Send in the Cranes

I confess-I love cranes. Greaters, lessers, and all sizes in between. Ever since Pam and I met Fred and Terry Wlodarski in San Antonio, New Mexico to celebrate the Festival of the Cranes a few years ago, I have loved cranes. Sandhill Cranes, in particular, are flourishing. Bosque del Apache, the host site for the festival, attracts about 5000 Sandhill Cranes from November through mid-February. On Valentine's Day they depart. Rowe Audubon Sanctuary in Gibbon, Nebraska, attracts 500,000 Sandhill Cranes during the month of March. These birds use the shallows of the Platte River as a staging area before heading north to their breeding grounds. What a sight. This enormous collection of cranes can be viewed in season on the sanctuary's webcam. For access to the webcam as well as lots of crane lore visit Rowe's website at http://www.rowesanctuary.org/.

But Sandhill Cranes are strictly western birds, right? Wrong! For the past 4-5 years a pair of Sandhill Cranes has been living and breeding in the marsh at Bristol (VT) Pond, also known as Lake Winona. I won't get into naming controversies, but when I mentioned Lake Winona to a local Bristolian, he became exercised and assured me in no uncertain terms that the proper name was Bristol Pond. Evidently, a local politician had attempted to link his name to the lake to achieve immortality. Locals will have none of it, so Bristol Pond it is.

I have visited Bristol Pond off and on since the early 1970's, mostly to fish. The lake, pond, whatever, is well known as a good spot for small, but plentiful Northern Pike and occasionally bass. Larger fish are caught on occasion, too. I was impressed early on by the number of ducks at the pond, too-especially Wood Ducks, Mallards, and Hooded Mergansers, not to mention the occasional flocks of Canada Geese that drop in. On the opening day of duck hunting season the usual fusillade takes place and the waterfowl promptly depart. Not the cranes, though. Surprisingly, they hold on until late October or early November before migrating elsewhere.

But cranes in Vermont? Yes indeed. A few years ago I heard rumors of Sandhill Cranes inhabiting Bristol Pond off and on, though my attempts to find them proved futile. Locals kept the information to themselves, apparently, to avoid attracting unwanted attention to the breeding birds. That changed three years ago, when reports of successful breeding appeared on the VTBird list. Suddenly, there were regular reports of sightings of cranes in the marsh and the surrounding fields. With a little bit of help I was fortunate to spot them in both locations.

Last year, though, I saw only a single Sandhill Crane early in the season; then nothing. This year I spotted one crane that arrived in April; then nothing. I checked the marsh periodically in May and June without success until yesterday, August 1. Spurred on by a recent report on the VTBird list of an adult and a juvenile Sandhill Crane, I tried once more. Bingo. Without much difficulty I spotted three Sandhill Crane heads bobbing up and down in the marsh like so many Whack-a-Moles. It is possible that there are more cranes in the marsh beyond the ones that I counted. I'm no expert at crane identification, but I believe that I saw two adults and a juvenile. Breeding success! I visited the pond in the late afternoon, at a time of day when cranes typically feed in the surrounding corn fields. But no-today they were located in the marsh. Hopefully, my VTBird report will stimulate others to check out this magnificent avian species. At a time when many bird species are struggling, it is heartening to follow the success of this little colony of Sandhill Cranes breeding in the unlikely state of Vermont.

Photo by Bill Mayville.

The Amazing Conte

What in the world is a title that sounds like a magician doing on a blog about the outdoors? Well, in this case, the reference is to the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge-Nulhegan Basin Division located in Vermont's beautiful Northeast Kingdom-and indeed the Silvio Conte Refuge is amazing and magical. Here's the scoop.

Silvio O. Conte was an influential Congressman representing Pittsfield, MA, who was also an ardent conservationist. In 1991, recognizing the need for conservation measures to preserve and restore shad and salmon populations in the Connecticut River watershed, Conte sponsored legislation creating the refuge that bears his name and which spans the entire watershed, including parcels of land in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont. This legislation also provided ample federal funds to support the mission of the refuge. In 1999 the timber lands owned by the Champion International Corporation in Vermont became available for sale. The U.S. government purchased 26,000 acres of this land to create the Nulhegan Basin Division of the Silvio Conte Refuge in close proximity to the Wenlock and West Mountain WMA owned and operated by the state of Vermont. Together, these protected areas form a huge block of pristine land that provides habitat for a unique array of birds, mammals, and fish.

