nlay4185's Journal

When: April 28th 2020, 4:30pm-6:30pm
Where: Shelburne Bay Park, Burlington VT. Trail adjacent to the bay.
Weather: Sunny, 55 degrees Fahrenheit
Habitat: Lots of Common Buckthorn (where I saw the Cedar Waxwings eating) and various conifers. Rocky next to the water (where a pair of Hooded Mergansers swam). Some very steep slopes (which is where I saw the Barred Owl sitting on the branch of a tall eastern white pine).

Species:
8 Cedar Waxwings
3 American Goldfinches
1 Barred Owl
2 Hooded Mergansers
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Song Sparrow

May 18th 2020
6:45am-11:45am
Delta Park, Colchester VT
Weather: mostly sunny, 52 degrees Fahrenheit
Habitat: shrubs, marsh, open water-- Winooski River and Lake Champlain

12 Canada Geese-- 6 of them were a family of a pair + 4 goslings
2 Wood Ducks-- males only
2 Baltimore Orioles
1 American Goldfinches
5 Common Yellowthroats
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker-- first one I've ever seen!
4 Blue Jays
1 Yellow Warblers
12 Red-winged Blackbirds
5 Common Mergansers
6 Barn Swallows
70 Double-crested Cormorants-- all landing in the water together
5 Gray Catbirds
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Eastern Phoebe
10 Northern Cardinals
1 Eastern Screech Owl-- female nesting in a snag by the river
6 Great Egrets
4 Common Goldeneyes
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Swamp Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
3 Downy Woodpeckers
1 Hairy Woodpecker
3 Cedar Waxwings
2 Common Grackles
1 Turkey Vulture
13 Ring-billed Gulls

May 19th, 2020
6:45am-11:40am
Weather: Sunny, 50 degrees Fahrenheit
Colchester Pond, Colchester VT
Habitat: large pond, surrounded by shrubs. Open fields in to the southwest and southeast, coniferous forest to the northeast.

15 Red-winged Blackbirds—saw males only. Most were singing on high perches.
4 Yellow Warblers
3 Eastern Kingbirds—they all were fighting on the ground in a shrubby area close to the parking lot.
1 Hooded Warbler
1 Eastern Phoebe
8 Gray Catbirds
1 House Wren
13 Canada Geese—two couples swam together with their goslings.
21 Song Sparrows—it’s possible that some of these were Savannah Sparrows. I need to get better at Sparrow songs.
8 Black-capped Chickadees—there was a chickadee nest in a low tree cavity near the water. Another birder told me the nest has been there for years!
1 Baltimore Oriole
1 American Redstart
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Mourning Dove
1 Swamp Sparrow
1 Osprey—flying above the pond
2 American Robins
4 American Goldfinches
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Black-and-white Warbler
5 Common Yellowthroats
1 Blue Jay

May 20thth, 2020
7am-12pm
Weather: Sunny (not a cloud in the sky), 60 degrees Fahrenheit
Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington VT
Habitat: On the left side of the road (West) was a forested area with many understory trees. There was a mix of coniferous and deciduous vegetation. The ground was scattered with leaves, twigs and downed logs. This area is where I heard the different warblers and thrushes. I also saw my first Scarlet Tanager and my first Red-breasted Nuthatch. On the right side of the road (East) the elevation dropped a little bit. The area was still forested, but there were more patches of open habitat that were close to water. There were some streams, vernal pools, and a body of water that was something between a swamp and a pond. This area is where I saw my first Brown Thrasher. I also saw some of the more general birds in this area, such as Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds.

