Chris Rimmer and Steve Faccio scan the shorelines for new birds.
The VCE team opted for our customary low-carbon Birdathon this spring, but swapped hiking boots and mountain bikes for water shoes and kayaks/canoes. This all but quashed the possibility of headlining our master list with Bicknell’s Thrush, but promised some aquatic birds that would prove elusive on a strictly terrestrial route. We were encouraged to awake to clear and cool conditions, and moderately low water on the Connecticut River, raising hopes for migrant shorebirds on exposed flats. Nine of us convened at Judith’s house in downtown Fairlee at 5:30 am, with several species already under our belt. The first was a Barred Owl calling outside Chris’ bedroom window in Norwich at 4:00, the second an American Woodcock ‘peenting’ at the Route 5 Coop fields. Spencer and Chris met at the Ompompanoosuc River flats at 5 am, where shorebirds visible through the rising mist included Semipalmated Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper. Checking Stevens Road on our way north, we heard the sweet song of an Eastern Meadowlark and found an American Kestrel perched on a utility wire. We were off to a solid start.
From Fairlee, we beelined up to Bradford’s well-known birding spot called ‘Hooker Siding’ at the end of Depot Street. Walking the RR tracks netted us two dozen or more new species, including Virginia Rail, Solitary Sandpiper, Least and Willow Flycatcher, a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Northern Waterthrush, Magnolia and Wilson’s warbler, the day’s only White-crowned Sparrow (singing), and show-stopping looks at an Orchard Oriole pair. Mist was lying heavy along the floodplain, and temperatures cool. We headed from the Depot to the North Woods Diner for a restorative breakfast. Rimmer must have downed too much coffee, because his vehicle managed to separate from the others en route to a post-breakfast hike in the uplands forests of Wright’s Mountain. Without cell service, we went our separate ways. Most of the crew tallied birds like Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Winter Wren, Northern Parula and Purple Finch. Chris, Spencer and Sara took advantage of their navigational blunder to check Lake Morey, finding two Common Loons and a pocket of boreal migrants that included singing Nashville and Canada warblers. We reconvened ~9:30 am at the Fairlee Diner, where we almost gave up on the resident cliff-nesting Peregrine Falcons, but finally glimpsed an adult in a scorching dive on a passing Red-tailed Hawk. We also picked up Common Raven here. Our list stood at 98 species.
Crossing the Connecticut River to Orford, we launched our armada of 7 kayaks and a canoe, hitting the water at 10:30 am. Immediately we heard a Merlin screeching from a large white pine across the river and found its nest. Species #100 was a Pine Warbler singing nearby. The day had a September feel, with low humidity, bright sun and northerly winds, which combined with a steady current to push us downriver. We jumped out at several spots, paddled into oxbows and backwaters, listened carefully as we passed through a variety of habitats. New species piled up slowly, but included Common Merganser, singing Brown Thrashers and a Rufous-sided Towhee. Rumblings of hunger stopped us at the Beddel Bridge boat launch in North Thetford at ~1:30 pm, where the day’s only Pileated Woodpecker and Cooper’s Hawk appeared. Our list stood at a respectable 108 species. We decided to gun for 115, with an outside chance at 120. Lunch rejuvenated us, and the goal seemed within reach
New birds proved much more challenging to come by during our post-lunch paddling. A improvised detour by Chris up Grant Brook yielded 5 shorebirds in view at once on a small mud flat, two of which (Killdeer and Lesser yellowlegs) were new for the day. He managed to swamp his kayak trying to navigate up a small (and very shallow) rapids – too bad no one was there for photodocumentation, and that the weather was benign! Back on the main river, Osprey and Bald Eagle made appearances. We strained to hear a Yellow-throated Vireo or Eastern Wood-Pewee, but both eluded us. A Louisiana Waterthrush sang from the mouth of a small brook across from Kendall Station. We pulled into our take-out spot at the Ompompanoosuc River access ~6:00 pm, hoping to find new shorebirds on the flats, but we had to settle for Cliff Swallows nesting under the I-91 bridge. Chris ran up to Campbell Flats to find the nesting Eastern Bluebirds. Back to Orford in Spencer’s van to retrieve our vehicles, then to Ramunto’s for well-deserved pizza. Chris drove the back roads of Norwich after dark, searching in vain for a winnowing Wilson’s Snipe or calling Whip-poor-will. Back at his house in Strafford, Steve had a snipe, upping our final tally to 117 species.
As always, some glaring misses occurred – among them Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, pewee – but none of us felt the least bit cheated. We spent a full day outdoors, absorbed and delivered good-natured ribbing in abundance, laughed a lot, saw some great birds, and paddled 15 miles on one of New England’s signature rivers.
VCE Birdathon Species List
20 May 2014, 5:00 am–7:30 pm (plus owling)
~2 miles by foot, ~15 miles by kayak and canoe
Team: Sarah Carline, Steve Faccio, Spencer Hardy, Susan Hindinger, Kent McFarland, Melissa MacKenzie, Chris Rimmer, Judith Scarl, Sara Zahendra
Total: 117 species
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Virginia Rail
Wilson’s Snipe
American Woodcock
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
No. Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
