Your wildlife sightings are news to us! If you have pictures or stories of encounters with fauna or flora in the area, please email them to us and interesting ones will be posted to this page.
Ron Payne
rpayne72@myfairpoint.net
On Mother’s Day, Otter Creek Audubon held our annual Warbler Warm-up in partnership with The Watershed Center at our traditional location at the Waterworks Property in Bristol. Two groups, one led by Ron Payne and the other by Chris Runcie split off in two different directions, crossing paths at the reservoir to compare notes. As the name of the event suggests, warblers are one of our main focuses of the day, and though the total number of them were a little low, we did manage to find ten species tallying Overnbird, Northern Waterthrush, Golden-winged, Black-and-white, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, and Pine. Other notable birds were a Broad-winged Hawk spotted perched in a tree, Indigo Buntings in an overgrowing field, and singing Scarlet Tanagers that did their damnedest to avoid being seen. Also at the end of our walk, a hooting Barred Owl that both groups were sure was the other group mimicking the call until it was proved otherwise.
Thanks to all who joined us for this enjoyable outing. You can see the full eBird checklists of our two groups at the links below.
Participants of the May Wildlife Walk at Otter View Park and the Hurd Grassland really got to experience the best these two properties have to offer in the spring. Most of the action at the park happened down on the boardwalk where we had very active Yellow Warblers, a singing Common Yellowthroat, and Warbling Vireos all back on their nesting territories. Baltimore Orioles were also conspicuous singing their lovely song, as well as chasing each other around, and collecting nesting material. A Green Heron was seen hanging out on a log down the river with both Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers nearby. I have often heard people lament that they have never seen Otters at Otter View Park, but I am hear to tell you that it is possible, and that we didn’t just see one, we saw three! And if that wasn’t good enough, as we were walking back out the boardwalk, a Virginia Rail, which we had been hearing from the cattails, popped up in front of us flying to what it thought was a safer place.
Over at the Hurd Grassland, as soon as we got out of our cars, I noted that I was hearing a White-crowned Sparrow singing, only to be told to turn around a look at the one on the ground behind me. As we walked in a Tree Swallow perched at the sign at the entrance as if to let us know it was enjoying the “Bird and Wildlife Habitat.” In a tree overlooking the field we saw an American Kestrel, and later saw it flying around with a second one. No Bobolinks were seen in the big field for our walk, but I can report that one did show up a few days later. In the shrub-land section of the property, we were treated to almost the full suite of birds that we manage this section for. Field Sparrows were giving their “bouncing ball” song from several locations, an Eastern Towhee gave us both the “drink-your-tea” and “towhee” sounds, a Brown Thrasher was going through its repeating repertoire of tweets and buzzes. But the big news of the day was that we had not one, but two singing male Blue-winged Warblers.
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, June 3, at 7:00 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.
Once again this May teams of OCAS birding volunteers will spend a 24-hour period scouring Addison County to find as many species as we can for our annual Birdathon fundraiser. All the money raised will go to support our educational and outreach programs including:
- Conducting birding classes and field trips in area schools
- Sponsoring a local educator or student to attend Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine
- Providing grants for teacher-organized programs and field trips
- Offering Cabin Fever lectures
- Hosting events at Dead Creek Wildlife Day
- Holding a Beginning Birders Walk for all ages at Wright Park in Middlebury.
Teams are already forming! All teams are expecting to enjoy a day in nature and hoping for your support toward funding our education programs. Any group or individual can forma team.
You can learn how to participate by using the printable form or support us directly by donating online with the button on our Donate page.
In this issue of Otter Tracks you will find the following articles:
- Maroon-fronted Parrot
- Education Happenings
- Birds’ Neglected Sense
- Amphibian Movement in 2023
- Cockatoos Join Tool-Use Club
- Birdathon Anecdotes
- 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.
Blessed with lovely weather, nine people set out for April’s wildlife walk at Otter View park and the Hurd Grassland to survey birds and other wildlife at these two properties. Being early in migration season, we were hoping to see some new birds arrivals at both places and we weren’t entirely disappointed.
At the park we started off with some lingering winter species with a group of Dark-eye Juncos near the parking lot. Red-winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows were busy singing away working out the boundaries of their territories. Eastern Phoebes and Carolina Wrens were similarly vocal. Down at the end of the boardwalk we spotted a Great Blue Heron looking quite a bit warmer than one did the previous month. Some Canada Goose were seen paring up on the creek while others were seen dropping in for a rest on their way North. One of the most interesting things during our walk was hearing American Tree Sparrows doing their full breeding song, something there is just a brief window to hear before they head to their breeding grounds further north.
