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On warm, wet nights from mid-March to mid-April frogs and salamanders move from their wintering sites on high ground to breeding sites in wetlands to mate and lay eggs. Their route to the nearest vernal pool sometimes takes them across a road.
Otter Creek Audubon and the Salisbury Conservation Commission will patrol an amphibian crossing site in Salisbury again this year. Across Vermont, groups of concerned individuals attempt to alter amphibians’ lethal odds by moving them off the road during nights of significant movement. At the most dangerous crossings amphibians may suffer 50 percent mortality, but the crossing we monitor has little traffic. This site retains not only large numbers of amphibians but also remarkable species diversity: four salamander and three frog species. If we happen to get a “Big Night”, we’ll move more than a thousand amphibians in a two-hour period. The site affords all who participate an opportunity to experience this remarkable natural phenomenon first hand.
You can witness and help perpetuate this migration if you sign up for the 2023 amphibian email alert. The 2023 window is Monday, March 17 to Sunday, April 9. You’ll receive a confirming email at about 6 pm. Movement starts around 8:15 pm and can run for several hours. Volunteers may arrive and leave when they wish and are responsible for their own safety and the safety of others in their group. We strongly encourage you and all others in your group to wear a mask to reduce the risk of COVID spread. Upon arrival, Jim Andrews and OCAS will provide species identification tips and a reminder of appropriate behavior. With your help we’ll record the numbers of each species we move for two hours.
Sign up at kinglet@together.net, even if you were on the list in a previous year!
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Nine people came together on a cold February morning for this month’s wildlife walk at Otter View Park and The Hurd Grassland. Besides the squeaking of our boots on freshly fallen snow, things were quite as we walked down the trail to the end of the boardwalk at Otter View Park, but when we got down there, as the sun started to come out, the birds came out too. First was a Tufted Titmouse loudly tooting away. Then light squeaking alerted us to the presence of American Tree Sparrows which had the consideration to pose for us in bushes. A pair of House Finches were spotted in a tree engaged in some pair-bonding activities. As we walked out Dark-eyed Juncos flew across our path into the marsh, and a couple of Carolina Wrens started singing and calling loudly.
A quick carpool later over at the Hurd Grassland, we were greeted by a good number of American Goldfinches. Down in the fields we paused to look at Pigeons perched on the silo across the road, and discussed how most of the local ones have darker plumage which helps them absorb heat from the sun on cold winter days. A bit further around the trail, three Eastern Bluebirds were seen and heard making their distinctive call. Blue Jays noisily made their presence known moving through the trees above a hedgerow. More Juncos and Tree Sparrows were found in bushes here as well, and we spooked a flock of seven Mourning Doves from a thicket at the end of our walk.
All our bird sightings have been submitted to eBird and the full checklists can be viewed at the following links:
Other wildlife sightings are submitted to the Vermont Atlas of Life.
Our Next walk will take place Saturday, Mar. 11, at 8:00 AM. Meet at the parking area of Otter View Park at the intersection of Weybridge St. and Pulp Mill Bridge Rd. We hope to see you there.
In this issue of Otter Tracks you will find the following articles:
- The 26th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count
- The Significance of Peatlands
- Managing Woodlands for Maple and Songs
- From a Book Club to Biomimicry
- Sign Up for 2023 Salamander Escorts
- Dusky Seaside Sparrow
- Calendar of Events
Otter Creek Audubon Society members will receive a copy in the mail but you can always find the latest issues of Otter Tracks in color on our home page. You can also browse issues going back to the year 2000 in our Otter Tracks Archive.
Four hearty souls came out on what is turning out to be a rare chilly morning this winter for our monthly wildlife walk at Otter View Park and the Hurd Grassland. Birds must have also been feeling the chill as they were very hard to come by, but we did manage a few sightings. A flock of American Robins were seen flying high over the park likely on a search for food. Down on the boardwalk we enjoyed the way a light dusting of snow, and the wind had worked together to make the names on the boards really stand out. Also in that area we were a bit sad to see one of the most prominent Ash trees, which has been one of the best perches for birds to pose for pictures on, had been felled by the very active beavers. There was no activity on the open river while we were down there, but as we were walking back up onto the main trail, a flock of sixty Canada Geese flew in to take advantage.
