White Admirals on animal scat

Ten participants took to the field at 9:00 a.m. on a clear but humid morning with a temperature reading of 68° F.  By the time the day was over for the last participant about 3:30 p.m. the temperature was hovering around 87° F. 

The 35 species tallied was in fact equal to the average over the past 16 years while the individual tally was some 116 short of the average.  Looking over the species diversity and numbers, the highs and the lows over the past 16 years, it would appear that there is neither constancy nor predictability although the counts were undertaken in the same areas and almost on the same calendar date.  One variable seems to be the maturity and passage of the season and that of supportive plant growth.

It was nice to record two Dion Skippers, a species included in “Vermont’s Sweet Sixteen.”

For the most part no attempt was made to differentiate between Northern Crescent and Pearl Crescent, hence Crescent sp.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (1), Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (1), Tiger Swallowtail sp. (2), Cabbage White (33), Clouded Sulphur (101), Bronze Copper (2), Coral Hairstreak (1), Acadian Hairstreak (1), Eastern Tailed-Blue (26), Great Spangled Fritillary (27), Aphrodite Fritillary (14), Atlantis Fritillary (4), Meadow Fritillary (172), Crescent sp. (34), Baltimore Checkerspot (3), Question Mark (2), Eastern Comma (2), Painted Lady (1), Red Admiral (6), White Admiral (2), Viceroy (2), Eyed Brown (13), Common Ringlet (5), Common Wood Nymph (12), Monarch (23), Least Skipper (5), European Skipper (60), Indian Skipper (1), Peck’s Skipper (4), Tawny-edged Skipper (1), Long Dash (3), Northern Broken-Dash (7), Little Glassywing (23), Dun Skipper (4), Dion Skipper (2).  Total individuals, (600).  Total species, (35).

Brown Pelican, one of the species being affected by the oil spill

We know Rutland County Audubon members want to help. We are concerned with the effects of this disaster on the birds that breed in our area and then fly south either through or to the gulf for winter. We are conducting bird-monitoring efforts (counting birds) in many areas in Rutland County and can always use more help. One good way to start is to participate in our monthly marsh walk. It is both a way to hone your bird identification skills and contribute to the database of bird populations. Another way is to contribute your bird sightings to eBird. To see just one example of how monitoring efforts can make a difference, click on this link at eBird.

We will do our best to get everyone involved in resolving this crisis.

Cardinal Flower

Roy Pilcher, RCAS Co-PresidentRoy presented the annual report, which highlights the achievements of the past year. These include the preservation of 55 acres at West Rutland Marsh, completing two years of effort in securing a grant and closing the sale of the property. Also, a year of monitoring of the Pomainville Wildlife Management Area in Pittsford was completed and will continue. About 100 species have been tallied there to date. RCAS members individually continue to monitor other areas around Rutland County. Audubon Adventures is being brought to classrooms in the area and we are actively promoting our Bridge-to-Bridge Interpretive Trail at West Rutland Marsh. Marv Elliott talked about the importance of National Audubon especially in light of the Gulf oil spill. Angele Brill presented the treasurer’s report, which shows that RCAS is financially sound.

As always we need more members to take an active role in furthering the mission of Rutland County Audubon: To foster an enjoyment of the birds and the preservation of their habitat. Please contact Marv Elliott at vtbirdhouses@yahoo.com or Roy Pilcher at shamwariVT@aol.com if you want to help!

You can download a copy of the 2009-2010 Annual Report here.

enjoying the potluck

On May 29, 20 birders gathered at 6 a.m. for Century Count XV. Armed with binoculars, spotting scopes, cameras, and notebooks, we set out to cover the county in our annual attempt to tally 100 species.

A trip around West Rutland Marsh produced Virginia Rail and Sora. A Marsh Wren was seen carrying nesting material. Warblers, mostly along Whipple Hollow Road, were Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, and Canada Warbler. The highlight of the marsh, however, was not the warblers, but a male Orchard Oriole in full song along Marble Street. This was a first Vermont bird or life bird for many of the participants.

The Pleasant St. powerline in West Rutland was a successful stop as usual with Blue-winged Warbler (dressed and singing appropriately) and a feisty Prairie Warbler. An Eastern Towhee and a Field Sparrow were also observed.

One of the highlights of the day was our stop at the Rte 4 rest area, where a Cerulean Warbler looking at the Cerulean Warblerwas singing and observed high in the trees. RCAS Co-president Roy Pilcher first observed this bird May 11 (16 years after he saw it at the same location). Again The Cerulean was a life bird for many. Another Blue-winged Warbler (also appropriately dressed and singing) was seen here as well as a Golden-winged Warbler singing a Blue-winged Warbler song. All the field marks indicated Golden-winged and not a hybrid. A hermit thrush nest was found with two chicks, one possibly a Brown-headed Cowbird, and two blue eggs, one with the egg tooth poking through. A Louisiana Waterthrush was also heard at this location.