A quick carpool took us over to the Hurd Grassland where we immediately saw newly arrived Tree Swallows staking claims to the birdhouses on the property. Also making use of one of the boxes was a pair of Bluebirds, which this author discovered later in the day while cleaning birdhouses, were already sitting on eggs. As we walked the perimeter of the field, we had a great view of a Norther Harrier hunting low over the grasses. A Red-tailed Hawk was twice sighted kiting—parked seemingly motionless in a headwind—very high up in the sky. Also of interest were a group of four handsome, if vilified Brown-headed Cowbirds visiting a feeder.
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, May. 13, at 7:00 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 second and final Amphibian Escorts for 2023 was April 5th. We had a successful evening moving amphibians across Morgan Road in Salisbury.
There was rain, not too much, but ample for getting amphibians to move from wintering sites to breeding sites. Jim Andrews was present and gave everyone a clear idea of what needed to happen. The first movement was close to 8:15. 62 people helped move amphibians. Jim’s figures for the night were:
Blue-spotted Salamander: 57 alive, 6 dead
Four-toed Salamander: 28 alive, 0 dead
Red-backed Salamander: 18 alive, 0 dead
Spotted Salamander: 18 alive, 5 dead
Wood Frog: 8 alive, 0 dead
Spring Peeper: 1 alive, 0 dead
Eastern Newt: 0 alive, 2 dead
Total amphibians: 209 with 196 alive and 13 dead.
Four cars came through during our time on site, accounting for most of the dead amphibians, with a few (likely the newts) having been run over in the previous 24 hours or longer.
There will continue to be amphibian movement, especially over higher terrain. Thanks for turning out in good numbers on April 5th.
Thanks for signing up this year; I hope you got to participate. See you next year.
— Warren King
On Friday, March 31, OCAS and the Salisbury Conservation Commission held the first of what we hope will be two salamander crossing events at Morgan Rd. Here is a report on the night’s activities from Jim Andrews from the The Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas Project:
We had 20 people attending between 8:15 and 10, the temp was around 36 F (on the colder side), and six cars came through while we were there (more than usual).
We found 33 Blue-Spotted Salamanders (31 alive, 2 dead), 10 Spotted Salamanders (6 alive, 4 dead), and 13 Wood Frogs (12 alive and 1 dead). Activity was slower at the beginning and picked up slightly over time with a sprinkling of rain and slightly warming temperatures occurring later. It was interesting that none of the smaller salamanders (Eastern Red-backed Salamanders or Four-toed Salamanders) or Spring Peepers were moving and I suspect it was the result of the colder temperatures.
If you would like to participate in our next event, sign up to receive an email alert by sending a message to Warren King at kinglet@together.net.
The March monthly walk at Otter View park happened on a bitterly cold, windy morning, and yet three hearty souls came out to search for birds and other wildlife. Being March, we were expecting the return of Red-winged Blackbirds, as the males rush in as early as possible to set up their territories. We were not disappointed on that front, though they did seem rather subdued given the weather conditions. Also at the start of the walk,we got a brief glimpse of a Cooper’s Hawk which was swooping down in the vicinity of one of the neighborhood bird feeders. Down at the end of the boardwalk, a cycle of warming and cooling had managed to open up the river, and downstream from us we spotted a very cold looking Great Blue Heron, head feathers blown about by the wind, and a pair of Canada Goose. Across the river I saw a dark, robin-sized bird flying up to a patch of Oriental Bittersweet berries. Would you believe it was a Gray Catbird? Well, I’m not sure I believed it, and without a better look, or other observers corroborating the sighting, I had to put it down as a “passerine sp.” in our eBird checklist.
Over at the Hurd Grassland, the wind started out being no better, and that kept our bird numbers down. We did have a good flock of Goldfinches in the birches near the start of the trail, and a group of Mourning Doves hanging out near a feeder. A small flock of Chickadees were found in some dogwood bushes along the edge of the big field. And as we turned back North a good flock of American Robins were seen flying overhead. As we made our way around the shurbland the sun started coming out, and tha picked up the bird activity. Blue Jays started making a racket, and Red-winged Blackbirds were seen again, this time doing some tentative singing of their territorial song. Working our way back through the hedgerow, we found a large flock of House Sparrows, and a Dark-eyed Junco nearby. And as we came to the end of the walk, we spotted both a male and female Eastern Bluebirds visiting a suet feeder.
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, Apr. 8, 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 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!
SHARE THIS:
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.
Otter Creek Audubon Society 