I visited the refuge's smart, new headquarters over a year ago in conjunction with an Audubon field trip and recently heard an impressive presentation by the refuge's manager, Mark Manghini. I had to visit the place. And so, last week I did. The Black Branch of the Nulhegan River runs through the refuge. Last Wednesday evening I arrived at the refuge and found an access point to the river along the Stone Dam Road. I quickly strung up my fly rod and entered the stream. The tannin-tinged water looked inviting, though the fishing, I would have to say, was mediocre. Still, in a few hours I caught a few small Brook Trout and one fat "keeper" that measured a little over a foot in length. I'll be back to try the trout fishing again, hopefully with more success.

But my real purpose in visiting the Conte refuge was to explore the birding opportunities. I arrived at the entrance to the Stone Dam Road at 7:30 A.M. on Thursday morning and walked to the power line trail. My first bird of the morning was a male Scarlet Tanager. Nice. Moments later, my second bird was a rich blue Indigo Bunting male. Interesting. In short order I found Song Sparrows, Lincoln Sparrows, Gray Catbirds, and Common Yellowthroat. Moving to the Woodcock Management site, I quickly spotted a Chestnut-sided Warbler. And walking along the Peanut Dam Road, I caught glimpses of a Hermit Thrush, a Blackpoll Warbler, and a Canada Warbler. Northern Flickers were everywhere. Not exotic birds to be sure, but always welcome. I counted nine flickers in my short visit.

The weather was suboptimal at best with intermittent periods of drizzle and sunshine. Still, the birds cooperated and I covered only a small portion of the trails and roads available for birding in the refuge during my five hour visit. One particularly satisfying walk followed the road that parallels the power line next to the Stone Dam Road. This access road seemingly goes on for miles. I was the only person on the road that morning, alone with the birds, the deer, and the bugs. Correction. One large dump truck did come rumbling down the road while I was there-a big surpise to me and to the driver. Beware.

A final aside. If the name "Conte" sounds familiar to college hockey fans, it may be because you have heard of or perhaps visited Conte Arena-Boston College's hockey rink. In addition to his interest in conservation, Silvio Conte was a loyal alumnus of B.C. and an enthusiastic supporter of their athletic programs. Conte Arena represents just one more legacy of the Amazing Conte.

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.

Spring is in the Air

Spring is in the air and so are the birds. Since early March the number of birds on my daily list has been steadily increasing. Spring came early to Vermont this year with temperatures reaching record high levels at the beginning of March. When I visited the South Hero marsh for the first time in March, the ice was just beginning to recede with only a small fragment of open water visible. Nonetheless, 16 Mallards had moved in and were ready to nest there. Since this auspicious beginning I have returned to the marsh regularly to observe the reappearance of Canada Geese, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Wood Ducks, Hooded Merganser, Osprey, Great Blue Heron, Tree Swallows,Song Sparrows,Red-winged Blackbirds, and Rusty Blackbirds. A nice surprise was a flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets that passed through the marsh flashing their bright yellow head feathers at me. My first Golden-crowned Kinglets in the marsh. As I write this blog in mid-April things can only get better.

Last week, I returned to Technology Park for a walk. I was looking for grassland birds without success-too early-but was rewarded by spotting my first Brown Thrasher ever at this location. Red-tailed Hawks and Wild Turkeys made it through the winter and amazingly to me a Great Blue Heron and a pair of Canada Geese have taken up residence in the Park.

I always look forward the ice vanishing from the Muddy Brook Marsh, too. Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, and Canada Geese promptly moved in. A large group of Tree Swallows fill the air right now and the resident Northern Harrier (Marsh Hawk) has returned. Herons and egrets can not be far behind.

Finally, the LaPlatte River Natural Area always provides good sport in the Spring. The armada of kayakers doesn't help, of course, but the ducks, geese, and herons either ignore them or work their way back into the marsh. A Great Blue Heron may have wintered over in the marsh and the usual Wood Ducks and Green-winged Teal have returned. Once again, Golden-crowned Kinglets were present in abundance last week adding to the spirit of the season. Naturally, American Robins, while common, are always a welcome sight at the LaPlatte.

And so it goes. It's like reading a book about birds with every day presenting a new chapter in the evolution of Spring.

Brown Thrasher photo by Bob Johnson.

The Sands of Sanibel

Yes. This blog is supposed to be about Vermont. But let's face it. There are other spots in the world with exceptional birding outside of Vermont. And we just came back from one of them-Sanibel Island, Florida. Sanibel is located across a narrow channel from Fort Myers (the winter home of the Red Sox!). I love Sanibel. Unlike most of Florida, Sanibel Island is relatively non-commercial. No GAP; no Wal-Mart. By rule no man made structure can be built that is higher than 45 feet above the ground. There are no stop lights on the island. Over half the island is conserved land-most of which is included in the Norwood "Ding" Darling NWR. As an aside, Ding Darling conceived the idea of requiring the purchase of federal duck stamps if you must hunt ducks and geese, the proceeds to be used for the purchase and preservation of wetlands. Ding Darling, in addition to being a forward-looking conservationist, was a cartoonist, who designed the very first federal duck stamp in 1938. Since then the federal duck stamp competition among wildlife artists has been intense. If an artist's painting is chosen to appear on the federal duck stamp, it can be worth millions of dollars in print sales; not to mention bragging rights. In 1938 these stamps could be purchased for $1. Today a federal duck stamp costs $15. C'est la vie. I am proud to say that I have a complete collection of federal duck stamps. The money raised by this simple, but effective innovation has been used to purchase millions of acres of wetlands. Thanks, Ding.

But I digress. Back to Sanibel. Prior to our arrival the weather had been exceptionally cold in Florida with temperatures dipping into the 40's. Fish kills were widespread. Unfortunately, the refuge's lone crocodile died, presumably of hypothermia. But birds are made of sturdier stuff. Wading birds, shorebirds, and occasional raptors (Bald Eagle, Osprey, and Red-shouldered Hawks) were found everywhere. Let me list a few of the wading birds I saw-Roseate Spoonbill, Reddish Egret, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Wood Stork-and that was at the first stop on Wildlife Drive.

Pam and I took a kayak tour through the Tarpon Bay mangrove swamp, as well, my first kayaking experience. The good news is that we didn't capsize. In fact, we cruised effortlessly through the mangrove swamp and emerged relatively unscathed, all the while ogling the local Anhingas and Yellow-crowned Night Herons up close. I may have to pursue this kayaking stuff this summer on Lake Champlain.

Interestingly enough, songbirds get scant attention at the Ding Darling NWR. I participated in a Sanibel Audubon walk (ie, drive) through the refuge and at one point spotted a Northern Cardinal flying into the mangroves. Curious, I spent a few moments searching for the cardinal and-bingo-two Northern Cardinals, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and a Yellow-throated Warbler popped out of the underbrush. The others were examining hundreds of wading birds and shorebirds at the "pond" nearby. At the mention of a songbird or two they came scurrying over for a look. Proudly, I earned my birding bonafides. However, at the next stop I confused a group of Greater Yellowlegs with Willets and was gently, but firmly corrected by the field trip leader, Jim Griffiths. Back to amateur status for me.

I could go on-describing all the shorebirds (Piping Plover, Wilson's Plover) that I saw in Florida. The alligators (20 at one stop at Big Cypress Nature Preserve). The Painted Buntings (Corkscrew Swamp Audubon Sanctuary). But you get the idea. Southwestern Florida is a cornucopia of birds. We spent 7 happy days on Sanibel Island this year. Next year-30! And by the way, I caught a fish.

Little Blue Heron photo by Pam MacPherson.

Indoor Birding

Once in a while the weather in Vermont becomes so forbidding that birding outside is impossible. On these occasions one is forced to pass the time pursuing indoor birding. Curling up with your favorite birding book or the latest issue of Audubon Magazine are possibilities for birding indoors. Thumbing through the big Sibley’s or listening to Birdjam on your i-Pod to hone your birding skills are others. But here is an alternative you may not have thought of. Consider visiting a display of decoys or waterfowl carvings.

Waterfowl decoys represent a uniquely American form of folk art with distinctive regional characteristics. Although the use of decoys to lure ducks, geese, and shorebirds into shooting range dates back hundreds of years to ancient Native American cultures, the “golden age” of decoy manufacturing occurred after the Civil War, when expansion of the railroads opened new, urban markets for commercial hunters and new opportunities for “sports’” to indulge their passion for duck hunting. This era closed just after World War I with the implementation of the North American Migratory Bird Treaty that effectively banned the sale of wild ducks and geese and outlawed the hunting of shorebirds. The rafts of decoys used by commercial hunters became redundant artifacts and disappeared into attics, cellars, and wood stoves.

