Eagles and Owls

This has been a spectacular year for Bald Eagles and Snowy Owls. Shelburne Bay has been a particularly good spot to see eagles in flight. This past weekend I was fortunate to be invited to participate in Audubon Vermont's annual eagle survey-and in prime territory along Lake Champlain starting at McNeil Cove (Charlotte ferry landing) and ending at the Champlain Bridge. Carl Runge, Sean Beckett, and I traveled a route laid out by Mark LaBarr. The weather was chilly, 1 degree F. to start, but thankfully there was no wind to speak of. And there were eagles. Seventeen to be exact. We got a great start when Sean spotted 2 Bald Eagles in flight from the car just before we reached the ferry landing. At the ferry dock I spotted another eagle flying east and Carl spied a fourth eagle flying west. Others turned up on the ice at Thompson's Point (2), Kingsland Bay (2), Sumner Point (5), Button Bay (3), and Arnold Bay (1). We celebrated our success by having lunch at the Bridge Restaurant at the junction of Routes 17 and 125. A good time was had by all.

On Sunday afternoon, spurred to action by reports of a Snowy Owl in South Burlington, I took a ride to the Chittenden Cider Mill on Dorset St. and the development off of Cider Mill Drive. Sure enough, a Snowy Owl was receiving visitors on the roof at 148 Crispin Drive. This was my third Snowy Owl sighting this year-all in Chittenden County. For excellent photos of Snowy Owls take a look at Peter Manship's blog at http://beautifulflyingobjects.blogspot.com. Spectacular.