Early Winter and Fall Outings
Contributed by Pat Philllips and Lucie Lehmann
GMAS outings continue to be well attended and are spread out geographically among the three counties to make it easy for as many people as possible to participate. Below are some of the highlights from recent fall and early winter outings:
Twenty-four people covered more than three miles on Shelburne Farms on a mild October day that yielded 26 species, including the usual gulls, loons, and woodpeckers, a few Common Mergansers, some Eastern Bluebirds, and several dozen White-throated Sparrows.
Outing checklist: https://ebird.org/mychecklists?subID=UzE1MjE4MzYyNw..&s=t
What started out as a gray morning morphed into a very wet one on October 28 on the South Hero Marsh Trail. Nonetheless, 13 birders hung in and walked two miles to the sounds of periodic gunfire and raucous flocks of Canada Geese hoping to avoid those same hunters.
Our checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S153254990
On a cool, damp morning less than a week before Thanksgiving, a group of nineteen birders participated in an excursion over trails at the St. Michael's College Natural Area. Traversing a two-mile path through floodplain forest, old fields, and a bird-attracting composting area, birders were provided a wonderful opportunity to compare the sounds and appearances of the somewhat similar American Crow, Fish Crow, and Common Raven. In addition, there were good looks at a Pileated Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and White-breasted Nuthatches. A lone Carolina Wren also serenaded the group with its "tea kettle, tea kettle" song.
Here's a link to the morning's checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S154680456
On the first day of the new year, a party of nineteen birders took to the Burlington waterfront in an effort to observe a variety of avian species. A cold north wind accompanied by gray skies and occasional light flurries of snow added to the challenge. While European Starlings, Mallards, and Ring-billed Gulls were abundant, other bird species were scarce. Nevertheless, all were happy to be out and engaging in an activity that they enjoyed together.
Here is a link to the eBird report for this outing: https://ebird.org/checklist/S157698137