Memorial Day weekend began with rain.  When the rain finally broke Saturday morning, I hit the road and explored some new towns.  I was thrilled to finally hit the 100 town threshold with Pomfret, the evening before, and was hoping that the day would bring some good birding and scenic views.  Athens did not disappoint.

Athens is a small, quaint town down by Chester and Springfield, and looks like a smaller version of Woodstock or Dorset... an interesting mix of affluence and rural poverty.  On the south side of town there is a nice network of hiking trails, and my survey was going to be focused on the Sleepy Valley Trail and the farm at its trailhead.  Sleepy Valley Trail is relatively new and under-developed; it made the hike more adventuresome through the woods, climbing up onto the Chester Dome.  As the trail climbed out of the valley bottom, the trail wove its way back and forth thru a rocky ledge area; all of the ledges were covered with moss and ferns, and the air was cool and moist.  When I reached the level top of the dome, a mile from the trailhead, the vegetation changed to hemlock with little undergrowth.  There was a distinct difference in the birds up here, and the clear understory made it easy to move about in pursuit of the Blackburnian and Black-throated Blue Warblers I could hear nearby.  I could not see either bird, but I soon found that the trail markings had disappeared!  I had photographed the trail map while I was at the trailhead parking lot, so I knew generally where I was heading, but not being able to find the markings was a bit alarming.  During my efforts to re-locate the trail, I tripped over a branch and slightly twisted my ankle.  It was time to abort the climb and head back.

I could see the familiar terrain of the rocky ledge area in the distance, so I bushwacked my way to the head of the ledge, and soon I could see the white markings of the trail.  I carefully threaded my way down the ledge, making sure to place my weakened left foot squarely on the ground before shifting my weight.  The air became warm and heavy as I descended -- even though the elevation difference was only a couple hundred feet, the air in the upper elevations was fresh and cool and breezier.

Upon my return to the trailhead, I re-assessed where I had been and completed my notes.  My ears perked up when I heard the distinctive "pe-BEEP" of a Killdeer coming from the meadow of the farm, across the road.  Not only was there a Killdeer down between the rows of leeks and other onions, there were male Bob-o-links flying up and singing their bubbly, metallic songs.  Rounding out the valley birds were Tree and Barn Swallows, and even a Raven.  And then, best of all, I began to hear the winnowing sound of a Snipe, off in the distance, flying invisible spirals over the meadow.  What a great mix of Spring and Summer birds!

My checklist from the lower elevations:
Wilson's Snipe
Killdeer
Common Raven
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
American Robin
Veery
Bob-o-link
Rock Pigeon

My checklist from the upper elevations:
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Ovenbird
Northern Parula
Blackburnian Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Downy Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Baltimore Oriole
Gray Catbird

And Red Efts... there were 5 Red Efts and 1 Red-backed Salamander seen along the

My ultimate goal for this expedition was to bird in Hancock on a section of the Long Trail.  Just north of where VT-73 crosses over the pass, the Long Trail passes thru the Breadloaf Wilderness Area.  I wanted to hike in there, and see what could be seen.  Now I hadn't planned on snow when I set out, and was only wearing my hiking sandals, but I did have a fleece in the car, so I wouldn't get too chilled.

The elevation of Middlebury Gap is 2180 ft.  Heading north along the Long Trail, I signed in at the check-in box for the wilderness area -- I wasn't planning to thru-hike, but there's an official record of the 251 Town Birder entering the wilderness.   The trail was only moderately steep, but because of all of the rain, it was a soggy trail.  My feet stayed warm because I kept moving, and that motivated me to continue my hike.   Once I reached 2435 ft, you could see that it had snowed overnight and that the red trilliums had suffered.  The trilliums must've been heavily laden with wet snow, for they were all bent over, heads to the ground.  The trees had shed many thin branches that were in full leaf. By 2450 I was in continuous snow cover, and in the ground-hugging clouds.  Only my feet and a few Black-throated Green Warblers made any sound; everything was muffled and misty.  When I reached the first trail fork, I checked my elevation... 2477.  I marched a bit further along the trail until my altimeter read 2480, then I began my return.  0.5 miles, 330 feet, and who knows how many degrees!

Well, I still haven't figured out how to keep Weebly from rotating my Portrait photos into a Landscape orientation, but we'll move on from there.  I'll eventually get the photos fixed.

Chilly Checklist for Hancock:
Black-throated Green Warbler

"Moos-a-la-moo"... it just sounds right for a mountainous blueberry patch and moose habitat.  The National Forest Service manages the Moosalamoo Wildlife Management Area for both moose and blueberries.  They have a program of controlled burning areas on a rotating basis, to eliminate the woody brush yet at the same time fostering the growth of low-bush blueberries.  And I mean low bush... the plants barely reach one foot in height!  The principal blueberry management area is so popular with locals and visitors, that the Service maintains a wheelchair-accessible path into the blueberry area.

On the day I visited, there were no moose, and there were no blueberries. -- they were in full flower.  The clouds were draped low over the Green Mountains, and it was a chilly 40 degrees.  On a clear day, the view must be spectacular... as it was, the view was pretty nice that day.

Checklist for Goshen:
Ruffed Grouse
Red-eyed Vireo
Ovenbird
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
White-throated Sparrow
and one Unknown species (audio recorded)

100 Towns Surveyed!!!

My 100th town surveyed was Pomfret.  While the Pomfret town line is just 3 1/2 miles from my house, It took me a year before I got around to surveying it.  To be honest, the nearby towns were left for those days when I needed to get out and be active but didn't have the time to go too far afield.  I was going to be solo over Memorial Day weekend, so I was planning a birdathon to get some exercise and travel. 

The rains finally started to move out of the area Friday evening, so once the drizzle ended I headed out for Pomfret... the last of the nearby gaps in my 251 Town Birder map.  I made my way to one of the more remote, wooded sections of town, and parked my car.  I try to choose a variety of settings and habitats, to gain as diverse a cross section of the state's birds that I can.

Hiking along Hidden Ridge Road, I enjoyed the calls of several Ovenbirds, Hermit Thrushes, a pair of Robins, and even a Brown Creeper.  But the highlight was slowly making its way across the road as I reached Webster Hill Road... an adult Porcupine.  He (or was it She) did not take kindly to my approach, and as he turned away from me, up came a huge fan of quills.  I kept my distance, but still got close enough to snap a few rough photos before moving on.