This passed weekend was another Birding Dawn to Dusk marathon.  I set out at 9:00am and returned home just before 10:00pm.  The marathon took me 280 miles around the southernmost towns of Vermont, thru sun, fog, cloud, and drizzle.  I surveyed 9 towns from Guilford and Halifax in the east, to Woodford and Stamford in the west.  The western towns are all in the Green Mountain National Forest... lots of forest and not a lot of people... I made sure I had a full tank of gas and a good hearty lunch before leaving Wilmington.

Searsburg was the most interesting stop during the day.  Searsburg has a very small population, is located in the higher elevations of the Green Mountains, and is home to Green Mountain Power's Searsburg Wind Power Facility.  GMP's ridgeline turbines were in the clouds when I arrived, but the droning of the turbines could be heard on the facing ridge, a mile away.  I was reminded of a never-ending, distant freight train, or the rumbling of the White River near my home; I could see how some folks would be disturbed by the continual sound, yet for my short visit it was a point of curiosity.  My survey area was 0.3 miles along VT-8, at about 2500 feet.  Despite the low cloud deck, and the accompanying drizzle, I was able to see and hear a nice assortment of bird species.

Searsburg Checklist:
Willow Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Yellow Warbler
Ovenbird
American Robin
White-throated Sparrow


 

I'm going to start by adding some posts that I had done last year to my blog on BirdForum.net, as well as more recent musings that hadn't been posted.  Now that I have a website for this project, I can consolidate the old and add the new.

My last stop on this expedition was the small town of Stannard.  I was high up on shoulder of Ide Mountain when the road finally stopped climbing and I suspected I had reached the town line.  My DeLorme atlas confirmed I was across the line, so I found a safe place to park, and started walking.  It was now 7:20 in the evening, and the sky was beginning to dim.  I needed to complete my survey and get down off the mountain and back to paved roads before nightfall, as intersections were not well marked out here in the back country.

Timing can be everything.  The darkening skies are a cue to some species to retire for the night, but a cue to begin activities for others.  By good fortune, there was a small wetland along my section of Stannard Mountain Road, and I could clearly hear a Canada Warbler singing!  I had only encountered a CAWA on one occasion before, so this is still a new bird for me.  Unfortunately, the warbler stayed put at the back of the wetland, so I could not see this striking warbler thru my binocs.  After a half mile, I began my return to the car, when from deep in the woods behind me I heard the call of a Barred Owl.  I enjoyed its calls as I booked back to my car.

Checklist for Stannard:
Barred Owl
Red-eyed Vireo
Hermit Thrush
Mourning Dove
Ovenbird
Canada Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-thro

I chose this area for my survey because 1) I liked the name of the road, 2) I really liked the name of the road, and 3) it connected me from Sheffield (#109) down to the road that would eventually take me to Stannard (#111).  It was now 6:45pm and I had been on the road all afternoon.  The sun was getting low in the sky, so I guess you could say I cheated on this town... I stayed in my car for most of the survey.

Vertical Mile Road is actually three miles long, almost continually climbing.  I rolled down my windows, leaned my head out my window, and drove very slowly up the hill, tallying the bird songs and calls as I went. 

At the very top of the hill, I found a safe place to pull off, and observed for about 5 more minutes.  Not a bad checklist for such an unusual methodology!

Checklist for Wheelock:
American Kestrel (male)
Red-eyed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Cedar Waxwing
American Robin
Veery
Blue Jay
Ovenbird
American Redstart
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Slate-colored Junco
White-throated Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow