Date: 3/31/26 7:44 am From: FlyAway Birding <flyawaybirding...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Plum Island birding trip with FAB in May
Hi folks, I hope you're all enjoying the start of spring and the arrival of blackbirds, grackles, woodcock, Osprey and Killdeer! So great to hear bird song again.
If you're excited for spring migration, you might want to check out our weekend trip in May to Plum Island in Massachusetts, one of New England's most famous migration hotspots! The island's Parker River NWR has sandy beaches, wetlands, and thickets, making it the perfect spot for shorebirds, waders, and 20+ species of migrating warblers.
Date: 3/30/26 3:40 pm From: Maeve Kim <maevekim7...> Subject: [VTBIRD] make your yard part of VT's natural habitats
Join us for a free program this Thursday at 1:30 PM at the Richmond Library: Yards That Sing, and Buzz, and Bloom! How to Make Your Yard Part of Vermont’s Natural Habitats. For many people, our yards are as personal as our living rooms. They can be havens, private and secluded sanctuaries, places to meet with friends and enjoy the quiet of a summer afternoon. But yards can be even more! They can be an important part of habitat in the state, helping to support a healthy, vibrant and diverse ecosystem. You’ll learn many ways to brighten your back, front and side yards so they attract more and more beautiful birds and more of our state’s all-important pollinators. Lots of beautiful photos!
Maeve Kim, Jericho Center
Date: 3/30/26 6:07 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 30 March 2026: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
6:23 a.m. (eleven minutes before sunrise). Thirty-nine degrees, wind from
the south at four miles per hour, gusting to eleven. A lone, ambitious, and
steadfast robin in a maple beyond the outbuildings sings without pause,
eyeing the shed shelves and the idle dog pen, where disheveled nests mark
time like old calendars. A relentless serenade with the sun still well
below the New Hampshire skyline. No other robins sing, though a few call
from the edge of the hemlocks, sharp and repetitious, stuck in the shadows,
waiting for their chance.
The sky is an overcast, untextured blue-gray, slowly brightening. Baby
steps. A faint pink in the east is swallowed back into the colorless seam
between night and day. Squandered. The sun arrives without announcement.
Knuckles of maple buds swell—a kind of seasonal arthritis—rounder, fuller
with each passing day.
6:34 a.m. A crow flies southeast, laboring into the wind—a slow-motion
journey above a landscape just waking up.
6:36 a.m. A song sparrow in a tangle of briers stands boldly upright, bill
to the sky, calling ... *tick, tick, tick*. Just slow enough not to become
a trill.
The sunrise gangs of crows have scattered. Couples slip out of last week's
crowds. One pair calls and chases, filling the air with devotion, then
lands on a limb facing each other. Another, a cockamamie pest, harries
the couple, calling, chasing, landing on nearby limbs, until finally,
perspective reset, he's chased away.
6:55 a.m. Mid-meadow maple. Bell-toned notes of a blue jay ring out, its
head thrown back, crest erect.
*A Constellation of Birds: *a male northern cardinal, an ornament in a
grapevine; American tree sparrow; black-capped chickadee (of course);
tufted titmouse (also, of course); winter wren, a tireless singer;
golden-crowned kinglet (an ornithological hearing test); red- and
white-breasted nuthatches; pine siskin; American goldfinch (a cloud);
common raven, wings flat, sailing the firmament; downy woodpecker drumming
like impatient fingers on my desk.
Date: 3/30/26 5:18 am From: Kate Olgiati <2grackle...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Robins! In the Upper Valley
Yesterday afternoon on the way to Newbury from Barnard we spotted hundreds (thousands?) of robins in fields, pastures and lawns. They are on the move. -- Katherine Olgiati Dory Rice
First heard woodcock in Milton 1 week ago. Tonight, "peenting" and doing
flight display! So cool!!
Liz Alton and Milton, VT
On Sun, Mar 29, 2026 at 3:51 PM boydenvl <boydenvl...> wrote:
> Almost stepped on one in the back of our field in Marlboro on
> Friday.Pieter van Loon Marlboro, VT
> -------- Original message --------From: Charlie Teske <
> <cteske140...> Date: 3/29/26 10:58 AM (GMT-05:00) To:
> <VTBIRD...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] woodcock Had one in Hyde Park
> also.On Sun, 29 Mar 2026 10:22:33 -0400, Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...>
> wrote:Performing last night in No. Pomfret.
--
Liz Alton:
"Keep a green tree in your heart; perhaps a singing bird will come."
A month ago Connecticut Audubon presented a program about Osprey focused on the poor nesting success in Chesapeake Bay in 2025 (down 80%) and Connecticut (down 50%). The decreased nesting success in the Bay might be attributed to the lack of forage fish (menhaden). The chicks starved in other words. In Connecticut there might have been food shortages coupled with unfavorable weather conditions. I looked at Vermont's data in VT eBird and saw no discernible pattern of population increase or decline. However, although the recovery of Osprey in Vermont has been robust, it is fragile. I encourage all Vermont birders to keep a close eye on Ospreys as they return to Vermont in April. In particular, I encourage birders to monitor nests and enter the results of breeding success or not into VT eBird. Bruce MacPhersonSouth Burlington, VT
Almost stepped on one in the back of our field in Marlboro on Friday.Pieter van Loon Marlboro, VT -------- Original message --------From: Charlie Teske <cteske140...> Date: 3/29/26 10:58 AM (GMT-05:00) To: <VTBIRD...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] woodcock Had one in Hyde Park also.On Sun, 29 Mar 2026 10:22:33 -0400, Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:Performing last night in No. Pomfret.
Date: 3/28/26 12:01 pm From: Veer Frost <0000038039fb4cf6-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Advice re Upper Valley thrush-finding?
Hi, I am hoping to find a reliable UV spot for hearing Hermit thrush song... limitations on driving so not too bushwhack-y (of course those are best!).Thank you! Veer FrostBellows Falls
Thanks for the reminder Ruth, I saw a bat on Wed n.ear the E Dorset Store around 2:PM. I thought I was seeing things ..
On Friday, March 27, 2026 at 04:46:05 PM EDT, R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> wrote:
I have seen at least a half dozen bats flying around my house and Morse
Hill Rd. today despite the temperatures being in the 30s. The sun is
shining, though. I live just below the Mt Aeolus hibernaculum/bat cave.
Does anyone have information about who would care about these sightings or
to whom I should report them?
Date: 3/27/26 3:24 pm From: R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Bats not birds...
There are 3 right now, 6:22pm at 23 deg that are flying around the louvred
vent at the west end of my house. Burr.....
On Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 6:15 PM A Calfee <vtforestman...> wrote:
> Hi Ruth.
>
> Alyssa Bennet at VTF and W would be interested.
>
> Contact: Essex Office, 802-353-4818, <alyssa.bennett...>
>
> Alan
>
> On Fri, Mar 27, 2026, 12:05 PM R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> wrote:
>
> > Thanks, Tim. i-Nat sometimes is not much help if there is no photo.....
> > which there is not. ruth
> >
> > On Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 5:45 PM John Snell <jrsnelljr...> wrote:
> >
> > > Yes, definitely report the sightings on iNaturalist. It is easy and
> > > important.
> > >
> > >
> > > > On Mar 27, 2026, at 4:59 PM, Tim Holland <timothyholland...>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hi Ruth,
> > > >
> > > > I don't know about bat research specifically in the area, so perhaps
> > > > someone will weigh in who does. But in general, I think the default
> for
> > > > non-bird nature observations is to submit them to iNaturalist (A
> > > Community
> > > > for Naturalists · iNaturalist <https://www.inaturalist.org/>). I
> think
> > > many
> > > > researchers who are interested in collecting citizen-science data
> will
> > > keep
> > > > an eye on iNat observations - and in many cases there are projects
> > within
> > > > iNaturalist that you can add observations to.
> > > >
> > > > But again, I'm just saying this as a general point, so please anybody
> > > with
> > > > more specific info, let us know.
> > > >
> > > > Best,
> > > > Tim
> > > >
> > > > On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 at 16:46, R Stewart <2cnewbirds...>
> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> I have seen at least a half dozen bats flying around my house and
> > Morse
> > > >> Hill Rd. today despite the temperatures being in the 30s. The sun is
> > > >> shining, though. I live just below the Mt Aeolus hibernaculum/bat
> > cave.
> > > >> Does anyone have information about who would care about these
> > sightings
> > > or
> > > >> to whom I should report them?
> > > >>
> > > >> FOY - Fox Sparrow here today too.
> > > >>
> > > >> --
> > > >> Ruth Stewart
> > > >> E. Dorset VT
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Tim Holland
> > > > 510-847-9891
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Ruth Stewart
> > E. Dorset VT
> >
>
Date: 3/27/26 3:21 pm From: Ron Payne <rpayne72...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Bats not birds...
Alyssa Bennett, the Small Mammals Biologist at Vermont Fish & Wildlife would probably be interested in hearing this report. Her email is: <alyssa.bennett...>
--
Ron Payne
Middlebury, VT
On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:45:45 -0400, R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> wrote:
I have seen at least a half dozen bats flying around my house and Morse
Hill Rd. today despite the temperatures being in the 30s. The sun is
shining, though. I live just below the Mt Aeolus hibernaculum/bat cave.
Does anyone have information about who would care about these sightings or
to whom I should report them?
On Fri, Mar 27, 2026, 12:05 PM R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> wrote:
> Thanks, Tim. i-Nat sometimes is not much help if there is no photo.....
> which there is not. ruth
>
> On Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 5:45 PM John Snell <jrsnelljr...> wrote:
>
> > Yes, definitely report the sightings on iNaturalist. It is easy and
> > important.
> >
> >
> > > On Mar 27, 2026, at 4:59 PM, Tim Holland <timothyholland...>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi Ruth,
> > >
> > > I don't know about bat research specifically in the area, so perhaps
> > > someone will weigh in who does. But in general, I think the default for
> > > non-bird nature observations is to submit them to iNaturalist (A
> > Community
> > > for Naturalists · iNaturalist <https://www.inaturalist.org/>). I think
> > many
> > > researchers who are interested in collecting citizen-science data will
> > keep
> > > an eye on iNat observations - and in many cases there are projects
> within
> > > iNaturalist that you can add observations to.
> > >
> > > But again, I'm just saying this as a general point, so please anybody
> > with
> > > more specific info, let us know.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > > Tim
> > >
> > > On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 at 16:46, R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> wrote:
> > >
> > >> I have seen at least a half dozen bats flying around my house and
> Morse
> > >> Hill Rd. today despite the temperatures being in the 30s. The sun is
> > >> shining, though. I live just below the Mt Aeolus hibernaculum/bat
> cave.
> > >> Does anyone have information about who would care about these
> sightings
> > or
> > >> to whom I should report them?
> > >>
> > >> FOY - Fox Sparrow here today too.
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> Ruth Stewart
> > >> E. Dorset VT
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Tim Holland
> > > 510-847-9891
> >
>
>
> --
> Ruth Stewart
> E. Dorset VT
>
Date: 3/27/26 3:05 pm From: R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Bats not birds...
Thanks, Tim. i-Nat sometimes is not much help if there is no photo.....
which there is not. ruth
On Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 5:45 PM John Snell <jrsnelljr...> wrote:
> Yes, definitely report the sightings on iNaturalist. It is easy and
> important.
>
>
> > On Mar 27, 2026, at 4:59 PM, Tim Holland <timothyholland...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Ruth,
> >
> > I don't know about bat research specifically in the area, so perhaps
> > someone will weigh in who does. But in general, I think the default for
> > non-bird nature observations is to submit them to iNaturalist (A
> Community
> > for Naturalists · iNaturalist <https://www.inaturalist.org/>). I think
> many
> > researchers who are interested in collecting citizen-science data will
> keep
> > an eye on iNat observations - and in many cases there are projects within
> > iNaturalist that you can add observations to.
> >
> > But again, I'm just saying this as a general point, so please anybody
> with
> > more specific info, let us know.
> >
> > Best,
> > Tim
> >
> > On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 at 16:46, R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> wrote:
> >
> >> I have seen at least a half dozen bats flying around my house and Morse
> >> Hill Rd. today despite the temperatures being in the 30s. The sun is
> >> shining, though. I live just below the Mt Aeolus hibernaculum/bat cave.
> >> Does anyone have information about who would care about these sightings
> or
> >> to whom I should report them?
> >>
> >> FOY - Fox Sparrow here today too.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Ruth Stewart
> >> E. Dorset VT
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Tim Holland
> > 510-847-9891
>
Date: 3/27/26 2:45 pm From: John Snell <jrsnelljr...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Bats not birds...
Yes, definitely report the sightings on iNaturalist. It is easy and important.
> On Mar 27, 2026, at 4:59 PM, Tim Holland <timothyholland...> wrote:
>
> Hi Ruth,
>
> I don't know about bat research specifically in the area, so perhaps
> someone will weigh in who does. But in general, I think the default for
> non-bird nature observations is to submit them to iNaturalist (A Community
> for Naturalists · iNaturalist <https://www.inaturalist.org/>). I think many
> researchers who are interested in collecting citizen-science data will keep
> an eye on iNat observations - and in many cases there are projects within
> iNaturalist that you can add observations to.
>
> But again, I'm just saying this as a general point, so please anybody with
> more specific info, let us know.
>
> Best,
> Tim
>
> On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 at 16:46, R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> wrote:
>
>> I have seen at least a half dozen bats flying around my house and Morse
>> Hill Rd. today despite the temperatures being in the 30s. The sun is
>> shining, though. I live just below the Mt Aeolus hibernaculum/bat cave.
>> Does anyone have information about who would care about these sightings or
>> to whom I should report them?
>>
>> FOY - Fox Sparrow here today too.
>>
>> --
>> Ruth Stewart
>> E. Dorset VT
>>
>
>
> --
> Tim Holland
> 510-847-9891
Date: 3/27/26 1:59 pm From: Tim Holland <timothyholland...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Bats not birds...
Hi Ruth,
I don't know about bat research specifically in the area, so perhaps
someone will weigh in who does. But in general, I think the default for
non-bird nature observations is to submit them to iNaturalist (A Community
for Naturalists · iNaturalist <https://www.inaturalist.org/>). I think many
researchers who are interested in collecting citizen-science data will keep
an eye on iNat observations - and in many cases there are projects within
iNaturalist that you can add observations to.
But again, I'm just saying this as a general point, so please anybody with
more specific info, let us know.
Best,
Tim
On Fri, 27 Mar 2026 at 16:46, R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> wrote:
> I have seen at least a half dozen bats flying around my house and Morse
> Hill Rd. today despite the temperatures being in the 30s. The sun is
> shining, though. I live just below the Mt Aeolus hibernaculum/bat cave.
> Does anyone have information about who would care about these sightings or
> to whom I should report them?
>
> FOY - Fox Sparrow here today too.
>
> --
> Ruth Stewart
> E. Dorset VT
>
Date: 3/27/26 1:46 pm From: R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Bats not birds...
I have seen at least a half dozen bats flying around my house and Morse Hill Rd. today despite the temperatures being in the 30s. The sun is shining, though. I live just below the Mt Aeolus hibernaculum/bat cave. Does anyone have information about who would care about these sightings or to whom I should report them?
Date: 3/26/26 5:56 am From: kfinch <kfinch51...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Spring birds
FoYs at our Chester home this morning: American Kestrel, and 4 Hooded Mergansers (2M, 2F) on our little quarter-acre pond -- despite it being only about 15% ice-free.  Ken Finch
Date: 3/25/26 8:54 am From: Kate Olgiati <2grackle...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Searching for waterfowl to sketch
Thank you, Roy! An expedition awaits.
K
On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 11:47 AM Roy Pilcher <
<00000022ffe6db53-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> Lake Pineo, Quechee.Cheers, Roy Polcher
> On Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 09:29:22 AM EDT, Kate Olgiati <
> <2grackle...> wrote:
>
> Dear fellow birders,
>
> It has been a long winter, and we are anxious to get outside and see some
> waterfowl. Ice is beginning to go out. Does anyone have a suggestion in
> the Barnard/Woodstock area?
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> Katherine Olgiati
>
>
Date: 3/25/26 8:47 am From: Roy Pilcher <00000022ffe6db53-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Searching for waterfowl to sketch
Lake Pineo, Quechee.Cheers, Roy Polcher
On Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 09:29:22 AM EDT, Kate Olgiati <2grackle...> wrote:
Dear fellow birders,
 It has been a long winter, and we are anxious to get outside and see some
waterfowl. Ice is beginning to go out. Does anyone have a suggestion in
the Barnard/Woodstock area?
Date: 3/25/26 8:43 am From: Kate Olgiati <2grackle...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Searching for waterfowl to sketch
Thanks, Ted, we're on it!
On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 11:20 AM Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> wrote:
> Kate, there are hooded and common mergansers on the bend in the
> Ottauquechee River, just below the Deweys Pond pullout, off the Quechee
> Road across from Mrshland Farms.
>
> Ted
>
> On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 9:29 AM Kate Olgiati <2grackle...> wrote:
>
> > Dear fellow birders,
> >
> > It has been a long winter, and we are anxious to get outside and see
> some
> > waterfowl. Ice is beginning to go out. Does anyone have a suggestion
> in
> > the Barnard/Woodstock area?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > --
> > Katherine Olgiati
> >
>
Date: 3/25/26 8:21 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Searching for waterfowl to sketch
Kate, there are hooded and common mergansers on the bend in the
Ottauquechee River, just below the Deweys Pond pullout, off the Quechee
Road across from Mrshland Farms.
Ted
On Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 9:29 AM Kate Olgiati <2grackle...> wrote:
> Dear fellow birders,
>
> It has been a long winter, and we are anxious to get outside and see some
> waterfowl. Ice is beginning to go out. Does anyone have a suggestion in
> the Barnard/Woodstock area?
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> Katherine Olgiati
>
Date: 3/25/26 6:29 am From: Kate Olgiati <2grackle...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Searching for waterfowl to sketch
Dear fellow birders,
It has been a long winter, and we are anxious to get outside and see some waterfowl. Ice is beginning to go out. Does anyone have a suggestion in the Barnard/Woodstock area?
Date: 3/24/26 5:44 am From: Charlie La Rosa <charlie.larosa...> Subject: [VTBIRD] siskins, geese
The evening grosbeaks continue to come several times a day here. About 25.
Last week, I noticed a single siskin mixed in with the daily large flock of goldfinches. Over the weekend, there was a small group of siskins. Now the number has grown to nearly equal the number of goldfinches. Twenty on average.
Yesterday on the White River, not far downstream from So. Royalton, there was a large group of Canada geese, probably 1000. Later in the day, the number had dwindled considerably.
Also encountered six red-tails over the course of the day.
A sharp-shinned hawk dismembered a chickadee in the apple tree while a second chickadee remained stone still while hunkered down in a tray feeder and watched the demise of his buddy from only a few feet away.
Other than that, it's been the usual suspects plus a brown creeper. The tom turkeys are taking on their breeding colors. Spring must be getting closer.
Charlie LaRosa So. Washington
If the law is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law. - *Henry David Thoreau*
Date: 3/23/26 6:25 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 23 March 2026: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
6:31 a.m. Sixteen minutes before sunrise. Twenty-six degrees, wind south at
five miles per hour, gusting eleven. Flurries, river fog: erasing Hurricane
Hill, smudging the New Hampshire skyline, curtaining the borderland along
the White River—Jericho and Dothan hills, ghosted. Flurries fatten into
squalls of tiny, stinging flakes. They cling to trunks and limbs. They burn
my eyes.
6:38 a.m. A robin calls from the hemlocks, a crow answers from the sky.
6:45 a.m. Chickadee, titmouse, the first rough edges of song.
*On the Road to Obscurity*: white-breasted nuthatch hitching along the
maple’s trunk; pine siskin drifting with goldfinches; purple finch, a
sudden liquid warble from nowhere; dark-eyed juncos trilling (such an
obvious song when pine warblers and chipping sparrows aren’t around); a
lone pine grosbeak—heard, not seen—descending whistle threading the
meadow’s rim.
7:29 a.m. A garbage truck slews sideways across the road, damming morning
traffic: a boy headed to high school, a woman bound for work. The boy
snakes his pickup around the truck (barely). The woman waits out the delay,
patient for the sand truck. Robins, in chorus, oversee the snarl. Two
crows, too proud to gawk and already above the treetops, angle northwest,
reading snow, wind, and an ambiguous horizon.
*Eagle Cam, a Sign of the Twenty-first Century:* I visited the
Ottauquechee eagles yesterday afternoon. One sat in the white pine nest,
cackling, feathers darkened by rain. Two Canada geese stood on the ice of
Dewey’s Pond, honking. Five common mergansers and seven hooded mergansers
loitered around a bend in the river, beyond the eagle nest. Song sparrows
and robins flitted back and forth across the trail, landed, then scratched
through soggy leaves.
Cold rain, and when I’d had enough, I drove two miles home and turned on
the VINS eagle cam—now my screen saver.
Two views to choose from: looking west toward the river, or east toward the
still iced-over pond. I left the sound on. My office filled with honking
(geese) and cackling (eagles).
The image of the bird in the nest, contour feathers matted by rain, was
bright and tack-sharp. She, or he—I need them side by side to know who’s
who—rose, fussed with the egg (there did not appear to be two), then
settled down again to incubate. Off-camera, her (his) mate called. She (he)
answered.
Colors draining with the gathering twilight, the cam slipped to
black-and-white. Still, details stayed sharp in the infra-red light. I
watched the changing of the guard: one bird replacing another on the nest.
5:27 a.m. I turned on the computer and watched an eagle, bill tucked under
wing, sleeping, snow on its back. Peaceful, like every songbird or barnyard
chicken I’ve ever watched.
*H*ome from my walk up Hurricane Hill, both eagles on my screen, both
eagles in my head. One in the nest, the other on a supporting branch a few
feet off the rim. Their voices fill my office. They trade roles without
ceremony: one to the egg, the other to breakfast. I sit and watch them loop
the morning between us—pixel and feather, branch and computer screen, here
and there blurring into the same thin air.
Date: 3/20/26 6:46 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 20 March 2026: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
6:31 a.m.—twenty-one minutes before sunrise, four hours and fifteen minutes
before the vernal equinox, and still it feels like December. Twenty-four
degrees. Wind south-southwest at two miles an hour, gusting to four. Damp.
Damp. Damp. The sky marbled in the east, pale rose, blue-gray; a faint
blush to the west; elsewhere, clear, nearly colorless.
Road puddles frozen. Streams mostly open. Here and there, water slips under
clear ice; dark bubbles flattened against its glassy underside, like a lava
lamp with ambition.
All pretense of clouds gone with the sun. Incandescent yellow light, two
F-stops overexposed, seeps through open woodlands, oozes down hardwood
trunks, turns hemlock, pine, spruce a startled, radiant green. A soft haze
rides with the light, blurring the New Hampshire skyline. Rhododendron
leaves loosen—appear greener, denser, a heart-shaped heart in the meadow. I
hear, barely, juncos inside, silhouettes in the bush's dark interior.
6:33 a.m. Barred owl (maybe George) enlivens the hemlocks, a shadow within
shadows. Calls four times. I stop. He stops ... and the day continues.
6:36 a.m. Two crows head west, the village criers.
6:45 a.m. Four mallards under a bird feeder, grazing on the endowment
goldfinches left behind. They freak out when they see me and arrow due east
toward the open water.
Freed (for the moment) of the bodily grind of migration, a mob scene of
robins dominates sunrise. In the trees. On the hard ground. Singing.
Calling. Idling in the sun, breasts on fire. Robins spread from one valley
to the next, from southern Appalachia to the foothills of the Green
Mountains ... and far beyond. Rumors of changes to follow, expectant birds
on the threshold of a new season.
*The background ensemble:* brown creeper in the pines, high, squeaky voice
like sneakers skidding on the hardwood. Common grackle. Common starling.
Cedar waxwing, scarcely a whisper. Chickadees being chickadees, singing and
chasing; flock coherence disintegrates. Song sparrow, barely enunciating.
American goldfinch and pine siskin. Both species of nuthatches, red- and
white-breasted. Mourning doves sit tight, face the sun. Blue jays, loud and
garrulous (robins' rival for the airwaves). Flyover red crossbills, half a
dozen (unquestionably a highlight).
Date: 3/19/26 8:22 pm From: Barbara Powers <barkiepvt...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Miller Pond, Arlington
I stopped by there today and even though there was some ice 🧊, there also was open water.
I saw 3 common mergansers, 2 mallards 🦆, 2 black ducks, 2 geese and 3 hooded mergansers. I also saw an eagle flying near Clear Brook Farm in Shaftsbury.
Barbara Powers
Manchester Center
Sent from my iPad
Date: 3/18/26 6:43 pm From: Mark Marroni <mjmarroni...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Missisquoi NWR Bird Monitoring Walk
I am an avid birder from North Shore MA. I love birding the NE Kingdom. I
have some business cancellations and would love to take the down time in
doing an overnight trip to the NE Kingdom. Can anyone please give me some
local intel? Is the snow mostly gone or will I need snowshoes? I'm
thinking Moose Bog and Peanut Dam Rd along with side trips along the way.
I have a high-clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle but just want to make sure
I'm equipped for all expectations.
Thank you so, so much!!!
Also, if anyone on this listserv needs info on birding Essex County, MA
especially Plum Island and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, I
would be happy to help.
Mark Marroni
North Andover, MA
978-689-6940
On Mon, Mar 16, 2026 at 9:04 AM Ken Copenhaver <copenhvr...> wrote:
> Please join us for our monthly bird monitoring walks on the refuge. Ken
> Copenhaver and Julie Filiberti lead the walks on various refuge trails on
> the 3rd Saturday of each month (except December when it is on the 2nd
> Saturday). The purpose of the walks is to gather long-term data on the
> presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations.
> Observations are entered into the Vermont eBird database where data is
> stored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These walks are appropriate for
> birders of all skill levels and provide a wonderful opportunity to learn
> about birds throughout the seasons. After 191 months of walks, we have
> recorded 167 species of birds.
>
> This month's walk will be on *Saturday, March 21, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM
> a**t
> the Jeep Trail*. Meet at the Louie's Landing parking lot on Rt 78, about
> 3.5 miles west of Swanton village. We will then open the gate and drive
> back to the trailhead at Mac's Bend.
>
> *Trail Description**:* The walk starts at a gravel parking lot at Mac’s
> Bend. The trail follows the river and thus is level. The trail is very
> close to the riverbank edge in one section. The trail surface is uneven,
> with many roots, rocks, and ruts. There are no benches. We usually walk
> about a mile and turn around, making it approximately a 2-mile walk.
>
> *Trail Conditions:* Depending on the weather this week, the trail should be
> clear of ice and snow, though mud is possible in places, and there could be
> downed trees to navigate over or around.
>
> If you have any questions, contact me at <copenhvr...>
>
> --Ken Copenhaver
>
> For information on other refuge events, visit: http://friendsofmissisquoi.
> org/
>
Date: 3/16/26 6:28 am From: Ken Copenhaver <copenhvr...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Missisquoi NWR Bird Monitoring Walk
Please join us for our monthly bird monitoring walks on the refuge. Ken
Copenhaver and Julie Filiberti lead the walks on various refuge trails on
the 3rd Saturday of each month (except December when it is on the 2nd
Saturday). The purpose of the walks is to gather long-term data on the
presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations.
Observations are entered into the Vermont eBird database where data is
stored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These walks are appropriate for
birders of all skill levels and provide a wonderful opportunity to learn
about birds throughout the seasons. After 191 months of walks, we have
recorded 167 species of birds.
This month's walk will be on *Saturday, March 21, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM a**t
the Jeep Trail*. Meet at the Louie's Landing parking lot on Rt 78, about
3.5 miles west of Swanton village. We will then open the gate and drive
back to the trailhead at Mac's Bend.
*Trail Description**:* The walk starts at a gravel parking lot at Mac’s
Bend. The trail follows the river and thus is level. The trail is very
close to the riverbank edge in one section. The trail surface is uneven,
with many roots, rocks, and ruts. There are no benches. We usually walk
about a mile and turn around, making it approximately a 2-mile walk.
*Trail Conditions:* Depending on the weather this week, the trail should be
clear of ice and snow, though mud is possible in places, and there could be
downed trees to navigate over or around.
If you have any questions, contact me at <copenhvr...>
Date: 3/15/26 7:00 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 15 March 2026: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
6:42 a.m. (nineteen minutes before sunrise). Eighteen degrees, wind
northwest three miles per hour, gusting to eleven. Fresh dusting of snow,
ideal for following the perambulations of gray squirrels, which cross the
road en route to greener pastures, mostly sunflower feeders. Larger, wider
hind footprints in front. Small, closer together front feet behind. Prints
evenly spaced; not likely to be mistaken for the volatile striding of a
weasel or mink.
A pastel sunrise: lavender, rose, hints of orange and yellow. In the east,
only there, clouds cradle the color, low, wrapping the summits of Smarts
Mountain and Mount Cube, drawing a balaclava around distant Mount
Moosilaukee. A message in invisible ink. As I watch, the hues drain out
over Hurricane Hill. The lower sky gathers itself, darkens—bruised
blue-gray. The sun slips into place.
The stream, orchestrated. Open water, running free: brass section—loud,
louder, loudest, a bright metallic shout, ending in a steep, descending
gurgle. Farther in, under the hemlocks, the same stream disappears, roofed
with ice and snow. Only a few rounded openings breathe, letting go a
softer, muffled music—the woodwinds.
6:48 a.m. Nine crows shouldering into the northwest wind, black arrows,
voices torn loose and trailing behind.
6:50 a.m. Out of the deep hemlock shade, a junco trills; another answers
from farther in, a thin deep shadows between them.
7:19 a.m. Nineteen Canada geese in a quivering chevron, heading north.
Positions constantly trade and tumble. Honks fall in ragged sheets,
mingling with the restless rise of meltwater.
Between crows and geese the morning fills: black-capped chickadees, tufted
titmice, both nuthatches, pine siskins. American goldfinches—one hundred,
maybe more—sift the air. White-throated sparrows call, not yet willing to
sing. A single song sparrow, testing the idea. Mourning doves. Cedar
waxwings, without their Bohemian shadows. A lone turkey vulture rocks
northward. Robins and eastern bluebirds loosen songs from the maples. A
purple finch spills one from the lilacs. From the far side of the gloom, a
barred owl calls.
*Annals of Intelligence: *My dog is running out of time. I treat him like a
prince, or maybe like an overfed, out-of-shape German shepherd whose back
half has forgotten how to live. Degenerative myelopathy, a cousin to
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig’s disease in a dog suit.