The Castleton College Nature Trail produced a Hairy Woodpecker nest with young, the second Canada Warbler of the day, and a Pine Warbler. A Broad-winged Hawk was seen and a Brown Creeper was singing.

The Lake Bomoseen/Hubbardton IBA produced Wood Duck, including a female with eight young, and a Cliff Swallow on its nest under the church eaves.

happy birdersAt our lunch stop at Bomoseen State Park, we observed a Herring Gull and Yellow-throated Vireo.

At the Kehoe Fishing Access at Lake Bomoseen, we heard a Tennessee Warbler singing, quite incessantly, for mid-day. Appropriately a Nashville Warbler was also heard at this spot. A Red-eyed Vireo was observed bringing in birch bark strips for its nest-building efforts.

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was seen at the Bird Mountain WMA in Castleton. No Peregrine Falcon activity was observed on the cliffs. However, two Red-tailed Hawks were seen soaring.

Wild Turkeys, a Brown Thrasher, a few Bobolinks, and two Eastern Meadowlarks were seen in Benson. Bank Swallows were seen entering and exiting their nests at the town sand supply in Brandon. The day ended at 9:20 p.m. at Lefferts Pond with, most appropriately, Great Horned Owl and Barred Owl.

Notably absent for the day were American Bittern, American Woodcock, Winter Wren, and Black-throated Green Warbler. A total of 28 checklists were submitted to eBird.

 Total Species List:

Showy Lady's Slipper

This meeting will include important Audubon business including a year-end report of our activities. It will also include the annual election of officers and directors. These positions run for one year and are open to any member.

If you are interested in helping Rutland County Audubon continue its efforts toward conservation please either let me know before the meeting or have your name placed in nomination at the meeting. If you would like further information please contact Roy Pilcher at shamwariVT@aol.com or Marv Elliott at vtbirdhouses@yahoo.com. As a volunteer organization we depend on your support to keep us going.

Please bring a dish to share and some birding stories. Beverages and utensils will be provided.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female)In addition to providing natural plantings, feeders are a popular way to get a close look at these mighty mites. The formula for making your own nectar could not be simpler. A ratio of 4 parts water to1 part white sugar is recommended. Just boil the water, add the sugar, stir until dissolved and cool. DO NOT use honey, as it will cause a fungal infection. Be sure to store any extra food in the refrigerator.

You may wonder if adding red coloring will help attract the birds more readily. An article in the May/June Birdwatcher’s Digest discusses this topic. It goes into detail as to facts and figures, but what it boils down to is that, given the body ratio of the little birds, hummingbirds receive a dosage that greatly exceeds the FDA standard for humans. The story tells that that after only two feedings of food with coloring the bird excreted the red dye for 24 hours. So to be on the safe side, do not use the coloring. Most feeders have plenty of red on them to make them attractive to the birds. Just be sure to change the solution every 3 days and clean and rinse the feeders with hot water to avoid any mold that may form. Brushes can be purchased at your local bird emporium to help in getting the grunge out.

Looking at eBird I see the hummers are back in Vermont so get ready, you know impatient these tiny, feathered friends are when you don’t have their food out for them!

Yellow Warbler

Sadly this much trash is pulled out of the marsh each year. Every town has at least one area prone to illegal dumping. Unfortunately these areas are often in great birding habitat. The careless trash of cans and bottles and fast food bags seems inevitable, but it is hard to fathom the deliberate dumping of appliances and furniture, and even worse, items such as motor oil.

RCAS welcomes ideas for keeping West Rutland Marsh and other areas free from dumping. In the meantime we can all help out by leaving areas cleaner than we find them. Enjoy your sparkling clean marsh!

L-R: Marv Elliott, Bill Meub, Roy PilcherIn appreciation RCAS presented Bill with a photo of the boardwalk. The boardwalk symbolizes the effort to extend the natural beauty of the area to all who come to enjoy it. Audubon board member and photographer David Jenne donated the print for this special occasion. The gift was given to Bill for his outstanding effort in helping to make the purchase of the property possible.  

Words penned by Roy Pilcher for the occasion best sum up our appreciation:

Rutland County Audubon Society, in presenting this image of the West Rutland Marsh and boardwalk to Bill Meub, affirms our commitment to both the integrity and the preservation of the marsh while at the same time providing access for its enjoyment.photo by David Jenne

Rutland County Audubon Society recognizes and appreciates the professional and personal commitment that Bill Meub has demonstrated in furthering and facilitating these shared values in and through the acquisition of the Belden property.

