Vermont Birder

All Jacked Up but not yet ready to go.

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Richard

The small bruises and cuts on my fingers signify the completion of a repair project — the replacement of the front jack. Like most efforts with our old trailer, it was not easy or without “issues.”

So, here is the culprit prior to replacement. The gears had stripped, the motor had given out, and I was stuck with using a log to keep the tongue of the trailer out of the mud.

What you can’t see is the rusted bolts holding the jack to the tongue.

There was no way that the three bolts threaded into the tongue were going to move and I had about resolved to cut them off with an angle grinder when I got smart and posted a query on a wonderful online Airstream group called Air Forums. Here’s the question I raised:

I got several responses back that said first use a penetration oil like PB Blaster, then heat if needed. They all said don’t cut the bolts off. So, down to our local hardware store I went and talked to one of the knowledgeable guys who further cautioned me to take my time and don’t use too much force or “you’ll snap off the bolt.”

So, I soaked the bolts, tried to move them, heated them, and later that day, got one to budge. I carefully extracted two of the bolts, breaking the rust with oil and heat. Of course, the third one snapped when I put an extender on my ratchet wrench — so I was left with two nice threaded holes and a stub of a hardened bolt.

The two bolts and on the right, the snapped-off bolt. At least the old jack of off the rig.

I ground down the bolt prior to trying to drill it out.

So, the next morning it was back to the store and confessing to my advisor. He sold me a drill bit/tapping set and some new bolts and soon I was back at the task, trying to get a small drill bit to center on the bolt. I finally got it drilled and rethreaded.

The final tasks were rather uneventful – the jack fit the hole, the new bolts worked fine, and when I connected the power, the whole thing worked. It was a lot of work but it was wonderful to have the help of folks who know what they are doing. After a few additional fixes due to the differences in the new jack, the Airstream is now ready to hook up to the truck again. Of course, the list of tasks grew as I worked around the unit, noticing items needing repair. So, we’ll tackle them one at a time but this major one is great to have out of the way.

New jack ready to go.

Posted in repairs, rig maintenance | Comments Off

County List Update

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Richard

Four months gone and in spite of pinched neck nerves and out-of-state travel, my list is doing pretty well. I’m at 79 species and most of those seen with my Vizsla alongside. I’ve missed some birds early (like Pine Grosbeak) that hopefully I can pick up at the end of the year. No big deal — this has been an interesting low key effort. I suspect that my target of 170 is about ten too high but we’ll see as we proceed. Here’s a couple of local birds I got this week:

I saw this FOY Spotted Sandpiper yesterday at Wrightsville Reservoir wet lands, along with four others.

I saw this FOY Solitary Sandpiper yesterday at Wrightsville Reservoir wetlands, along with three others.

This Warbling Vireo was singing up a storm the other morning at Berlin Pond. It’s nice to have buds instead of leaves on the trees.

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Posted in Big Year, County Big Year, Local Birding, Vermont Birding, Washington County | 2 Comments

MA Birds

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Richard

We took a three day family trip down to Merrimac, MA where I got to do a little more southern birding. Unfortunately, most of the migrants have not yet arrived but it was great to see and hear birds, like Northern and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, that we don’t often see in Washington County, Vermont. I went to Salisbury State Park with the dog one morning and hit the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a few hours the next morning. Here are a few photos from my outings:

One of many European Phoebes.

Chipping Sparrows were everywhere and singing steadily. (They just arrived in Vermont)

This Cooper’s Hawk was patiently waiting along the access road to Salisbury SP.

There were nearly 100 Brant on the rocks in the Merrimack River.

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Posted in MA Birding | Comments Off

Getting the Rig Back Together

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Richard

The snow has melted, mud season is over, and the pinched nerve in my neck has been somewhat relieved. It is time to tackle the many tasks needed to get the Airstream back on the road. Recall that I finally got the repairs made to the exterior last fall but all the cabinets, beds, and accessories that I removed and stored down cellar have to be reinstalled.