Every three or four winter days, I hand him a marrow bone, a small feast
for a big mouth. He works the meat and fat from the outside, bores into the
first inch of marrow at each end, then loses interest. When he is done, I
send the clean white cylinder over the lilacs, out into the snow-buried
meadow, small bones flying into some later afternoon.
Yesterday, two crows stitched the meadow, black against all that white and
brown. Two more harried them, loud, insistent, which was why I looked up
from whatever computer thing I was doing. I expected an owl and instead
found a different knowing. Crows can tweeze marrow from old marrow bones.
That they read those scattered cylinders as sudden wealth startled me. Not
a carcass, not a ribcage or skull, just these four-inch ghosts of bones,
flung wide, some as white as the snow that held them, waiting for black
beaks and bright, improbable minds.
Date: 3/15/26 5:33 am From: Allan Strong <Allan.Strong...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Introducing the Green Mountain Bird Alliance - meeting tonight at 6:00 in Shelburne
The Green Mountain Bird Alliance, formerly The Green Mountain Audubon Society, invites you to a special program featuring the unveiling of the organization's new name and logo, as well as a not-to-be-missed presentation on "The State of Vermont's Birds" by UVM Professor Allan Strong, Director of the Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Program. The event is Sunday, March 15th, from 6-8 p.m. in the Historic Town Hall in Shelburne, 5376 Shelburne Road, which is attached to the Pierson Library, in Shelburne. This event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required. Light refreshments will be served.
Date: 3/14/26 7:26 am From: Barbara Powers <barkiepvt...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Miller Pond
Sent from my iPad
> On Mar 13, 2026, at 10:22 PM, Barbara Powers <barkiepvt...> wrote:
>
> On my way home from Bennington this afternoon, I stopped at Miller Pond in Arlington and found lots of ducks and several geese. The ice has mostly melted and good open water.
> I observed 2 buffle heads (1 male and 1 female); 1 male mallard; 14 hooded mergansers (7 male males and 7 females) and 6 Canada geese. Also there was 1 grackle walking around in the grass. Another good evidence that Spring is on the way.
> Later at my house in Manchester I heard and then saw a song sparrow.
> Barbara Powers
> Manchester Center
> Sent from my iPad
Date: 3/13/26 7:22 pm From: Barbara Powers <barkiepvt...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Miller Pond
On my way home from Bennington this afternoon, I stopped at Miller Pond in Arlington and found lots of ducks and several geese. The ice has mostly melted and good open water.
I observed 2 buffle heads (1 male and 1 female); 1 male mallard; 14 hooded mergansers (7 male males and 7 females) and 6 Canada geese. Also there was 1 grackle walking around in the grass. Another good evidence that Spring is on the way.
Later at my house in Manchester I heard and then saw a song sparrow.
Barbara Powers
Manchester Center
Sent from my iPad
Date: 3/13/26 3:57 pm From: Ian Clark <000010860f90edae-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Free slideshow on visiting puffins on Machias Seal Island
Sunday March 22 at 2:30 pm, the Tenney Memorial Library on route 5 in Newbury, VT will be hosting me for my slideshow Puffin Stuff about visiting the puffins on Machias Seal Island.
I'll also be showing some images from my trip to Alaska last fall. Lots of brown bears and even a steam engine.
Date: 3/13/26 1:00 pm From: Barbara Powers <barkiepvt...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Miller Pond
On my way home from Bennington this afternoon, I stopped at Miller Pond in Arlington and found lots of ducks and several geese. The ice has mostly melted and good open water.
I observed 2 buffle heads (1 male and 1 female); 1 male mallard; 14 hooded mergansers (7 male males and 7 females) and 6 Canada geese. Also there was 1 grackle walking around in the grass. Another good evidence that Spring is on the way.
Later at my house in Manchester I heard and then saw a song sparrow.
Barbara Powers
Manchester Center
Sent from my iPad
Date: 3/13/26 10:17 am From: Charlie La Rosa <charlie.larosa...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Signs of Spring
Lots of goldfinches here. First bits of yellow on just a few of them.
Evening grosbeaks still here daily in good numbers along with the usual set
of winter birds. Ravens are nesting in usual spots. Chickadees and titmice
starting their spring calls. Haven't noticed the cardinal pair in quite a
while. Anticipating first phoebe before long.
FOS:
Monday...grackle
Tuesday...redwing
Wednesday...robin
Thursday...song sparrow
Friday...still some time left
Still plenty of snow in the yard. Bare ground showing up on sunny windswept
fields and wooded hillsides facing south. Still using snowshoes in the
sugarbush.
I guess winter is weakening and spring is around the corner.
Charlie LaRosa
So. Washington
I would like to see every single soldier on every single side, just take
off your helmet, unbuckle your kit, lay down your rifle, and set down at
the side of some shady lane, & say nope, I ain't gonna kill nobody. Plenty
of rich folks wants to fight. Give them the guns. - *Woody Guthrie, 1939*
On Fri, Mar 13, 2026 at 12:58 PM Barclay Ellen Morris <bemorris...>
wrote:
> So many of us rejoice in noting the return of summer species marking the
> beginning of spring. However, my favorite has always been when one of my
> ubiquitous Gold Finches shows up with bright yellow splotches on him.
> Hooray, in Grand Isle, today is that day!
> Barclay
> East Shore Grand Isle
>
Date: 3/13/26 9:58 am From: Barclay Ellen Morris <bemorris...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Signs of Spring
So many of us rejoice in noting the return of summer species marking the beginning of spring. However, my favorite has always been when one of my ubiquitous Gold Finches shows up with bright yellow splotches on him. Hooray, in Grand Isle, today is that day! Barclay East Shore Grand Isle
Date: 3/12/26 4:43 am From: Liz Lee <lizl...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Carolina Wren nest building
I've had established Carolina Wrens since 2011. They are very hardy, and as Ali said they do love suet. I have seen them building nests that they don't use. I think they might have the same inclination as House Wrens to build multiple nests before choosing one. I have also seen them doing this in midsummer, so there are multiple broods in a season. Enjoy your wrens, they are always fun to observe!
Liz Lee
Hinesburg
On 3/11/2026 10:48 AM, Tim Holland wrote: > We have a pair of Carolina Wrens very busily building a nest in a bucket on > our back porch in Burlington right now (first noticed them doing it on > Monday 3/9). I assume this is quite early for that? I'm curious / concerned > what happens when the cold comes back in the next couple of days. > > Tim
-- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software. www.avg.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Tolan" <ktolan...>
To: "Vermont Birds" <VTBIRD...>
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2026 7:48:59 PM
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Carolina Wren nest building
Hi Tim,
It's the very beginning of their breeding season, but your observation
makes sense given the rapid spread of breeding and overwintering Carolina
Wren in the state. Last year, David Hoag reported a finished, occupied nest
on March 21st <https://ebird.org/checklist/S219868029>.
*Kevin Tolan *(He/Him)
*Staff Biologist* at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies
<https://vtecostudies.org/>
On Wed, Mar 11, 2026 at 10:48 AM Tim Holland <timothyholland...>
wrote:
> We have a pair of Carolina Wrens very busily building a nest in a bucket on
> our back porch in Burlington right now (first noticed them doing it on
> Monday 3/9). I assume this is quite early for that? I'm curious / concerned
> what happens when the cold comes back in the next couple of days.
>
> Tim
>
Date: 3/11/26 4:49 pm From: Kevin Tolan <ktolan...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Carolina Wren nest building
Hi Tim,
It's the very beginning of their breeding season, but your observation
makes sense given the rapid spread of breeding and overwintering Carolina
Wren in the state. Last year, David Hoag reported a finished, occupied nest
on March 21st <https://ebird.org/checklist/S219868029>.