Red-eyed Vireo (5)
Wood Thrush (7)
Mourning Dove (2)
Blue-headed Vireo (2)
Scarlet Tanager (6)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (3)
Great-crested Flycatcher (2)
Black-throated Green Warbler (7)
Hermit Thrush (5)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (3)
Black-capped Chickadee (8)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1)
Ovenbird (3)
American Goldfinch (2)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (2)
Blue Jay (4)
Eastern Towhee (2)
American Redstart (3)
White-throated Sparrow (1)
Hairy Woodpecker (2)
Eastern Phoebe (4)
Gray Catbird (2)
Pileated Woodpecker (1)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (1)
Yellow Warbler (6)
Veery (3)—I didn’t hear its song so it was difficult to identify at first. I heard its call and then I saw it in the trees. It then landed on the ground and started scurrying across logs. Its warm, reddish-brown back feathers and distinct call gave it away.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1)
Red-winged Blackbird (5)
American Robin (5)
Common Grackle (4)
Brown Thrasher (2)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1)
Winter Wren (1)

May 21st, 2020
7am-12pm
Weather: Sunny, 65 degrees Fahrenheit
Geprags Community Park, Hinesburg VT

Habitat: a mixture of grasslands, shrubs, and understory trees. The grasslands were also fragmented by powerlines. The Bobolinks I saw flew low above the open field and chased each other. They landed in the grass to feed and their yellow heads blended in with the dandelions. The shrubs were filled with warblers and the forest had an abundance of Wood Thrushes and Ovenbirds.

Song Sparrow (5)
Gray Catbird (5)
Ring-billed Gull (4)
American Goldfinch (2)
Blue-winged Warbler (10)
White-throated Sparrow (2)
Common Yellowthroat (5)
Red-winged Blackbird (3)
American Tree Sparrow (4)
Yellow Warbler (3)
Eastern Phoebe (2)
Blue Jay (4)
Willow Flycatcher (1)
Bobolink (8)
Warbling Vireo (3)
Eastern Kingbird (1)
Brown Thrasher (1)
Baltimore Oriole (1)
Indigo Bunting (1)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (6)
Great Crested Flycatcher (2)
Common Grackle (1)
Black-throated Green Warbler (1)
Pileated Woodpecker (1)
Ovenbird (8)
Scarlet Tanager (3)
Eastern Wood Pewee (1)
Wood Thrush (7)
Turkey Vulture (1)
Eastern Towhee (1)
Northern Cardinal (2)—a pair
Blackburnian Warbler (1)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
American Crow (2)
Eastern Bluebird (1)
Black-and-white Warbler (3)

May 22nd, 2020
7am-12pm
Weather: Sunny, 70 degrees Fahrenheit
Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge, Charlotte VT

Habitat: Lots of shrubby habitat mixed with oaks, maples and eastern red cedar. Further up the trail the habitat was more shrubby except for some eastern white pines. At the end of the trail there were two adjacent fields separated by shrubs. Both the trails and the fields were muddy and wet.

Wood Thrush (6)
Mourning Dove (1)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (6)
Eastern Phoebe (2)
Black-throated Green Warbler (3)
Common Yellowthroat (3)
Gray Catbird (4)
Northern Cardinal (2)
Pileated Woodpecker (1)
American Redstart (5)
American Goldfinch (3)
Hermit Thrush (3)
Great Crested Flycatcher (1)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (2)
Black-and-white Warbler (3)
Yellow Warbler (3)
Ovenbird (5)
Brown Thrasher (2)
Blue-winged Warbler (5)
Least Flycatcher (1)
Canada Goose (4)
Eastern Towhee (3)
Ring-billed Gull (1)
Blue Jay (4)
Eastern Wood Pewee (1)
Black-capped Chickadee (5)
Red-winged Blackbird (6)—saw a male and female perched on a tree. The male was bobbing his tail at her. She eventually flew off but he followed her.
Bobolink (6)
Turkey Vulture (1)—soaring above the open field
Song Sparrow (3)
Scarlet Tanager (3)
Savannah Sparrow (2)
Field Sparrow (1)
American Crow (2)
Brown-headed Cowbird (2)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1)
Common Grackle (1)
Hairy Woodpecker (1)
Nashville Warbler (1)