.  This trail rivals Victory Bog as a choice for birders hoping to locate the "big four" boreal species.  We found none!  Roadside birding in the area added to the numbers of individuals for most of the northern breeding species noted above, but sadly we had no further sightings of the "big four".

Day three began at 5 am with a trip to the Barton Marsh in Newport.  We walked the railroad bed that dissects the marsh affording wonderful views.  The Marsh Wrens that maintain a significant population in the marsh sang constantly.  Two American Bitterns flew past in the distance as did the only Black Duck of the trip.  We were disappointed not to locate any of the Pied-billed Grebes known to breed in the marsh.  After breakfast we began the 50 or so mile drive west to the Lake Champlain area.  The next stop was one of the lesser known birding hotspots in Vermont; the Franklin Municipal Airport located on Route 78 just east of Swanton.  It did not disappoint, as a drive along the perimeter road that encircles the airport gave us at least seven Vesper Sparrows and a like number of Grasshopper Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows.  All three species often perched on the chain link fence that borders the airport, giving wonderful views.  Many of the birds sang for us, adding to the experience.  Not one airplane landed or took off during the hour we spent birding the airport grounds.  

Our next stop would be the Missisquoi NWR, an extensive refuge on the northern end of Lake Champlain.  A roadside stop along Route 78 in Swanton gave us at least six Black Terns, upwards of 10 Great Blue Herons, 2 Great Egrets, several Ospreys and a distant Bald Eagle.  A stop at the visitor center located on Tabor Rd gave us close views of the dozens of Cliff Swallows that nest on the visitor center buildings.  We drove up the road a mile or so to visit a large Purple Martin colony of at least 30 gourd nests where dozens of birds were seen.  As we drove the back roads of Swanton, one more "special bird moment" occurred.  Alongside the dirt road, we noticed a small puddle with exposed mud shoreline and we were treated to six or more Cliff Swallows plucking insects off the water just 30 feet away.  A pair of Killdeer flew in to join the feast, and then a Wilson’s Snipe joined the party.  We continued on to Mud Creek WMA and birded that beautiful wetland.  On the way back to Massaschusetts, we stopped in Berlin at a large reservoir with an undeveloped shoreline and had one last birding memory.  Two adult Common Loons were floating together in the center of reservoir.  As we scoped the birds we noticed two little chicks swimming with the adults, multiple times mounting the backs of the adults then returning back to the water.  Final species count for the three day trip - 113.

One new and eager birder joined me for a morning adventure in rural Williamsburg, exploring the Graves Farm Sanctuary and the unpaved section of Nash Hill Road.  We found 36 species including Great Blue Herons on nest, a rattling Kingfisher, a pair of chanting Indigo Buntings, an active Yellow-bellied Sapsucker family, and many adult Bluebirds with young.  Other highlight species were Bobolink and three kinds of swallows, notably Cliff Swallow.  We heard the songs of sore-throated Scarlet Tanagers, melodious Baltimore Orioles, and six kinds of warbler.  When we failed to see them, we talked about the tuxedo clothed Kingbird, the song of the Hermit Thrush, and the bouncing song of the Field Sparrow.  We both learned a lot and it could not have been a more pleasant excursion.

Eleven people and 3 cars arrived in Lenox at Post Farm to find other birders led by Mass Audubon from the Worcester area.  The most unusual sighting there was a pair of Virginia Rails, copulating while 3-4 young were nearby.  There was no sign of Gallinule or Sora or Bittern, but Marsh Wrens and Alder Flycatchers were vocal.  A chickadee was busy and noisy around its nest in a dead birch stub a few feet away from the bridge.  Hummingbird and Kingbirds were also there.  We stopped briefly at Woods Pond on the way out, getting Wood Ducks, a Kingfisher and many swallows.  A Great Blue Heron flew over during the ride to Ice Glen in Stockbridge, where the Cliff Swallows were busy feeding young under the eaves of a large, red barn.  In the marsh there were two Willow Flycatchers and an Alder calling constantly.  We drove up the hill to look down on the main part of the marsh, but no Bittern caught our eye.  Instead, an Olive-sided Flycatcher perched for perfect views in the top of a tree in front of a gated mansion.  From the precarious side of a busy Route 7 we had another Marsh Wren and a Kingfisher.  The first bird on Meadow Street in Tyringham was a flyby accipiter with prey in its clutches. At Breakneck Road and the Appalachian Trail we found three Willow Flycatchers, swallows and Bobolinks before the rain ended the trip just as we found another Chickadee nest with babies.

The 10 participants of this trip promptly (well, mostly) met at 7:00 at our meeting place and quickly drove to the gate of Westover Air Reserve Base where we met another 34 people from two other clubs (Hampshire Bird Club & Brookline Bird Club).  Unlike other years in which we were able to drive our own cars inside Westover to the birding location, this year was different.  We were met by an Air Force bus which took us on our birding trip, first stopping for a bathroom break and informational talk by Frank Moriarty, our leader from Westover.  The bus accomodations were more comfortable than I had initially thought.  The seats were roomy and there was air-conditioning which came in handy later in the day when the temperatures and humidity rose.  It was a little cool and somewhat foggy when we arrived at the birding field, but about an hour later the sun came out and the temperature started to rise along with the humididy.  At first everybody walked down the gravel path together to view any birds that would show themselves.  When we got to a side path that led off to the right, about a dozen people took that path and remained there for just about the entire trip.  The rest of the group stayed spread out on the main path with some people walking quite a bit ahead of everyone else while others arranged themselves somewhere in between.  

During the entire walk Bobolinks were flying all over the place.  There was a tie for the next most abundant bird between Meadowlarks and Upland Sandpipers.  It seemed as though there could have been many more Uplands than I counted only because once they landed in the tall grass they disappeared.  When they flew again it was hard to determine if it was the  same bird or a new one flying off.  Since the grass was not as tall as last year the number of grasshopper sparrows, in my count, was not as high as in past years.  In addition they were farther away sitting on whatever tall bushes they could find.  In past years these tall bushes were adjacent to the path.  After about 1 1/2 hours of walking through the field we were called back to the bus and taken to a wet area on a part of the base we had not previously visited.  Since we had to walk through tall grass to get a good look at the small cattail marsh, my aversion to ticks kept me and quite a few other folks outside at the bus to see what showed up.  We were rewarded with looks at a Kestrel and a pair of Bluebirds along with a few other common birds.  Back on the bus we went and drove in air-conditioned comfort back to our cars waiting for us outside the gate.  All three clubs, I'm sure, were very pleased with this trip and the target birds which we all saw in abundance.  We'll have to wait for next year to do it again.