Belvidere - Montgomery - Westfield: Chasing down the final dozen

243 - 244 - 245... I'm now chasing down the final 12 towns, cities, and gores to complete the State of Vermont.  All but 3 are in the far northern reaches of the state, requiring 2 to 2 1/2 hours of driving just to get to the town.  Of course, getting to the town is only the beginning of the effort; I next have to find a suitable - and safe - place to park my car and conduct my survey.  

Birding in the mountains in wintertime provides the opportunity to see rural Vermont in one of the prettiest of seasons.  The mountain tops all white with snow, the valleys gray-brown from deciduous trees without snow or leaves, and the sinuous gray of the lone highway weaving through the valley and around meanders in the brooks and streams. 

Birding in the mountains in wintertime does not often provide for great birding opportunities, however, mostly due to the short days and diminished food for birds.  These latest towns featured the basic 3 species that I encounter everywhere in the north: Black-capped Chickadees, Common Ravens, and occasionally Blue Jays.  Boreal species are unlikely due to the deciduous nature of the forest.  Owls would be more likely if I were willing to bird after dark, and then wind my way back south towards the highways and the Interstate.  As it is, I try to find locations in each town that will give me the best chance at the best diversity of species at this time of year.  But it is always up to chance.

​My final 9 towns include 5 I have never visited before, and 4 I have visited but could not find a desirable location to hike and bird.  This is my home stretch, and with time running short, beggars can't be choosers, so what I see (or hear) during my survey will have to suffice.