Hero's Welcome

I do a lot of my birding in South Hero. Throughout the year there is always something to see and somewhere to go. The South Hero marsh trail is one of my favorite spots from April until October when the duck hunters move in and the birds move out. Round Pond on East Shore Road has nice habitat, including meadows, wetlands, brushy early succession forest, and, after a short walk through the forest, a nice view of Mallett's Bay. And the approach to South Hero passing by the Sandbar WMA is a hot spot for migrating ducks and geese right now. But my favorite spot at this time of year is the Colchester-South Hero Causeway at Allen Point.

Why? For some reason this spot is a magnet for winter waterfowl, especially Greater and Lesser Scaup. Some years the lake side of the Causeway stays open throughout the winter and the ducks are here in huge numbers if you can get out to the Point. This year, though, the lake froze from shore-to-shore. Only in the past few weeks has there been enough open water to attract waterfowl. Stimulated by a recent posting on the VTBird list that reported Scaup, Common Goldeneyes, American Wigeon, Northern Pintails, and a few Tufted Ducks at Allen Point, I made my way out to the Causeway. Sure enough the large raft of Scaup was swimming far off shore-too far to distinguish between Greater and Lesser Scaup or to pick out Tufted Ducks, even with my spotting scope. A smaller flock of Common Goldeneyes and a few Common Mergansers showed up, too, but the big surprise was a group of three Double-crested Cormorants heading north-a dubious distinction at best. Walking the path out to the "cut", I spotted a small flock of Cedar Waxwings eating buckthorn berries-a pleasant surpise.

Despite the meager results, I enjoyed visiting the Causeway for the first time this year and look forward to regular birding visits to South Hero for the next six months. Call it Hero's welcome.

Spring Forward

I've been house-bound for the past week after a nasty episode of persistent vertigo. No driving, no walking, no birding. Ugh! Still I am able to look out my kitchen window and-hurray-I see signs of Spring. Specifically, today I saw my first Brown-headed Cowbird of the season. Some folks might think that the Brown-headed Cowbird is a pest, a problem, a parasite. There is some truth to this point of view. Cowbirds parasitize the nests of other songbirds, competing with their offspring for food, and, in some cases, threatening their very existence. For example, nest parasitism by cowbirds has been implicated in the sharp decline of Kirtland Warbler and Black-capped Vireo populations. In fact, it is likely that brood parasitism by cowbirds is a contributory factor to the decline of many Eastern songbirds, especially the ground-nesters like Ovenbirds and Eastern Meadowlarks. For a description of Brown-headed Cowbirds take a look at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Bird Guide at:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide.

So, I should not be thrilled to see a Brown-headed Cowbird in my yard. But I am. He looks so stylish with his glossy black body and brown head. All dressed up for Spring. And he seems to be alone, though he may be scouting the territory. Whatever. He is the first bird heralding Spring as far as I am concerned and at the moment he is not causing trouble. That comes later.

March Madness!

What's not to like about March? The days are longer, the weather is milder, and the migratory birds are returning. March is an excellent month for ducks. The winter ducks are still with us-Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Mergansers, and Scaup-and the migratory ducks are slowly coming back. For example, this week I saw my first Gadwall of the year at Converse Bay, swimming with a large flock of goldeneye. Included in the goldeneye flock was a Barrow's Goldeneye male, one of several that have turned up this winter. To see a photo of a Barrow's Goldeneye compared to a Common Goldeneye go to Julie Water's website at http://juliesmagiclightshow.com/4242.php.

At the moment there is also a nice group of Ring-necked Ducks at the Shelburne Town Beach as well as a small number of Hooded Mergansers at Converse Bay, Charlotte Town Beach, and Shelburne Town Beach. At the Muddy Brook marsh open water is beginning to appear and today I spotted a pair of male Wood Ducks and three handsome Hooded Mergansers (2 males; 1 female). I have seen reports on the VTBird list of Green-winged Teal, Pintail, and Wigeon, though I have seen none of these species myself. That's the duck story.

