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.