*Kevin Tolan *(He/Him)
*Staff Biologist* at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies
<https://vtecostudies.org/>
On Wed, Mar 11, 2026 at 10:48 AM Tim Holland <timothyholland...>
wrote:
> We have a pair of Carolina Wrens very busily building a nest in a bucket on
> our back porch in Burlington right now (first noticed them doing it on
> Monday 3/9). I assume this is quite early for that? I'm curious / concerned
> what happens when the cold comes back in the next couple of days.
>
> Tim
>
> On Mar 11, 2026, at 2:32 PM, Terry Marron <00000d129fea9673-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> We had a Bobwhite in our yard in Williston this morning, eating up seed on the ground! It was a lone male, who ended up singing his Bob White song for us before he departed.
>
> I'm assuming he was an escapee from a nearby game farm.
>
> Terry Marron
> Williston, VT
>
>
>
>
FOY Song Sparrow in our yard this morning. Grackles and RWBBs arrived
yesterday.
Eugenia Cooke
Rutland
On Wed, Mar 11, 2026, 11:57 AM <kj813...> <
<0000002d57029402-dmarc-request...> wrote:
> We had a White-crowned Sparrow in yard on Sunday. Kay in Hinesburg
>
> Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
>
>
> On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 10:32 AM, Kate Olgiati <2grackle...>
> wrote:
>
> We had a song sparrow yesterday in S Barnard. Also robins & redwings.
> Spring?
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 11, 2026 at 9:08 AM kfinch <kfinch51...> wrote:
>
> > FoY Song Sparrow in our Chester yard this morning, along with a dozen
> > Red-wing blackbirds (which arrived 2 days ago). Ken Finch
>
>
>
> --
> Katherine Olgiati
>
Date: 3/11/26 11:32 am From: Terry Marron <00000d129fea9673-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Bobwhite!
We had a Bobwhite in our yard in Williston this morning, eating up seed on the ground! It was a lone male, who ended up singing his Bob White song for us before he departed.
I'm assuming he was an escapee from a nearby game farm.
Date: 3/11/26 7:48 am From: Tim Holland <timothyholland...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Carolina Wren nest building
We have a pair of Carolina Wrens very busily building a nest in a bucket on our back porch in Burlington right now (first noticed them doing it on Monday 3/9). I assume this is quite early for that? I'm curious / concerned what happens when the cold comes back in the next couple of days.
Date: 3/11/26 6:41 am From: R Stewart <2cnewbirds...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Song Sparrows and Robins
Here also in E. Dorset this a..m. but, strangely NOTHING else coming to my yard feeder. When I was out and about yesterday, I noticed huge flocks of Robins feeding in open fields. Not so many Grackles and Red-wings, but they are here, for sure.
Date: 3/10/26 12:48 pm From: Allan Strong <Allan.Strong...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Bald eagles
Hi Charlie,
Audubon Vermont and VT FWD are still monitoring Bald Eagles as best they can, but since they were delisted, they do rely on information from the community as well. They monitored 47 territories last year (minimum 58 young fledged).
-----Original Message-----
From: Vermont Birds <VTBIRD...> On Behalf Of Charlie Teske
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2026 3:25 PM
To: <VTBIRD...>
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Bald eagles
Just curious: does someone still track nesting pairs of BE's in VT or are they now so widespread as to be past that stage?
We spent the morning viewing an occupied nest in a white pine off Rte. 14 in Hardwick and wondered if it was important to monitor for fledgling survival? Perhaps, that's already on someone's to-do list?
Date: 3/10/26 12:25 pm From: Charlie Teske <cteske140...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Bald eagles
Just curious: does someone still track nesting pairs of BE's in VT or are they now so widespread as to be past that stage?
We spent the morning viewing an occupied nest in a white pine off Rte. 14 in Hardwick and wondered if it was important to monitor for fledgling survival? Perhaps, that's already on someone's to-do list?
Date: 3/10/26 9:13 am From: BRUCE FLEWELLING <00000d387228e21f-dmarc-request...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Peregrine Falcons
The Peregrine Falcons have returned to the Mount Horrid cliffs. They can be observed from the Forest Service observation site on RT 73 on the east side of Brandon Gap.
Date: 3/10/26 7:02 am From: Ted Levin <tedlevin1966...> Subject: [VTBIRD] 10 March 2026: Hurricane Hill (1,100 feet), WRJ
6:39 a.m., thirty-one minutes before sunrise. Thirty-four degrees. Wind
south, three miles an hour, gusting to six. One long cloud low over Jericho
Hill in the north; otherwise, the sky is a single clear thought, edge to
edge. A polished half-moon, left side exposed, as I pause in the road and
meet it—a Democratic moon, *third-quarter, *no more a quarter than a full
moon is a half. Like everything else, its name depends on who is looking. A
distant sphere flattens to a coin; why not use the same loose arithmetic to
break it into fractions? There must be a reason, but it hovers just beyond
reach.
Citrus light rims the New Hampshire skyline. The lone cloud above Jericho
Hill blushes, loosens, unthreads. Then nothing but clarity: clear, then
clearer still.
Snow embankments fold inward as the road widens. The snowpack sinks into
itself, gives up its depth. Subnivean tunnels carry water. To avoid the
flow, mice cross the surface now, their bodies barely dimpling the crust.
Intermittent streams awaken, fill, gurgle, hurry toward the swollen White
River, rising in its stone cradle.
6:43 a.m. Fourteen crows, a black company, head northwest. Anything but
silent, a jamboree in advance of the sun.
6:50 a.m. A crow in the maple’s crown, overseeing the rising sap, answers
the crowd, then launches after them like a cartoon character left behind.
6:52 a.m. Eight other crows head northeast. A fracas in the air. Crows
can’t fly without speaking. Born to broadcast—loud, so the world can hear.
6:56 a.m. A small flock of eastern bluebirds and American robins decorates
the top of an aspen. A chattering ensemble, their breasts catch sunlight I
cannot see.
6:58 a.m. Tangerine light gathers along the edge of Moose Mountain. Another
crow, late off the branch, heads northwest. *Where did everybody go*?
7:00 a.m. A pair of crows—clearly a pair—wing tip to wing tip, well behind
the crowd, flies northwest. Destination unknown to me.
7:02 a.m. A robin in the maple’s crown, crooning, sap rising under his
feet. Awash in sunlight, his breast glows brick red. First singing robin in
nearly half a year. He joins chickadees and titmice, who have been singing
for months.
Blue jays scream and veer to the feeders. Nuthatches—both species—call from
the woods. Three mourning doves arrow over the road, small heads, long
tails. Dark-eyed juncos work the ground beneath an arch of rhododendron
limbs, leaves unfurling. American goldfinches and pine siskins, sibilant
whispers above the meadow and in the roadside aspens. A lone mockingbird,
singing.
*Department of Hope:* male goldfinches brighten, an unmistakable yellow
bloom on the chest. Although male chickadees have been singing for several
months, they look the same (to me). While I wait for woodcock and phoebes
to arrive, goldfinches mutate by the day, cap and wings darkening. The
yellow of the neck feathers spreads, igniting back and breast. A
monumental—and personal—transition from one season to another. A common
bird. A small, enduring crossing from one season to another. breathtaking,
Hope itself, whether snow comes tomorrow or not.
Date: 3/6/26 3:01 pm From: Sean Beckett <sean...> Subject: [VTBIRD] Field Ornithology class at North Branch Nature Center this spring
Hi birders,
Chip Darmstadt is teaching a five-day Field Orno class with North Branch Nature Center this spring from May 18-22. It's a retreat-style immersion with food and lodging, based out of the great new Creative Campus at Goddard College in Plainfield. A fantastic way to level up your bird identification skills and understanding of bird behavior and ecology. Hope you'll check it out! https://northbranchnaturecenter.org/adult-programs/biodiversity-university/ornithology-2026
Happy almost-almost-almost SPRING!
