If you want to see Osprey, then Sandbar WMA is the place to go. My nephew and I walked from the Access Area parking -- at the far end from the bustling State Park -- along US-2 for half a mile. When the traffic wasn't whizzing passed us at 55mph just 6 feet away, we were treated to several nice views of osprey... on their nests, perched nearby, and soaring around the delta. The only other bird of interest on that walk was a Great Egret, grooming itself in a dead tree. We observed 9 nests and 10 Osprey along the causeway; I'm sure we would've seen more had we walked the entire causeway; five of the nests were observed from the car as we too whizzed along the highway towards South Hero.
The Sandbar WMA would be much more birder-friendly if there was a pathway or boardwalk along the lower edges of the causeway. This would allow birders to walk the entire length, safely separated from the whizzing traffic, and with a better view of the wetlands. A screened bird blind could also be constructed -- jutting out just beyond the edge of the trees -- so that visitors could observe the osprey in the vicinity. Osprey are very sensitive to the presence of intruders -- which we clearly were -- so screening would be recommended to reduce their visibility of people on the walkway.
The Sandbar WMA would be much more birder-friendly if there was a pathway or boardwalk along the lower edges of the causeway. This would allow birders to walk the entire length, safely separated from the whizzing traffic, and with a better view of the wetlands. A screened bird blind could also be constructed -- jutting out just beyond the edge of the trees -- so that visitors could observe the osprey in the vicinity. Osprey are very sensitive to the presence of intruders -- which we clearly were -- so screening would be recommended to reduce their visibility of people on the walkway.
RSS Feed