The snow has finally melted and it’s time to tackle a myriad of projects to get the rig roadworthy again.

But first, I need to deal with the front jack whose motor and gearing failed last year, after several years of burned connections and emergency fixes. It no longer works at all, which makes it a little tricky to get hitched up.

The jack has been on the rig since 1999 so the three bolts holding it on are rusted in place. I suspect that I am going to have to cut them off so I borrowed my neighbor’s angle grinder and bought a cutting wheel. Not sure how I’ll open up the three holes to bolt the new one on.

I ordered a replacement jack from my friends at Vintage Trailer Supply and since they are based in Montpelier, will pick it up on Thursday. I’m sure they can give me a little advice on steps ahead. Stay tuned — or if you have ideas, leave a comment.

Posted in renovation, repairs, rig maintenance | Comments Off

Looking for Mr. Bluebird

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Richard

One of the birds I’ve missed seeing for my County bird list is European Bluebird so yesterday morning, I took the dog for a Saturday morning bird walk at the North Branch Nature Center. I knew that they had been seeing a couple there but I’d missed them each visit. This time, I saw one before I even got the truck parked.

A male bluebird was staking out a nesting box but being hassled by Tree Swallows. I watched a dozen swallows chasing each other, harassing the bluebird — just doing their thing. Now the center has a “leash your dog” policy and since I’m a board member, I adhere to that — so the first thing I did was to hitch Penny’s leash to my belt. Nothing like having a 60 pound lunger, explorer tied to you while trying to focus on birds. Even more challenging taking photos but I got a few.

Tree Swallows were competing big time for the nesting boxes.

Here a male bluebird watches while a swallow races by.

Meanwhile, Mrs Bluebird was watching it all far away in the community garden.

Penny and I had a good outing, hearing and seeing a number of birds. It was a certain amount of tangled leash, stopping to sniff clumps of grass (her, not me), but a beautiful morning to be out. Toward the end of the walk, I heard and then saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet working it’s way around some leafless trees. I had never heard, knowingly, the wonderful vocalization these tiny guys and gals have. Here’s a photo I took as it landed or departed — you’ll have to take my word that it’s a kinglet.

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet comes in for a landing.

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Posted in Big Year, County Big Year, Local Birding, Vermont Birding, Washington County | 1 Comment

Local Birding With The Vizsla

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Richard

I decided to stay close to home today as I work through a partial recovery of my pinched neck nerve. Walking and exercise seems to help while driving can be problematic.

Just before we started out, this White-throated Sparrow was chowing down on thistle seed.

So, Penny and I trucked down to the Wrightsville Reservoir where she can run free and where there are few visitors this time of year. She did her best, running to and fro, to scare off every bird in Washington County. There were plenty to satisfy her and me.

The first birds we saw on the water were these Common Mergansers.

As Penny raced up and down the paths and along the shoreline, the Mallards and mergansers just moved out a little further, while a couple of Canada Geese honked their displeasure, from a distance. The whole area is flooded all winter and spring (this a flood control dam) and only now is drying out. Dozens of Song Sparrows sang their hearts out and chased one another in the morning 40 degree temperatures.

You can’t see me here. A Song Sparrow watched us pass by.

There were many Swamp Sparrows singing their “sewing machine” song and I got wonderful looks at several. My fingers were numb from the temperatures and they keep moving, and are in the brush, so they made photography impossible. They are my 70th County bird.

Later in the day, we birded our property and the adjacent forest. One of the highlights was a pair of Brown Creepers working on our white pines. I heard them first and then laid on the forest floor to watch them (easier on the neck). We have a couple of pairs that seem to be in residence and it is always a treat to hear and see them.

I love Hermit Thrushes. They don’t seem to be vocalizing yet but we have a few that I hope are nesting here.

We came home to an array of birds in our backyard, both at the feeder and in surrounding trees. Here is a shot of a Dark-eyed Junco and a pair of Purple Finches on the same branch of our old apple tree.

