BirdForum

Vermont may be one of the smallest states in the US, but because of all the north-south mountains and ridges, often it's the case that "You can't get there from here," as we're fond of saying here in Vermont. Because of the geographic constraints, I have to plan out how to get where I'm going to bird; I also try to maximize the number of towns along my route that get surveyed, and target 5-6 town each day I head out.

The morning of June 17th started out with the best of...

bheitzman

Lake Champlain is the largest lake in Vermont, something on the order of 125 miles long. There are 5 towns in the islands which are organized into Grand Isle County. I spent a wonderful afternoon birding up in the Islands on 17-June, and logged reports in all 5 towns in a half-marathon between 2 and 8pm.

The highlights of the day were the 5 Osprey nests along US-2 in Milton, an Eastern Meadowlark in North Hero, and Scarlet Tanagers in Alburg. I did the "Life Bird Boogie"...

bheitzman

I've heard several accounts of how a Cuckoo will lay its egg in another species' nest, and how the Cuckoo chick will overtake the nest and dominate the parents, in their effort to feed the chick. Well on this day, I had an opportunity to see this first-hand. While hiking down the Falls Park river trail on a very hot July day, I could hear a plaintive call coming from a low tree up ahead. There on a branch was a young Yellow-billed Cuckoo, calling for more food. Its mother was a Yellow warbler;...

bheitzman

I've anticipated birding in Buel's Gore since I started this project. It's one of 4 gores (land grants that are not part of any chartered town) in Vermont, and sits astride the spine of the Green Mountains. VT Highway 17 winds its way up one side of the ridge to Appalachian Gap (mountain pass), then winds its way down the other. You must go slow in order to negotiate the hairpin turns and the steep slopes. If you have car troubles and you're traveling west, you can have your car serviced at...

bheitzman

Normally when I'm out birding, I expect to see birds, and occasionally a beaver or deer. Where I stopped to bird in Lunenburg, the signs of birds were scarce, but the signs of Moose were plentiful.

This section of highway had been freshly re-paved only 2 or 3 days earlier; the asphalt on the shoulder was still soft, and the traffic control signs were still lying along the side of the road. One side of the highway was a peaty bog; on the other a wet woodland.

All...

bheitzman