During the last two weeks, I spent most early mornings birding within 5 miles of the Connecticut River. I ranged as far south as Charleston, New Hampshire and as far north as Boltonville, Vermont. However, most of the photos were taken in Hanover, Lebanon, Enfield, Norwich, and Thetford.
I’ve included a few fairly poor photos in this blog because they illustrate special moments in nature or surprise captures. In those cases I did not know what I had photographed until I downloaded the photos and looked at them on a large monitor at home.
May 6
Lebanon, NH
Boston Lot is a reliable spot for Blue-headed Vireo. They return to the Upper Valley before Red-eyed Vireos. It was one of the few birds I saw on an early morning walk up to the beautiful Boston Lot Lake.
A short walk along the rail trail adjacent to Mascoma Lake led to a photo of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
May 7
Etna, NH
I saw an American Robin gathering fuzz for a nest and observed where it flew. A few days later I walked to that spot and saw a nest at about eye-level in a white pine.
May 8
Hanover, NH
I stopped by the Howe Library to photograph the blooming trees. A Chipping Sparrow quickly caught my eye.
Then a pair of Ruby-crowned Kinglets attracted my attention as they moved rapidly through the low trees.
Norwich, VT
A pair of Hooded Mergansers swam in the Ompompanoosuc River amid nice reflections.
A pair of Tree Swallows sat on their box along Campbell Flat Road.
And a Baltimore Oriole worked a low tree nearby.
Thetford, VT
I failed to find the reported Eastern Meadowlark along Stevens Road, but I did find some very talkative Bobolinks.
At the Zebedee Wetlands I saw an American Bittern fly but did not get a photo. I was able to photograph some female and male Redwing Blackbirds.
Post Mills, VT
Regretfully, I had failed to join the early morning bird walk at Crossroad Farm having somehow missed the email invite I received. Coincidentally, I stopped there briefly late morning and took a few photos of Gray Catbirds.
May 9
Hanover, NH
I photographed the first of several Gray Catbirds this day at Mink Brook Nature Preserve. This is a wonderful Hanover Conservancy spot just south of town along Mink Brook.
I found two vocal wrens: a Carolina Wren…
… and a House Wren.
A pair of Veery were working the low brush.
Norwich, VT
I visited Foley Park near Lewiston, a former village in the town of Norwich. All that remains are a few railroad buildings. I walked the railroad tracks and was able to snap a photo of a pair of Wood Ducks just as they exploded out of the water west of the tracks. They are a very skittish species.
A Baltimore Oriole was working high in a tree. I was able to climb up near the overpass to get some almost eye-level photos.
Wilder, VT
Kilowatt South Park is a reliable place for three Mimids: Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, and Mockingbirds. On this visit I only found Gray Catbirds.
I also was able to photograph a Yellow Warbler, a species that is fairly common there.
May 10
Enfield, NH
During an early morning walk along the rail trail in Enfield with Jann, I spotted a Black-and-White Warbler.
Lebanon, NH
A bit later, along the rail trail at Ice House Road, I was able to photograph a Yellow Warbler and an American Redstart.
May 11
Lebanon NH
Back along the rail trail at Ice House Road, a favorite spring spot, I photographed a Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Warbling Vireos.
May 14
Jefferson, NH
A friend and I ventured away from the Connecticut River this day to hike into Cherry Pond, a beautiful spot in the Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge. Below is a view of Owls Head (L) and Mount Martha (R) across a portion of Cherry Pond. On the far right is the Tudor Richards Observation Platform. To the left, but not in this photo, is a wonderful panorama of the Presidential Mountains.
Here are photos of a pair of Spotted Sandpipers from the pond and a Tree Swallow at the nearby Airport Marsh.
Etna, NH
Back home that afternoon, I photographed a beautiful Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
May 15
Charlestown, NH
I joined the Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society for a bird walk at the Up on the Hill Conservation Area, a spot owned by the Upper Valley Land Trust.
