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Happy Spring and bird migration to all of you who find hope and inspiration in our feathered friends! It's been a long winter and an even longer year since the pandemic began. You probably haven't heard a peep from us since the Christmas Bird Count round-up, so it seemed a good idea to let you know that we haven't been hibernating, even though we've had to keep a pretty low profile while we've been going about our Audubon tasks. Let me catch you up on some of our doings.
 You most likely received a fundraising letter from us at the end of December. I am happy to report that the letter brought in over $2,000! We are so thankful that you recognize the value of our work protecting habitat for wildlife. We also ran three seed sales which were successful and we sold some bird caps, bluebird houses, used bird books and wildflower seeds, which not only added to our coffers, but increased our friendships with you. Thank you for your help in all of this.
Speaking of bluebird houses, all of them were made and donated by Pawlet Super Senior, Fred Stone (you can find him on WCAX''s website on Super Seniors). He's truly the Bluebird Man, raising some 50 of those beautiful creatures who "carry the sky on their backs" on his own acreage every year. If you see him, be sure to thank him for making the world a happier place!
Aside from fundraising, we were fortunate in receiving a Collaborative Grant from National Audubon to build a Chimney Swift Tower. The construction class at Stafford Technical Center, under supervision of Jeff Fowler, has begun work on building the structure for that and, staff member, Tyler Dahlin, of Rutland Parks and Recreation has been extremely helpful and enthusiastic about our placing the tower at Giorgetti Athletic Complex adjacent to Pine Hill Park. Look for a tower in May. We hope some Chimney Swifts, who are having difficulty finding natural nesting sites, will select it for their nesting site this year. And, we are happy for the collaboration with Stafford and Rutland Rec.
We have also been gathering lumber and planning for construction of another project for which we, in concert with the Town of West Rutland, received a Recreational Trails grant, pre- pandemic. This will be Phase 2 of a trail off Whipple Hollow Road at the West Rutland Marsh, a trail which will utilize a 150-foot boardwalk to traverse a cedar swamp. Construction for this will begin in mid-July, with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps doing the bulk of the work. It is our hope that we will see you on that trail by the end of the summer.
Other doings? Much of our time has gone into protecting the two easements we have, one in Chittenden and one near the Holiday Inn in Rutland. Board members of RCAS have also continued to monitor the West Rutland Marsh IBA on a monthly basis. Although we have been unable to invite the public to walk with us for a year now, we are hopeful that we can do so in July. It's always so much fun to share the birding experience with others!
 pre-pandemic visit to the new trail siteA final project of ours has been holding a virtual book discussion group, to which you may have received an invitation. Books read have been The Sixth Extinction and The Bird Way. Our final book for this year is Summer World, which will be discussed in the first week of April. It's not too late to join us in our lively discussions! Please do. The Rutland Free Library has the book.
Future plans involve our third wildlife art show, to be held at the Chaffee Art Center this year, mid-September through the end of October, weekend hours. If you have wildlife photos, paintings, or any other media that you'd like to show, get in touch with us on our Facebook page or emailing birding@rutlandcountyaudubon.org.
The Rutland Halloween Parade will be back in October and we're excited to participate in it again. Our float from 2019, A Murder of Crows, won a prize, and we hope to come up with another eerie, yet educational theme this year. If you have ideas, let us know. Also, let us know if you'd like to help us construct the float. It's great fun to be a part of Rutland's festivity!
Before either of these big events, we have two bio-blitzes coming up. One is to count Eastern Meadowlarks in the county and the other to identify flora and fauna at Mission Farm in Killington. If either of these interests you, you can participate too.
We'll also have two regular events this spring: Vermont Green Up Day at the West Rutland Marsh on May 1. We can always use help with this and many hands make light work.
The Century Count is the second annual event. On May 22, this year, we'll head out all over the county to see if we can identify 100 species of birds or more. We're not sure if we'll do this individually or in groups this year, but you can be part of this fun challenge, as well. As with all events, if you wish to participate, contact us on our Facebook page or at birding@rutlandcountyaudubon.org. We will look forward to hearing from you!
As you can see, we haven't been in hiding during the last few challenging months, although we haven't been particularly visible. The birds are returning now and we will be more visible in the next few months too. We hope to celebrate our return with you!
Best wishes of this happy, green and growing season!
Kathleen Guinness, President, and all of Rutland County Audubon Society
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There’s no doubt it’s spring when you visit West Rutland Marsh in May. Seven RCAS board members conducted our monthly monitoring, tallying 65 species. This compares to our May average of 67 species and 51 species one year ago.
Turkey VultureIn addition to yellow warbler and common yellowthroat, warbler species included ovenbird, northern waterthrush (one singing high from a bare tree top), several black-and-white warblers, a Nashville warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, yellow-rumped warbler and a black-throated green warbler. We also heard the ‘bees buzz’ of a winged warbler, but without a visual confirmation we couldn’t determine if it was a golden-winged warbler, a blue-winged warbler or a hybrid.