Over at the Hurd Grassland, there were more birds to be seen, but most of them were around the houses on Meadow Ln. where the feeders are. Thirty or so American Goldfinches were seen in that area, along with Chickadees and a White-breasted Nuthatch. Walking around the big field didn’t profit us much except a lone Eastern Bluebird seen on the other side of Weybridge Rd. spotted when we were looking for Pigeons that weren’t there. A Common Raven flew over as we were entering the shrubby area, and we were just talking about how it is unusual to see just one alone, when a second one came along trailing behind. The most activity we had was when we came back up through the hedgerow and found Dark-eyed Juncos, House Sparrows, and Blue Jays, again near the feeders. And then we spooked a flock of eight Mourning Doves out of the bushes a little further on.
All our bird sightings have been submitted to eBird and the full checklists can be viewed at the following links:
Other wildlife sightings are submitted to the Vermont Atlas of Life.
Our Next walk will take place Saturday, Feb. 11, at 8:00 AM. Meet at the parking area of Otter View Park at the intersection of Weybridge St. and Pulp Mill Bridge Rd. We hope to see you there.
32 people came out on an unseasonably warm for the return of our First Day Hike at Button Bay State Park. Put on in partnership with Vermont State Parks, we aim to start the year right with both a good walk and a good start to our birding year lists.
The birds were in fairly low numbers, as is the current trend for them this winter, but we did manage to get some good sighting. Along the trails we found a flock of songbirds including a White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Blue Jays, which were spotted and ID’d by a seven-year-old participant in the walk. One of our group was lucky enough to see a Brown Creeper, but it crept away before anyone else got to see it. Out on the water around Ship point there was a moderate sized flock of American Black Ducks and Mallards, as well as some very distant Hooded Mergansers. We went out to the point across from Button Island and got better looks at those Mergansers, and got a great look at a Horned Grebe which surfaced seemingly from nowhere right in front of us. On our way back we found some more songbirds along the road, including some American Tree Sparrows. And to crown things off, while looking at a large flock of European Starlings, we were excited to see a Peregrine Falcon fly through them in an unsuccessful attempt to catch a meal.
It was great to return to doing this event, and we fully plan to do it again next year.
Seven people came out for this month’s wildlife walks at Otter View Park and the Hurd Grassland. Counting started right away as we worked to get a number of House Sparrows chirping from inside a bush. Things were otherwise quiet until we made our way to the boardwalk where we saw two Ravens flying over. Down by the river we heard some cryptic squeaking calls which turned out to be coming from either a Song Sparrow or some American Tree Sparrows. The highlight of the day came as we worked our way back around the trails, we came across a flock of seven Eastern Bluebirds which seemed to be sharing an interest in Ash tree seeds with American Goldfinches and House Finches.
On our commute over to the Hurd Grassland, we had to stop on the side of Weybridge Rd. to ID a Red-tailed Hawk that was being mobbed by a group of Crows. In the small hedgerow by the entrance to the property we spotted a group of Tufted Titmice as well as some Blue Jays. There wasn’t much activity in the big field, with even the silo across the road not producing a single Pigeon. But things picked up in the shrubland section with Chickadees and Cardinals and other regulars. On one dead tree we had the opportunity to work on the difference between Hairy Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers as both were working away on its trunk. A group of Canada Goose seen flying to the south attested to the fact that there was open water somewhere in the area. And just for symmetry’s sake we ended our day counting another flock of House Sparrows also making a racket in a bush.
All our bird sightings have been submitted to eBird and the full checklists can be viewed at the following links:
Other wildlife sightings are submitted to the Vermont Atlas of Life.
Our Next walk will take place Saturday, Jan. 14, at 8:00 AM. Meet at the parking area of Otter View Park at the intersection of Weybridge St. and Pulp Mill Bridge Rd. We hope to see you there.
The remnants of Hurricane Nicole must have kept most people away from our November wildlife walk at Otter View Park and The Hurd Grassland, but the three who came out were rewarded with rapidly clearing skies, warming temperatures, and some interesting sightings.