Near where the Land Trust is planting a second garden as a part of UVLT’s Community Impact Programming, I photographed a Common Yellowthroat in a beautiful apple tree.
There were other birds in the tree which I hoped to photograph after the walk. But when I got back the crew from the UVLT was running a noisy auger to set posts for the garden fencing. So much for birds at the end of the hike.
Heading up the trail in the early morning semi-darkness of the woods, we spotted an Ovenbird.
A short time later I was very excited to find a Brown Creeper, one of my favorite birds.
I find it hard to take photos of birds when in a group. So at one point I walked a bit ahead of the group along the trail and then a bit into the woods. There I found a thrush which I didn’t identify until I got home and viewed it large on my monitor. Turns out this Swainson’s Thrush was a new species for the hike.
From the same spot I photographed a Black-throated Green Warbler.
I headed back downhill before the group so that I could have a chance to photograph some birds alone.
I saw something small walking along the ground on the edge of the trail. I first thought it was one of the many chipmunks we saw along the way but was pleased to see it was an Ovenbird.
Shortly before emerging from the forest, I found a pair of Wood Thrush. I walked through the woods off the trail to get the pair of photos below.
Lebanon, NH
On the way home, I stopped by the West Lebanon Wetlands, also known as Cranberry Pond, where Least Bitterns had been photographed the previews two years. I didn’t find them but did take a few photos of a Green Heron.
Etna, NH
Back home I photographed a large black bird which is either an American Crow or Common Raven – I have trouble telling them apart.
May 16
Norwich, VT
Chris Rimmer led a bird walk in the area around Foley Park in Norwich.
From the railroad tracks, I photographed a Hooded Merganser.
Somewhat later a Northern Parula gave us great views as he teed up with strong back lighting.
While there I was able to photograph a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
Lebanon NH
On the way home I stopped by the rail trail along Lake Mascoma, near ice House Road. I found an American Robin in a nest under a bridge.
A House Wren was chattering and a Yellow Warbler was singing.
This area has many American Redstarts. They are a warbler that looks a bit like a miniature Baltimore Oriole.
May 17
Etna, NH
Before leaving home I photographed a Blue Jay in our yard.
I drove by a pond and noticed fantastic reflections. I slowed down, did a pair of U-turns, and approached it with the sun at my back.
As I approached the near corner of the pond, I saw some ripples indicating there was something just out of view below me. I readied my camera as I took a couple steps forward and was able to get a photo of a pair of Mallards exploding with beautiful reflections behind them.
The first image on this blog is a two-photo composite of this same pair of Mallards as they lifted higher and flew across the pond.
Hanover, NH
Another visit to Mink Brook Nature Preserve produced a photo of a Veery.
In Mink Brook I found a Hooded Merganser nicely backlit in the early morning light.
I caught a glimpse of something colorful in the trees and shot some photos not knowing exactly what I was capturing. The bird(s) were only visible for about 20 seconds.
The first photo of this group is not good, but does show an interesting combination of an out-of-focus Northern Parula in the left background and a Magnolia Warbler to the right.
Seventeen seconds later I got this photo of the Magnolia Warbler.
At the preserve I photographed a Common Yellowthroat…
… a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker…
… and an American Redstart.
May 18
Lebanon, NH
I visited the West Lebanon Wetlands, which some folks call Cranberry Pond. This is a pretty name for a spot that is unfortunately filled with trash along the near edge of the pond. But this spot has an amazing variety of wildlife. Years ago I photographed beautiful Great Egrets in this pond, and in the last two years it has been frequented by Least Bitterns.
I visited because a Sora and Virginia Rail had been reported at this spot. Shortly after I arrived I got a photo of a Green Heron before it flew across the pond to fish.
A few minutes later a Sora walked by before it flew into some more distant reeds and disappeared.
While waiting for the Sora to reappear, a river otter swim back-and-forth across the pond. At one point it came up to check me out.
It eventually disappeared into the reeds. It must have a pathway to another pond that is to the south and not reachable by any means I know of. I will highlight this otter in a future blog.