Sean Beckett Program Director North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm St, Montpelier VT 05602
Date: 3/4/26 3:43 pm From: Mary Ann <0000108e479c1b86-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] VTBIRD Digest - 1 Mar 2026 to 2 Mar 2026 (#2026-38)
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 9:38 AM, Mary Ann <redsandrock...> wrote:
Often I’ve seen a flock of robins at my crabapple at the end of February..but there’s nothing to eat on the tree right now  so some birds have been by!Mary Ann Broughton
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 12:00 AM, VTBIRD automatic digest system <LISTSERV...> wrote:
There are 2 messages totaling 191 lines in this issue.
Date:Â Â Mon, 2 Mar 2026 09:54:09 -0500
From:Â Â Ron Payne <rpayne72...>
Subject: Re: Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hi, Ali,
A few years ago I made a map of flowering crabapples I knew about in Middlebury to help people find Pine Grosbeaks when an irruption was happening. I can't say for sure that all of these trees are still there, and a lot of them I know are already empty of fruit. The ones behind Bicentennial Hall are bare. This morning there were Cedar Waxwings eating a quickly dwindling supply of fruit on trees in front of St. Mary's Church. Nearby there, the trees around Battell Hall at the college looked pretty full last week.
On Sun, 1 Mar 2026 19:25:04 -0500, alison wagner <alikatofvt...> wrote:
Thanks for your response, Pam! Hinesburg is a good place for waxwings and grosbeaks as there are several places in the heart of the village with several crab apple trees along the roads and around the school.
Just to clarify, I am interested in knowing where the trees with fruit are specifically in Middlebury since my friend will be there (and we have limited time). And since waxwings are unpredictable wanderers, chasing them to a specific spot where they have been reported in the past may be futile (but we will check out those spots pinpointed on eBird). My plan is to check out areas all around town that have trees with fruit regardless of whether or not the waxwings have been there yet! For example, any places where a row of crab apple trees may be planted.
Thanks again to anyone who knows Middlebury downtown well and can suggest good places for us to walk and listen!
Ali
(to reply just to me, select forward and enter my email...thanks!)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pamela Coleman" <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...>
To: "Vermont Birds"
Sent: Sunday, March 1, 2026 6:54:10 PM
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hi Ali, Joy Trigg posted a photo of a flock of 40-50 Bohemians in Hinesburg on the VT Birding FB page :-) Pam Â
On Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 09:42:09 PM EST, alison wagner wrote:
Hello fellow birders!
On Wednesday, a friend of mine who is hoping to see Bohemians , will be in Middlebury on business, visiting from NYC. I see there have been recent sightings in the village area, and would love any tips on where there might be trees still bearing fruit!
If you can give us some leads, it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Ali Wagner
Huntington
Â
------------------------------
Date:Â Â Mon, 2 Mar 2026 13:58:22 -0500
From:Â Â Jane Ogilvie <star05766...>
Subject: Re: Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hannafords is often a good place for both kinds of waxwings.
Jane Ogilvie
On Mon, Mar 2, 2026 at 9:54 AM Ron Payne <rpayne72...> wrote:
> Hi, Ali,
>
> A few years ago I made a map of flowering crabapples I knew about in
> Middlebury to help people find Pine Grosbeaks when an irruption was
> happening. I can't say for sure that all of these trees are still there,
> and a lot of them I know are already empty of fruit. The ones behind
> Bicentennial Hall are bare. This morning there were Cedar Waxwings eating a
> quickly dwindling supply of fruit on trees in front of St. Mary's Church.
> Nearby there, the trees around Battell Hall at the college looked pretty
> full last week.
>
> Anyway, here's a link to the map:
>
>
> https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1DEyaD7z-21KPaeStMnqnHEQ6zbOE-iaF&<ll...>%2C-73.17120874999999&z=15 >
> Good luck with your search.
>
>
>
> --
> Ron Payne
> Middlebury, VT
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, 1 Mar 2026 19:25:04 -0500, alison wagner <alikatofvt...>
> wrote:
>
> Thanks for your response, Pam! Hinesburg is a good place for waxwings and
> grosbeaks as there are several places in the heart of the village with
> several crab apple trees along the roads and around the school.
>
> Just to clarify, I am interested in knowing where the trees with fruit are
> specifically in Middlebury since my friend will be there (and we have
> limited time). And since waxwings are unpredictable wanderers, chasing them
> to a specific spot where they have been reported in the past may be futile
> (but we will check out those spots pinpointed on eBird). My plan is to
> check out areas all around town that have trees with fruit regardless of
> whether or not the waxwings have been there yet! For example, any places
> where a row of crab apple trees may be planted.
>
> Thanks again to anyone who knows Middlebury downtown well and can suggest
> good places for us to walk and listen!
>
> Ali
> (to reply just to me, select forward and enter my email...thanks!)
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pamela Coleman" <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...>
> To: "Vermont Birds"
> Sent: Sunday, March 1, 2026 6:54:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
>
> Hi Ali, Joy Trigg posted a photo of a flock of 40-50 Bohemians in
> Hinesburg on the VT Birding FB page :-)Â Pam
> On Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 09:42:09 PM EST, alison wagner wrote:
>
> Hello fellow birders!
>
> On Wednesday, a friend of mine who is hoping to see Bohemians , will be in
> Middlebury on business, visiting from NYC. I see there have been recent
> sightings in the village area, and would love any tips on where there might
> be trees still bearing fruit!
>
> If you can give us some leads, it would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Thanks!
>
> Ali Wagner
> Huntington
>
>
------------------------------
End of VTBIRD Digest - 1 Mar 2026 to 2 Mar 2026 (#2026-38)
**********************************************************
Date: 3/4/26 6:40 am From: Mary Ann <0000108e479c1b86-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] VTBIRD Digest - 1 Mar 2026 to 2 Mar 2026 (#2026-38)
Often I’ve seen a flock of robins at my crabapple at the end of February..I send them, but there’s nothing to eat on the tree so some birds have been by!Mary Ann Broughton
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 12:00 AM, VTBIRD automatic digest system <LISTSERV...> wrote:
There are 2 messages totaling 191 lines in this issue.
Date:Â Â Mon, 2 Mar 2026 09:54:09 -0500
From:Â Â Ron Payne <rpayne72...>
Subject: Re: Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hi, Ali,
A few years ago I made a map of flowering crabapples I knew about in Middlebury to help people find Pine Grosbeaks when an irruption was happening. I can't say for sure that all of these trees are still there, and a lot of them I know are already empty of fruit. The ones behind Bicentennial Hall are bare. This morning there were Cedar Waxwings eating a quickly dwindling supply of fruit on trees in front of St. Mary's Church. Nearby there, the trees around Battell Hall at the college looked pretty full last week.
On Sun, 1 Mar 2026 19:25:04 -0500, alison wagner <alikatofvt...> wrote:
Thanks for your response, Pam! Hinesburg is a good place for waxwings and grosbeaks as there are several places in the heart of the village with several crab apple trees along the roads and around the school.
Just to clarify, I am interested in knowing where the trees with fruit are specifically in Middlebury since my friend will be there (and we have limited time). And since waxwings are unpredictable wanderers, chasing them to a specific spot where they have been reported in the past may be futile (but we will check out those spots pinpointed on eBird). My plan is to check out areas all around town that have trees with fruit regardless of whether or not the waxwings have been there yet! For example, any places where a row of crab apple trees may be planted.
Thanks again to anyone who knows Middlebury downtown well and can suggest good places for us to walk and listen!
Ali
(to reply just to me, select forward and enter my email...thanks!)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pamela Coleman" <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...>
To: "Vermont Birds"
Sent: Sunday, March 1, 2026 6:54:10 PM
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hi Ali, Joy Trigg posted a photo of a flock of 40-50 Bohemians in Hinesburg on the VT Birding FB page :-) Pam Â
On Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 09:42:09 PM EST, alison wagner wrote:
Hello fellow birders!
On Wednesday, a friend of mine who is hoping to see Bohemians , will be in Middlebury on business, visiting from NYC. I see there have been recent sightings in the village area, and would love any tips on where there might be trees still bearing fruit!