Seizing this opportunity, an architect from Connecticut, Joel Barber, became the first collector to recognize the artistic merit of hand-carved decoys. In his seminal book, Wild Fowl Decoys, Barber aptly referred to these carvings as “floating sculpture”. Soon Barber and a few other energetic collectors inspired by him were scouring the Atlantic coast, buying decoys and other hunting paraphernalia for pennies from their original owners. Barber and his friends William Mackey and George Ross Starr amassed huge decoy collections, which today would be worth several million dollars. At the same time Barber, Mackey, and Starr collected stories from the original decoy makers and their friends, many of whom were bay men or boat builders, who described a life spent on the water that has long since passed into memory. Mackey summarized his collecting experiences in an influential book, American Bird Decoys. Likewise, George Starr wrote a colorful and beautifully illustrated book, Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway. All three of these books remain available today through on-line booksellers such as Amazon.com.

After Joel Barber’s death in 1948, his collection was acquired by the Shelburne Museum. Today these carvings form the core of the Shelburne Museum’s magnificent decoy collection, which resides in the Dorset House. In contrast, the Mackey and Starr collections were sold at auction by the Richard A. Bourne Co. of Hyannis, MA. in 1970-1971 and 1985 respectively These public auctions set a new standard for decoy prices and provided a robust market for buying and selling these works of folk art. Even today decoy auctions continue to be an important source for acquiring and learning about these artifacts (for example, see the Guyette and Schmidt Auction Company website at http://www.guyetteandschmidt.com/).

Closer to home, how can the indoor birder indulge his or her hobby when the weather precludes birding outdoors? In season, visiting the Shelburne Museum’s Dorset House is one possibility, of course. The museum owns arguably the finest collection of antique decoys on public display on the planet. Though they are not antique decoys, the Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington boasts a fine collection of wooden birds hand-carved by the irrepressible Bob Spear. As an additional benefit, the BOVM includes a large picture window looking out on feeders that attract many local birds and other wild life. The BOVM website can be accessed at http://www.birdsofvermont.org/. Farther afield, if you happen to be traveling on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, there is an outstanding collection of carved birds at the Ward Museum in Salisbury, Maryland (http://www.wardmuseum.org/). Lem and Steve Ward were brothers from Crisfield, Maryland who became carvers in the 1920’s and whose working and decorative decoys command premier prices in today’s market. Every year the Ward Museum sponsors a bird carving competition dedicated to the memory of these two carvers that attracts the world’s finest bird sculptors. If you visit the museum you may want to bring a field guide along. A huge variety of antique and decorative bird carvings are on display at the museum in a bucolic setting.

Waterfowl decoys symbolize a unique chapter in American history and folk art. Visit a few of the websites named in this article to stoke your interest, then visit one or more of the museums that I have described in pursuit of the sport of indoor birding.

Photograph: Stevens Goldeneye, "humpback" style, c. 1890. Photo by Pam MacPherson

Feederwatching

Project Feederwatch is a citizen-science activity sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I access their website frequently, mainly to search the All About Birds section, a succinct guide to North American birds, including bird songs from the McCauley lab. But frequently I have spied with a twinge of guilt the link to Project Feederwatch. I could do that, I think. My small contribution to citizen-science.

Last year I made this momentous decision in late March, when the counting period was nearly over. So I opted to postpone my participation until the fall. This year I did better. The count period started on November 14 and I was ready with count book and pencil in hand. My count site is actually quite nice. I have put out feeders for years-a platform feeder and a tube feeder both filled with sunflower hearts. Eventually, I learned how to baffle them to discourage the omnipresent squirrels. A few years ago I added a heated water bath to the mix. With tall cedars on both sides of the lawn and a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees in back, the feeder birds are well-protected.

I thought that I had a pretty good handle on the birds visiting my feeder and indeed I do. The"usuals" at this time of year include Black-capped Chickadees, Titmice, Dark-eyed Juncos, American Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Northern Cardinals. Blue Jays pop in periodically and Mourning Doves drop in, as well. I've got some great woodpeckers-a few Downies and a tank of a Hairy. Throw in the occasional House Finch and there you have it. Why watch? Surprises, that's why. The first count day I spotted a Carolina Wren dangling off of my suet feeder. Cool! The next day I identified a Brown Creeper making its way up the oak tree in the back yard. A first for my yard. And during my most recent count a European Starling and a Brown-headed Cowbird showed up, unexciting birds in summer, but unusual feeder birds in wintertime.

Now I am psyched and camera ready, waiting for the next installment of Project Feederwatch. Stay tuned.