American Kestrel is the Bird of the year for 2011.
See more at http://www.aba.org/boy/ (from the American Birding Association).
a barred owl watching the feeding area
There is a barred owl near the feeding area right now! Soaking up November sunlight, keeping eyes + ears focused on chipmunks + juncos… http://ow.ly/i/kPGk
the Big Sit! results 2011
On Sunday, October 9, the Museum hosted the Loonatics and their Big Sit! circle. Thanks to all the volunteers who Shared the watch! Several people contributed excellent (and warm!) food to keep us going.
We identified 21 species, and recorded them with the Big Sit! website.
Loonatics – Birds of Vermont Museum
Captain: Erin Talmage
Location: Huntington, Vermont (United States)
Team Checklist
- Barred Owl Strix varia
- Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens
- Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus
- Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
- Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
- American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
- Common Raven Corvus corax
- Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
- Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
- White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
- Brown Creeper Certhia americana
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula
- Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
- American Robin Turdus migratorius
- Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata
- White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
- Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
- Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
- American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
- Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Through the Window: April birds… snow… mammals… no snow!
Birds
Not seen (or recorded) last month are bold
- Wild Turkey
- Mourning Dove
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Black-Capped Chickadee
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Dark-eyed Junco (12 on 3/16)
- Common Grackle
- Blue Jay
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Tufted Titmouse
- Continue reading “Through the Window: April birds… snow… mammals… no snow!”
Through the Window: March birds and others
Birds
We’ve bolded the one we didn’t observe last month.
- Hairy Woodpecker (male)
- Downy Woodpecker
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Blue Jay
- Tufted Titmouse (also singing like crazy 3/27)
- American Crow (heard 3/1, 2 eating corn 3/24, 1 on 3/27 until it saw me through the window)
- Common Redpolls (5 on 3/4/11)
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal (male)
- Red-breasted Nuthatch (3/13/11)
- Dark-eyed Junco
- White-breasted Nuthatch (3/13/11)
- Grackle (3/24/11)
- Red-winged Blackbird (heard 3/15/11, seen 3 on 3/24/11)
- Evening Grosbeak (male and female pair 3/30/11)
Mammals
- Red Squirrel
- Gray Squirrels (3 on 3/31/11)
- Eastern Cottontail (3/8)
- Eastern Chipmunk (3/15/11)
And if you’re curious, here’s a quick picture and post about what we feed the birds.
White-winged Crossbills
The White-winged Crossbills and Common Redpolls were a nice surprise on this snowy April morning. We also saw Wild turkeys, Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, and Blue Jays at our bird feeders.
Through the Window: February Birds at the Feeders (more or less)
Birds
We’ve bolded the one we didn’t observe last month.
- Tree Sparrow
- Wild Turkeys (2 on 2/4; 13 on 2/24)
- American Robin (7 on 2/4)
- Northern Cardinal
- Blue Jay
- Ruffed Grouse (across the road on 2/8, near the brook)
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Tufted Titmouse
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Mourning Dove
- European Starling
- Raven (flying over)
- Evening Grosbeak
- Black-capped Chickadee
- American Crow
- White-winged Crossbill (Male and Female on 2/16)
- Common Redpolls (3 on 2/23 on the thistle seed)
Mammals
- Red Squirrel
- Gray Squirrels
- Fisher (tracks seen 2/16, fisher itself on 2/28)
And if you’re curious, here’s a quick picture and post about what we feed the birds.
Great Backyard Bird Counting at the Museum
We were open last Saturday to celebrate and support the Great Backyard Bird Count. Naturally, we counted birds—and a few others—as well. Our results from that open time follow, and we will have our full count results posted to eBird as well.
Observed on February 19th, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
| Blue Jay | 9 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 2 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 4 |
| Northern Cardinal (female) | 1 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 2 |
| Mourning Dove | 6 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 4 |
| White-Breasted Nuthatch | 1 |
| European Starling | 1 |
| American Crow | 1 |
We also observed an Eastern Cottontail and 3 Red Squirrels.
How did your counts go?
Through the Window: January feeder birds
Birds
- Wild Turkeys (1/2/11; two talkative turkeys)
- Hairy Woodpecker (both male and female)
- Blue Jays
- Black-capped Chickadees
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Tufted Titmouse
- Mourning Dove
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Common Redpolls
- Northern Cardinal
- Downy Woodpecker
- American Robin (2 at 2:30 pm 1/21 on nearby branches)
- Pileated Woodpecker (1/25 at the front of the Museum—happened to notice while coming into work)
Mammals
- Red Squirrel
- 3 fat Gray Squirrels
A bit of a spare month. Perhaps we’re not sitting at the window enough?
Chickadee
“Almost everything delights a chickadee.” —E.B. White
Perhaps not snow, though.
I was using a Canon PowerShot S3 IS, and out of curiosity I set it to the sports setting (I don’t do or watch much sports) while photographing chickadees and downy woodpeckers near and at the Museum feeders. The birds were sharp, the snow not so much. I liked it.
– Kir, webmistress/program coordinator