Snow Geese at Dead Creek, Snow Bunting on Putney Mtn

Last Sunday, we made the annual pilgrimage to Dead Creek WMA for the Snow Geese, meeting other friends from Brattleboro, and as always in a small state like Vermont, meeting other birders we know from around the state - in this case, Ted Murin (co-author of Birdwatching in Vermont) who was scouring Lake Champlain with his celestial scope in search of migrating sea ducks and pelagics.

At the WMA, the geese were feeding far from the viewing area, but occasionally a few came over at a relatively low altitude.

Then something would spook the geese, (a passing Peregrine, harrier or eagle perhaps) and two or three thousand birds suddenly took flight, darkening the horizon with their numbers.

Pipits and several species of sparrows worked the grasses along with a few Pectoral Sandpipers . We were surprised at how few raptors we saw - a single perched Peregrine, and this young Northern Harrier ...

Good company, and a glorious late October day, augmented the birding ...

Coser to home, Tuesday was my day on Putney Mountain - dismal gray day with no hawks flying. But when I arrived at the viewing area, this Snow Bunting was there to greet me. Seems early for these true snow birds, but it is a reminder of what is soon to come ...


And a technology note: I have been losing confidence in my computer, either because Microsoft kept "updating" Vista, or because the equipment was getting worn. So I spent a chunk of this week shopping, buying, and setting up a whole new system. It went well - at least as well as can be expected when using a Microsoft OS (Windows 7) - not seamless, by any means (after all, I am talking Microsoft!) - but okay. I say this, knowing full well that MAC users are nodding in smugness. What can I say? And BTW, the new monitor greatly improves the quality of photographs - when I look at your photographs, they are greatly improved, while my photographs really rock!!

This also means, that my usual post of the weekly column may be slightly delayed from its usual Saturday at 6AM. But soon.

Good birding!

Snow Geese - Dead Creek

Friday I made my fall trip north to Dead Creek WMA in Addison - a beautiful day. About 1000 geese were in the area, but they did not come close to the viewing area to feed. However, they did a great deal of random flying around. The Fish & Wildlife manager I talked with was perplexed by their behavior. His only explanation was the adult eagle hanging around in the early morning - an "eagle aversion," I think he called it. However, with the Adirondacks to the west and the Green Mountains to the east, and all splashed with color, you can only have a good day birding.



There were at least four Northern Harriers hunting over the fields, including an adult male within reasonable range for my camera - a beautiful sight watching him hunt.


The Northern Harrier prompts a footnote to Wednesday's hawk watch on Putney Mountain. About 11am an adult male harrier flew over. Around Noon in Wilmington (about 16 miles to the southeast), a male harrier was seen hunting over a field, according to an e-mail I received that evening. There's no way to know for sure that it was the same bird, but the coincidence makes it likely, or at least possible.

Good birding!