At the park Carolina Wrens were being their noisy selves, loudly calling as is their tendency for this time of year. The recently brush-hogged fields were relatively quiet, but down at the end of the boardwalk we observed some similar recent cutting done by Beavers, clipped Red Osier Dogwood stems cached for winter eating in the river at the edge of the bank. We seemed to run into talkative flocks of Tufted Titmice everywhere we went that morning. One of our best finds of the day came as we came back off the boardwalk and spotted a Winter Wren crossing the trail into the bushes. These small birds have become regular winter visitors to the marsh at the park for the past several years. Much less likely to be seen here in November though, were the pair of Gray Catbirds foraging in the grass along the trail back around to the sidewalk. To cap it off, nearby, we also found a pair of White-throated Sparrows who defied multiple attempts to get pictures of them.
Over at the Hurd Grassland, we were greeted by the sight of a Mosquito, likely one of the overwintering species tricked by the warm weather into leaving its hiding spot. Other unseasonal insect sightings on our walk included still a extant grasshopper, and a couple of Fall Crickets attempting to make it into winter. Six Eastern Bluebirds were seen around the edges of the fields. In a large tree at the north end of the shrubby section, a couple of Red-tailed Hawks were seen hanging their wings attempting to dry themselves out. The hedgerows were filled with Black-capped Chickadees, of which we estimated fifteen, but that was likely an undercount. A boldly patterned Song Sparrow was also seen in the bushes, as was a Dark-eyed Junco, a sure sign of winter. But on a day filled with mixed messages, we also heard two Spring Peeper Frogs calling from trees.
All our bird sightings have been submitted to eBird and the full checklists can be viewed at the following links:
Other wildlife sightings are submitted to the Vermont Atlas of Life.
Our Next walk will take place Saturday, Nov. 10 at 8:00 AM. Meet at the parking area of Otter View Park at the intersection of Weybridge St. and Pulp Mill Bridge Rd. We hope to see you there.
On, the evening of Thursday, Nov. 10, OCAS held our Annual Meeting online via Zoom. Our President, Ron Payne, gave an update on our activities for the past year, then we held a board election. If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch a recording of it in the video posted above.
We are currently in the process of amending our Bylaws and Constitution to give us the flexibility to hold our meeting at a different time of year, so we hope this will be the last Annual Meeting we will have had to hold online.
In this issue of Otter Tracks you will find the following articles:
- Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week
- Telephone Gap
- Outdoors Is Best!
- Bird Migration Explorer
- Hog Island Summer Camp
- Purple Martin Status
- Chapter Report
- Calendar of Events
Otter Creek Audubon Society members will receive a copy in the mail but you can always find the latest issues of Otter Tracks in color on our home page. You can also browse issues going back to the year 2000 in our Otter Tracks Archive.
Otter Creek Audubon Society is pleased to announce their annual $1000 scholarship to the renowned Hog Island Audubon Camp, available to an Addison County educator or teen. Located off the scenic coast of Maine, the camp is run by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Every summer they offer sessions for adults and teens, each lasting about 5 days. The spectacular surroundings and excellent instructors offer a truly enriching experience. Read all about it at https://hogisland.audubon.org .
The scholarship for educators is for the session entitled “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week.” This unique week is especially designed for educators committed to engaging their students with nature. More information on this program can be found here:
https://hogisland.audubon.org/sharing-nature-educator-s-week
The scholarship for a teen (age 14-17) who is especially keen on birding, is for the session “Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens, Session 2.” More information on this program can be found here:
https://hogisland.audubon.org/bird-studies-teens
Please find the OCAS scholarship applications attached below. The deadline for submission is December 31, 2022. The scholarship recipient will be notified by January 6, 2023. Questions? Email Carol at cgramsmac@mac.com.
Additional scholarships may be available from National Audubon. Applications for these National Audubon Ambassador Scholarships must be made by January 15th. For details and a National Audubon scholarship application refer to: https://hogisland.audubon.org/programs/scholarships
Most importantly, OCAS urges folks to share this scholarship information with any students or educators passionate about birds and the natural world. It is an exceptionally inspiring opportunity!
Otter Creek Audubon Society 