Otherwise, the South Burlington Snowy Owl is still present and devouring rodents. And an adult Bald Eagle has taken up residence in the Intervale. And I saw my first Brown Creeper of the season at the Intervale today. And Bohemian Waxwings are everywhere. Whew!

And let's not forget about ice fishing. Last Thursday I caught a gigantic Largemouth Bass through the ice at Keeler's Bay-my first ever caught by ice fishing. As I brought this bass through the ice hole, the hook pulled out of its mouth. But the fish was so large that it couldn't turn around. So I reached down and lifted it out by its jaw, took a cell phone photo of the fish, and returned it to its native habitat. I am sure that this fish is still wondering what the hell happened.

I love March!

The Great White Owl

Vermonters have been blessed this winter with an influx of Snowy Owls. From Whiting, Vermont to the south to West Charleston, Vermont in the northeast Snowy Owls have turned up regularly. And here in Chittenden County we have seen Snowies, too. I have spotted them at Delta Park, the Burlington waterfront, and right here in South Burlington, most recently this evening. A Snowy Owl has been a regular visitor to the roof tops of the houses behind the Chittenden Cider Mill on Dorset St. At times a flock of Snow Buntings in the nearby fields has added to the fun.

What gives? First of all, these birds appear to be well fed, unlike the Barred Owls that turned up everywhere last year. Apparently, the lemming season in northern Canada was unusually robust, resulting in a highly successful breeding season for Snowies. Young males, in particular, have been forced to go south to find a productive source of food. No problem. These birds may prefer mice, voles, moles, and lemmings in their diet, but apparently will attack even larger game such as ducks. The persistence of the South Burlington Snowy in one location this winter suggests to me that he (she?) has found a reliable food source, possibly prompted by the new construction in this development. Who-o-o-o knows.

Vermont is not the only beneficiary of the Snowy Owl irruption. In Massachusetts, a large number of Snowies have turned up at Logan Airport, where the terrain in winter apparently resembles the Arctic tundra, the Snowy Owl's breeding grounds. And mice and rats are abundant there. Perfect! Except for the air traffic. Massachusetts Audubon has been busily capturing these birds (17 so far) and transporting them to the more hospitable digs at Plum Island in Newburyport.

This evening, a beautiful Vermont winter evening, I basked in the glow of the sunset with a Snowy Owl in my sights. Does it get any better than this? I doubt it. Here is a photo of the South Burlington Snowy Owl courtesy of Judy Brook.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Well-the 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count is history. Feb. 13-16 were the dates of the count. The GBBC is a low key, effortless activity for me. Simply count the birds and enter the data on the GBBC website. I participated on the first and last days of the count and rested for the weekend. And I only counted my feeder and yard birds through my kitchen window (see my previous post of the same name). But it is always good to pay attention and to take stock. I saw the usual chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers (hairy and downy), doves, cardinals, nuthatches (red-breasted and white-breasted), jays, goldfinches, and juncos. European Starlings were present and unwelcome. On the other hand Pine Siskins showed up in abundance and I was happy to see them, even though they are eating me out of house and home. I have waited years to see siskins and I cherish them now that they are here. The surprise of the count was the appearance of two Common Redpolls at my feeder. I surmise that these redpolls had visited the feeder before and I missed them. Not paying attention as I said.

Nationally, over 85,000 checklists have been submitted to date, counting over 600 species and over 10,000,000 birds. Wow. In Vermont a more modest 693 checklists have been submitted, counting 79 species and 39,313 birds. A respectable showing for a small state. Looking down the list of Vermont birds there was an astonishing number of Wild Turkeys (almost 1000) reported and, not surprisingly, a huge number of Pine Siskins (6359 up from 49 in 2008), reflecting the remarkable Pine Siskin irruption this year. A surprise (to me) was the number of Red-bellied Woodpeckers reported (79). Climate change? And am I gloating over the fact that I was the only birder in Vermont to report a Snowy Owl (at Royal Drive in South Burlington) this year? You bet. You can explore all of the results of the GBBC at their website http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc. See you next year for the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Ice is Nice

I've been a fisherman from the time I was 4 years old. Ever since I caught a "calico bass" on a handline while fishing from the Memorial Bridge at Island Grove Pond in Abington, Massachusetts, with my grandfather, I've been an enthusiast. I recall that my grandfather fileted this fish, but I don't recall eating it. No matter. I was hooked. Years later I caught a 4 lb. Largemouth Bass from this exact spot with a ridiculous lure of my own devising. As a teenager, I became a fishing fanatic.