What is eBird and what does it do? Launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon, eBird is an online, real-time checklist program that collects bird sightings across the country. Vermont eBird is administered by the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE), who, along with other environmental organizations in the state, sponsor the site.

How can you help? Your sightings, whether in your backyard, on your favorite hike, or at one of Rutland County Audubon Birding Hotspots, can make a difference. Sightings from all our RCAS field trips are entered into eBird. The sightings provide scientists with information on the distribution and abundance of bird species.

For those of you that keep bird lists, eBird has the added bonus of keeping and sorting data, whether it’s a life list, a state list, or a yard list. Want to know when the first hummingbird of the season might be seen in Vermont? eBird can tell you that. Planning a trip to a state or national park this summer and want to know what birds might be seen? eBird can give you that information too.

Spring is around the corner so what better time to get started? Click here to check out eBird and what’s happening in the bird world!

Upon opening the pages, one’s sense of touch is aroused by the unusually softly textured paper. How perfect, I thought, for those of us with a bent to cozy up for a winter’s evening reading and dreaming warmer climes and times. Whether this will also be true of the paperback edition coming out in April, I cannot say. The back cover flap says it’s also available as an e-book. Sorry, no sensual accompaniments there!

Although it is entitled Summer World, Heinrich’s observations do not begin at the summer solstice (June 21), but rather in February, when he first sights a raven pair building a nest. He points out that, though we tend to think of winter, with its test of severe cold, as necessitating months of preparation, the few truly warm weeks of summer are a limited time for successfully mating and raising young. American RobinSo birds, insects and amphibians, all get as early a start as possible to take advantage of the warmest days. Also trees, for one might say they are “obsessive” about preparation, since they flush out early, complete their yearly growth shortly thereafter, and by July, have developed buds for the next year.

I found his further discussion of tree budding particularly enlightening. Many of us have found mid-winter bud identification workshops and field trips quite frustrating. Now, to make it more perplexing, Heinrich alerts us that many northern forest trees have separate buds for leaf and flower. There is a logical utility for this. Wind-pollinated trees flower a month before leafing out, when they can be more easily pollinated because there is less blockage of wind carrying pollen over leaves. On the other hand, bee-pollinated basswood is pollinated a month or so after the leaf buds have opened, when, in late summer, the bee population has peaked.

BloodrootAs in Winter World, the author relates his ingenious yet practical methods for evoking nature’s secrets. Using garbage can lids, he studies crocuses’ response to light, and to consider Bloodroot’s blooming relation to temperature, he puts them in his refrigerator.

A large part of the book is given to discussing insects. He delves into great minutiae on the distinct nests and unique behaviors of various wasp species and wonders, “Aside from the mystery of how wasps can do so much with so little, there is the mystery of how what they know, is passed faultlessly from one generation to the next.”

Seemingly instinctual behavior of some moths and butterflies can appear positively perspicacious. Their caterpillars chip off the petiole of the leaf they have just partially consumed, allowing it to drop to the ground. Heinrich calls this “covering their tracts,” from buds on the lookout for caterpillar activity.

However, I found the author occasionally spotty on the lucidity of his explanations. For example, a seven-page dissertation explores red and black ant colonization, emigration and social interaction. Yet,Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillar in a subsequent chapter, in one paragraph, he describes a sphinx moth caterpillar that overnight became “covered with 91 white braconid wasp cocoons, its skin covered with little dark puncture wounds.” There is a rather ghastly photo of this phenomena, but not explanation. Had the caterpillar ingested wasp eggs during prior days when Heinrich had been watching it casually munching leaves? For someone who is professor emeritus of biology at the University of Vermont, the answer is probably something he considers quite commonplace.

The author redeemed himself, in my estimation, by providing an answer to something that struck my curiosity this past fall. On many golden leaves of a neighbor’s poplar, I noted a dime-sized deep green splotch, at the base, near the mid-vein. Heinrich put similar spotted areas under a microscope and found feeding “leaf miner” caterpillars with trails of black fecal pellets.

As distinct from Winter World, in Summer World Heinrich takes more excursions off course into philosophical speculation. In sequential chapters, he hypothesizes on the possibility of life on other planets, presents a diatribe on global working that leads into the necessity of a “spiritual imperative,” and theorizes how man evolved from a “hairy” ape into a “naked” human.

All in all, I was less enamored of this book than Winter World, even though the text is accompanied by beautiful and clarifying drawings and watercolors, which I always consider a plus. On the contrary, entomologists and other insect enthusiasts would be enraptured. Perhaps this is because, despite being so numerous, insects are more inconspicuous, often considered a nuisance, and requires time, patience, and close observation to understand the intricacies of their lives.