The first hour of the August 18, 2026, RCAS Board meeting was dedicated to Prof. Lee Allen’s findings from 25 years of monitoring the West Rutland Marsh. His report summarizes data collected during 300 monthly 4-mile bird walks around the West Rutland Marsh from August 2001 to July 2026. During this 25-year period, hundreds of Rutland County Audubon Society volunteers contributed over 9,400 hours to this effort.
This is just a taste of what is in Lee’s report. To see the whole report, click here.
What bird species were seen the most often? Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, and American Crows were (almost) always present (299 of the 300 monthly walks!).
What bird species were the most abundant (total number of birds seen over all 25 years)?
Red-winged Blackbird - 17,990
Black-capped Chickadee - 6,030
American Goldfinch - 5,028