Ice fishing came later. I don't recall ice fishing in Massachusetts (we played hockey on the ice), but when I came to Vermont in 1962, I promptly took up the sport. Ice fishing in Vermont is not for the faint-hearted. These days I have a 20-20-20 rule for ice fishing-more than 20 degrees F., less than 20 mph wind, and more than 20 inches of ice. With 50 degree F. temperatures today and less than 10 mph winds, I was golden.

Maybe I'm getting too old for ice fishing, but cutting holes in the ice is a lot of work. Right now there is 2 feet of ice at Keeler's Bay, one of my favorite ice fishing spots. I have never owned a gas-powered augur, preferring to cut my holes by hand. And I have never owned a shanty. One of the keys to successful ice fishing is mobility and it is hard to move a shanty around the lake. But some days I wonder. Wouldn't it be easier if.....!

Whatever. February and March are dependable ice fishing months in Vermont. Today was a glorious February day and folks who decline to go forth on the ice, flaunting my 20-20-20 rule, do not know what they are missing. The warm sun is a refreshing hint of Spring and the majestic Green Mountains are simply breathtaking. And the fishing is good. Using a simple ice fishing rod and a double hook set up of a Rapala ice fishing lure and a single gold spinner with perch eyes attached, I caught about 30 Yellow Perch in less than an hour. I caught no pike or pickerel this time, my main quarries, but they will come soon. The spawning season is less than a month away. For the moment-the ice is nice!

Walking in Audubon's Footsteps

In 1821-1822 John James Audubon spent several months in New Orleans, perfecting his technique for painting birds in lifelike poses. Audubon was in his mid-thirties at the time and was fully devoted to the task of completing his great enterprise, having been wiped out financially in the depression of 1819 (sound familiar?). This past week Pam and I flew to NOLA to visit my daughter Molly in her new digs, enjoy this wonderful city's unique blend of food, music, and culture, and to follow in Audubon's footsteps.

When Audubon arrived in NOLA he lived on Barracks St. at the eastern edge of the French Quarter. Later, he moved to the Pirrie plantation, Oakley, north of Baton Rouge to teach young Eliza Pirrie the elements of drawing and to continue his pursuit of new specimens for his folio. Today this plantation forms the core of the Audubon National Historic Site. When Audubon returned to NOLA in 1822, he resided at 55 (now 505) Dauphine St. in the Quarter. Unfortunately, I found little evidence of Audubon's presence on Dauphine St. These buildings are now privately owned, though registered as a national historic site, and are called the Audubon Cottages (Audubon lived in cottage #6, I was told.).

Among the many specimens that Audubon collected (i.e. shot) while residing in NOLA were the Brown Pelican (plate #251 in Birds of America)-now the Louisiana state bird-and a Fish Crow (plate #146). I visited Audubon Park and City Park in NOLA precisely with the intent of identifying these two birds. I was not disappointed. Both species were abundantly present. Furthermore, there was no lack of other choice specimens to add to my hypothetical life list. My favorites? A dozen Black-bellied Whistling Ducks resplendent with black bellies, tan heads, a white eye ring, and red bills. Other favorites included a close-up look at a Red-shouldered Hawk, a variety of herons, egrets, and ibises, a Carolina Chickadee, two Common Moorhens, two Brown Thrashers, two Northern Mockingbirds, and an Anhinga or two. In just a few hours I spotted 35 different species of birds. Imagine how many different birds Audubon must have seen during his many forays into the Louisiana countryside.

Perhaps most impressive to me were the swans that I saw. Despite the fact that both species that I encountered are non-natives, the several Mute Swans and the pair of Black Swans that I saw were astonishingly beautiful creatures. I have no doubt that Audubon would have been as impressed as I was by these majestic birds. If only he had had the opportunity to paint them.