The Birds of Shelburne Bay

So here goes with my first report. This afternoon I travelled to Shelburne Bay. On my way I checked out Technology Park in South Burlington. I spotted an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk perched in a tree at the corner of Old Farm Road and Kimble Ave. The hawk was being watched-well-like a hawk by two American Crows. At Tech Park I found the two resident Red-tailed Hawks, but saw no sign of the 20-odd Wild Turkeys that reside in the woods between the park and the O'Brien farm. They will be back. The Bohemian Waxwings that regularly feast on frozen cherries in the trees lining Community Drive have yet to arrive this winter. I'll keep you posted.

At Shelburne Bay the bird life was sparse. I did spot one of the two resident Bald Eagles, about 50 Common Goldeneyes, 25 Common Mergansers, and a few American Black Ducks and Mallards. That was it. By comparison, last Friday afternoon I found over 300 Common Goldeneyes in the Bay, including a pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes. Things changed in the interim. Still, the viewing conditions were good. Hopefully, the weather will continue to cooperate and the birds will return in good numbers for the GMAS field trip scheduled for next Saturday morning, January 3, 2009.