Birding with Bryan

Has it been two months since I've added to this blog? Whew! So many birds; so little time. This spring I've seen Rusty Blackbirds at the Intervale, Golden-winged Warblers at Geprags, a Clay-colored Sparrow in South Burlington, and Northern Shovelers at the South Hero Marsh. Terrific. But the highlight of the season for me was Bryan Pfeiffer's Warbler Weekend.

Birding with Bryan is more than an experience-it's a happening. Bryan's enthusiasm for nature and for people is legendary. Those who haven't bought a copy of Birdwatching in Vermont, Bryan's book coauthored with Ted Murin, lack the most basic tool for discovering and enjoying birds in Vermont. And those who have not attended one or more of Bryan's excursions are missing out on a unique birding experience.

Working with a guide is not always fun as I have learned from bitter experience over the years. I have hired fishing guides in Florida, Massachusetts, Utah, and Wyoming to name a few examples. Somehow the experience often disappoints. Sure I've caught fish and yes, I've visited spots I would otherwise not have found on my own, but usually these outings lack the sizzle that you get from finding success on your own. Quite often the guides are condescending to put it generously, as if they would rather be doing something else entirely.

Birding with Bryan is different. With Bryan I have never felt that I was being "guided". Rather, I have always had the sense that I was in the company of a more experienced birding friend. That was my impression a few years back when Pam and I first went birding with Bryan on the Maine coast. Within ten minutes of the start of the trip I had spotted my target bird-a Long-tailed Duck. Success. And that was exactly what happened on Warbler Weekend.

I had signed up (or was signed up-this was a Christmas gift from Pam) for Memorial Day and dutifully appeared at Highland Lodge in Greensboro, Vermont, on the shores of beautiful Caspian Lake, at the appointed hour of 6 A.M. Bryan was in full throat even at that ungodly hour, cheerily entertaining his guests and signing in the late comers like me. At 7 A.M. after coffee and muffins we were out the door, headed for the Barr Hill Nature Preserve nearby. I rode with my friend Pat Folsom, a superb birder in her own right, and her friend (and my former mentor), Sei Tokuda, an enthusiastic birder from Albuquerque.

As Bryan pointed out, the birds we were about to see had completed their migration and were now on territory, that is ready to breed. Accordingly, they were easy to spot singing in the trees and responded lustily to oral or mechanical bird sounds. And what birds they were. We located Magnolia Warblers as soon as we entered the parking lot. A Chestnut-sided Warbler stood his ground as we entered the first clearing. And my target bird-a Northern Parula-popped up in a conifer at eye level, not 25 feet away, a lifer for me. The list expanded rapidly-Ovenbird, Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian, Mourning Warbler, Canada Warbler, Black-and-White, Northern Waterthrush. And we spotted more than just warblers-Indigo Bunting, Broad-winged Hawk, and a Pileated Woodpecker added variety to our growing list. At the end of the morning we were fully satisfied with birds and sat down to a hearty lunch at the lodge for more camaraderie.

In addition to being an excellent birder, Bryan is a superb photographer. You can read his version of Warbler Weekend on his blog at http://www.dailywing.net. Enjoy some of his excellent bird photos while you are there. In the meantime, I am savoring my experience birding with Bryan and looking forward to the next one in the fall. Monhegan Island-here I (we) come.