If you can give us some leads, it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Ali Wagner
Huntington
Â
------------------------------
Date:Â Â Mon, 2 Mar 2026 13:58:22 -0500
From:Â Â Jane Ogilvie <star05766...>
Subject: Re: Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hannafords is often a good place for both kinds of waxwings.
Jane Ogilvie
On Mon, Mar 2, 2026 at 9:54 AM Ron Payne <rpayne72...> wrote:
> Hi, Ali,
>
> A few years ago I made a map of flowering crabapples I knew about in
> Middlebury to help people find Pine Grosbeaks when an irruption was
> happening. I can't say for sure that all of these trees are still there,
> and a lot of them I know are already empty of fruit. The ones behind
> Bicentennial Hall are bare. This morning there were Cedar Waxwings eating a
> quickly dwindling supply of fruit on trees in front of St. Mary's Church.
> Nearby there, the trees around Battell Hall at the college looked pretty
> full last week.
>
> Anyway, here's a link to the map:
>
>
> https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1DEyaD7z-21KPaeStMnqnHEQ6zbOE-iaF&<ll...>%2C-73.17120874999999&z=15 >
> Good luck with your search.
>
>
>
> --
> Ron Payne
> Middlebury, VT
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, 1 Mar 2026 19:25:04 -0500, alison wagner <alikatofvt...>
> wrote:
>
> Thanks for your response, Pam! Hinesburg is a good place for waxwings and
> grosbeaks as there are several places in the heart of the village with
> several crab apple trees along the roads and around the school.
>
> Just to clarify, I am interested in knowing where the trees with fruit are
> specifically in Middlebury since my friend will be there (and we have
> limited time). And since waxwings are unpredictable wanderers, chasing them
> to a specific spot where they have been reported in the past may be futile
> (but we will check out those spots pinpointed on eBird). My plan is to
> check out areas all around town that have trees with fruit regardless of
> whether or not the waxwings have been there yet! For example, any places
> where a row of crab apple trees may be planted.
>
> Thanks again to anyone who knows Middlebury downtown well and can suggest
> good places for us to walk and listen!
>
> Ali
> (to reply just to me, select forward and enter my email...thanks!)
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pamela Coleman" <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...>
> To: "Vermont Birds"
> Sent: Sunday, March 1, 2026 6:54:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
>
> Hi Ali, Joy Trigg posted a photo of a flock of 40-50 Bohemians in
> Hinesburg on the VT Birding FB page :-)Â Pam
> On Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 09:42:09 PM EST, alison wagner wrote:
>
> Hello fellow birders!
>
> On Wednesday, a friend of mine who is hoping to see Bohemians , will be in
> Middlebury on business, visiting from NYC. I see there have been recent
> sightings in the village area, and would love any tips on where there might
> be trees still bearing fruit!
>
> If you can give us some leads, it would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Thanks!
>
> Ali Wagner
> Huntington
>
>
------------------------------
End of VTBIRD Digest - 1 Mar 2026 to 2 Mar 2026 (#2026-38)
**********************************************************
Date: 3/2/26 9:56 am From: Jane Ogilvie <star05766...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hannafords is often a good place for both kinds of waxwings.
Jane Ogilvie
On Mon, Mar 2, 2026 at 9:54 AM Ron Payne <rpayne72...> wrote:
> Hi, Ali,
>
> A few years ago I made a map of flowering crabapples I knew about in
> Middlebury to help people find Pine Grosbeaks when an irruption was
> happening. I can't say for sure that all of these trees are still there,
> and a lot of them I know are already empty of fruit. The ones behind
> Bicentennial Hall are bare. This morning there were Cedar Waxwings eating a
> quickly dwindling supply of fruit on trees in front of St. Mary's Church.
> Nearby there, the trees around Battell Hall at the college looked pretty
> full last week.
>
> Anyway, here's a link to the map:
>
>
> https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1DEyaD7z-21KPaeStMnqnHEQ6zbOE-iaF&<ll...>%2C-73.17120874999999&z=15 >
> Good luck with your search.
>
>
>
> --
> Ron Payne
> Middlebury, VT
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, 1 Mar 2026 19:25:04 -0500, alison wagner <alikatofvt...>
> wrote:
>
> Thanks for your response, Pam! Hinesburg is a good place for waxwings and
> grosbeaks as there are several places in the heart of the village with
> several crab apple trees along the roads and around the school.
>
> Just to clarify, I am interested in knowing where the trees with fruit are
> specifically in Middlebury since my friend will be there (and we have
> limited time). And since waxwings are unpredictable wanderers, chasing them
> to a specific spot where they have been reported in the past may be futile
> (but we will check out those spots pinpointed on eBird). My plan is to
> check out areas all around town that have trees with fruit regardless of
> whether or not the waxwings have been there yet! For example, any places
> where a row of crab apple trees may be planted.
>
> Thanks again to anyone who knows Middlebury downtown well and can suggest
> good places for us to walk and listen!
>
> Ali
> (to reply just to me, select forward and enter my email...thanks!)
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pamela Coleman" <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...>
> To: "Vermont Birds"
> Sent: Sunday, March 1, 2026 6:54:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
>
> Hi Ali, Joy Trigg posted a photo of a flock of 40-50 Bohemians in
> Hinesburg on the VT Birding FB page :-) Pam
> On Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 09:42:09 PM EST, alison wagner wrote:
>
> Hello fellow birders!
>
> On Wednesday, a friend of mine who is hoping to see Bohemians , will be in
> Middlebury on business, visiting from NYC. I see there have been recent
> sightings in the village area, and would love any tips on where there might
> be trees still bearing fruit!
>
> If you can give us some leads, it would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Thanks!
>
> Ali Wagner
> Huntington
>
>
Date: 3/2/26 6:54 am From: Ron Payne <rpayne72...> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hi, Ali,
A few years ago I made a map of flowering crabapples I knew about in Middlebury to help people find Pine Grosbeaks when an irruption was happening. I can't say for sure that all of these trees are still there, and a lot of them I know are already empty of fruit. The ones behind Bicentennial Hall are bare. This morning there were Cedar Waxwings eating a quickly dwindling supply of fruit on trees in front of St. Mary's Church. Nearby there, the trees around Battell Hall at the college looked pretty full last week.
On Sun, 1 Mar 2026 19:25:04 -0500, alison wagner <alikatofvt...> wrote:
Thanks for your response, Pam! Hinesburg is a good place for waxwings and grosbeaks as there are several places in the heart of the village with several crab apple trees along the roads and around the school.
Just to clarify, I am interested in knowing where the trees with fruit are specifically in Middlebury since my friend will be there (and we have limited time). And since waxwings are unpredictable wanderers, chasing them to a specific spot where they have been reported in the past may be futile (but we will check out those spots pinpointed on eBird). My plan is to check out areas all around town that have trees with fruit regardless of whether or not the waxwings have been there yet! For example, any places where a row of crab apple trees may be planted.
Thanks again to anyone who knows Middlebury downtown well and can suggest good places for us to walk and listen!
Ali
(to reply just to me, select forward and enter my email...thanks!)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pamela Coleman" <0000003fbb1e7534-dmarc-request...>
To: "Vermont Birds"
Sent: Sunday, March 1, 2026 6:54:10 PM
Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Crabapple trees in MIddlebury
Hi Ali, Joy Trigg posted a photo of a flock of 40-50 Bohemians in Hinesburg on the VT Birding FB page :-) Pam Â
On Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 09:42:09 PM EST, alison wagner wrote:
Hello fellow birders!
On Wednesday, a friend of mine who is hoping to see Bohemians , will be in Middlebury on business, visiting from NYC. I see there have been recent sightings in the village area, and would love any tips on where there might be trees still bearing fruit!
If you can give us some leads, it would be greatly appreciated!
