The Castleton River flows through the West Rutland Marsh. Photo by Sue Elliott.
Our August walk around West Rutland Marsh was notable for three reasons. First, the walk marked the start of our 26th year of monthly monitoring. This was our 301st month! We’ve been there under a variety of circumstances from minus degree weather (three participants, three species!) to one participant on a couple of walks during the pandemic to the creation of the Whipple Hollow Trail and access to new habitats.
Three hundred walks have yielded quite a bit of data. Recently RCAS member and supporter Lee Allen compiled and analyzed our observations. A brief summary with a link to the full report can be found at our website here: https://www.rutlandcountyaudubon.org/journal/celebrating-25-years-of-monitoring-the-west-rutland-marsh
Ralph Nimtz has been instrumental in designing and building the Whipple Hollow Trail boardwalks, including the new Oasis halfway along the first boardwalk. Photo by Sue Elliott.
There was an additional cause for celebration! Our new platform off the Whipple Hollow Trail has been open for a few weeks so we gathered for a few minutes to toast Ralph Nimtz, who created the platform and made sure that it happened. Thank you to all whole helped either with muscle or money! And we’re not done. Future plans include a second platform on the other boardwalk.
And third, the fall migration is on! A total of 47 species was observed and included species that are either on the move or are bulking up on berries and insects for the flight. We saw three Baltimore Orioles including one out in the marsh perched on a tree it shared with a Cedar Waxwing. Warblers included Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Yellow Warbler and Chestnut-sided Warbler. A Yellow-throated Vireo, a species common in Vermont, but not usually seen at the marsh, was spotted along Marble Street,
The Yellow-throated Vireo is more often heard than seen. Its song is a raspy version of the Red-eyed Vireo’s. Photo by Sue Elliott.
A trip report for our August 27 walk can be found here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/564850
Our next walk and the second of our 26th year will be on September 10, starting at our fall and winters hour of 8 a.m., at the Marble st boardwalk. The fall migration continues!