Still waiting for the Sora to appear in the somewhat-distant reeds, I photographed a Yellow Warbler.
Suddenly there was an amazing flyover of three Green Herons. I believe they were headed to the out-of-sight pond. After they left, I noticed that the initial Green Heron was still fishing along a distant shore.
There were Red-winged Blackbirds working along the shore of the pond. They nest here.
Finally the Sora emerged and gave me a few quick views. I believe there were two Soras at the pond.
Etna, NH
Back home I got a photograph of a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
May 19
Lebanon, NH
I returned to the West Lebanon Wetlands to take another try at the Sora. I had better luck this time because the Sora stayed fairly close to where I could stand.
Suddenly the Sora took flight and there were two birds! They flew rapidly to the right and landed in the reeds. Then they were gone. Not expecting to get anything, I shot a burst of photos at the spot where they briefly landed.
When I arrived home and looked at the photos I was amazed to find that I had witnessed a Virginia Rail chasing a Sora and then a short stand-off between the two. Although these photos are not good, they do show an interesting moment in nature.
Below is a Virginia Rail photo taken in West Rutland Marsh in Vermont.
The photos below show another view of Cranberry Pond, a Yellow Warbler gathering nest material, and a Yellow Warbler posing on a small shrub.
May 19
Hanover, NH
Back at the Mink Brook Nature Preserve, I photographed Chestnut-sided Warblers…
… and a female Common Yellowthroat.
I also found a Gray Catbird who appeared to have a small bee in its bill.
May 20
Etna, NH
When I visited King Bird Sanctuary I found a singing Indigo Bunting. One can only imagine how this bird got its name. Typical of the species, he sang from near the top of most of the trees he visited.
There was a pair of male Common Yellowthroat chasing each other around in the underbrush for quite a while. They were fun to watch but hard to photograph. Here is a photo I captured of one of them.
Lebanon NH
A walk along the rail trail near Ice House Road with Jann produced a photo of an Eastern Kingbird and an American Redstart.
May 21
Newbury, VT
Boltonville is a village in Newbury Vermont along the Wells River. I attended the 21st annual “Birding with Bill in Boltonville” excursion sponsored by the Newberry Conservation Commission. I had been at this event two previous times.
On the right is our leader, Bill Shepard, talking with the group at the beginning of the walk. He is the creator of the Connecticut River Birding Trail and Maps.
The trail through this area is wonderful for hearing birds but not as good for seeing or photographing them.
On a dead tree across a marsh, we found a group of Cedar Waxwings nicely lined up on a branch.
At one point I walked a bit of ahead of a group and spotted two Veeries on the edge of the trail. I managed to get a few photos of them. I believe the photos below should show two separate individuals.
We reached a beautiful spot along the Wells River shown below and then started back. Bill suggested we see if we could add one or two new species on the way back. Soon a pair of Wood Ducks flew over at quite a distance, a new species for the walk.
I didn’t realize that I managed to photograph yet another new species until I got home and looked at my monitor. I saw something move down below the trail in the mud. I aimed my camera and photographed a quick burst not knowing what I was actually photographing and just hoping for the best. Whatever it was was only present for a second or two. I rarely look at my camera monitor when photographing, preferring to spend my time looking for new photos rather than checking to see whether I got the shot or not. If I didn’t, there is nothing I can do.
It turns out it was a Virginia Rail. Not a good photo, but a good documentation of an additional species for the day.
Bradford, VT
On the way home I stopped for about 20 minutes in Bradford. It turned out to be a very productive time. Almost immediately I spotted a Black-and-White Warbler working the ground not too far away. I photographed it for about 30 seconds but didn’t realize what it was doing until I looked at the photos on my monitor at home. It was apparently gathering material for a nest.
In the same area I also photographed a Warbling Vireo, a Baltimore Oriole, and a Cedar Waxwing.
Overall it was an exciting and busy two weeks.