The Song Sparrow to the right looks too red and the Dark-eyed Junco looks too light but it was just the afternoon lighting angle.

The Dark-eyed Junco to the left looks too light but it was just the afternoon lighting angle.

Here are the eBird reports from today.

Wrightsville Reservoir – East Montpelier (190 acres), Washington, US-VT
Apr 26, 2013 8:25 AM – 9:44 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Northern end by swimming area <br />Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.5.3
17 species

Canada Goose 2
Mallard 6
Common Merganser 5
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 3
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee X
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Song Sparrow X
Swamp Sparrow X Numerous singing lustily
White-throated Sparrow 6
Red-winged Blackbird X
Purple Finch 2

Dick’s Backyard-woods, Washington, US-VT
Apr 26, 2013 3:00 PM – 4:28 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: Dog walk – long <br />Submitted from BirdLog NA for iOS, version 1.5.3
13 species

Mourning Dove 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee X
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Hermit Thrush 2
Song Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco X
Purple Finch 2

Posted in Backyard birds, Birding With Penny, eBird, Vermont Birding | 1 Comment

It’s 8 PM, Cue the Timberdoodle

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Richard

Early last evening, I went for a Woodcock Walk sponsored by the North Branch Nature Center. We were there to observe the aerial displays of the American Wood cock, and our leader, Larry, told us — “They’ll start about ten of eight so we can go over and visit the pond where all the Spring Peepers are first.” I must say I did not share his certainty but I also had never been on a walk like this before.

In true naturalist fashion, he introduced our small group to some caterpillars, a non-lightning bug, several types of spring ephemeral flowers, and hundreds of randy frogs. As one who tends to move too fast in the woods, it always amazes me at the sharp-eyed observation of people who notice insects, plants, as well as birds.

Woodcocks are usually very hard to spot on the ground. Our guy was right out in the open. Photo by aecole2010

We ambled up into the large field as it darkened and just about 8 PM, we heard the first “pent” call. The bird makes this call on the ground, and rotates between calls, to send it in different directions. We heard two males calling and waited to see if they would fly. They are normally well-hidden in the brush and grass but we noted a dark shape up ahead on the mowed path and through the binoculars, saw a Woodcock. About then, he took off, climbing crazily in a circular pattern above us, sending out a whistling/twittering call, until he was out of sight, and then came spiraling back down, landing right on the spot he started from. It reminded me of a slightly out-of-control model airplane with furious flapping wings, and a deft pilot at the controls. It killed by pinched nerve neck to watch but was worth it.

The other guy seemed to fly less but our Timberdoodle flew about every five minutes for about a half hour. It was getting very dark and we quit before he did.

It was a wonderful outing — and I learned that this goes on for weeks during the spring, even after the females have started nesting. We were really impressed with the display of our little flyer. I hope the females waiting in the wings were as well.

Posted in Bird Behavior, Birds, Local Birding, Vermont Birding | Tagged American Woodcock, North Branch Nature Center | Comments Off

Tweet of the Day from BBC Radio 4

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Richard

Sir David Attenborough will launch Tweet Of The Day on May 6th

Birdsong is to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as part of a new series titled Tweet of the Day, which will air before the Today programme for the next year.

From 6 May, early risers will hear a different call or song from British bird species, followed by a story and facts about the tweet in question.

Sir David Attenborough will present every 90-second episode during May.

Other wildlife presenters including Miranda Krestovnikoff, Steve Backshall and Chris Packham will then take over.

Each episode will feature the song of a particular bird followed by insights into that bird’s behaviour and habits. The series will also tell the birds’ stories through science, social history, culture, literature and music, the station said.

Sir David Attenborough said: “I’ve seen some of the most incredible animals on my travels around the world, but Tweet Of The Day is a nice reminder of the teeming world of birds on my doorstep.”

There are 596 species on the official bird list in Britain and producers at the BBC Natural History Unit have trawled through more than 1,000 bird recordings in the BBC sound archive.

But the station must make new recordings of species like the nightingale, the greenfinch and the garden warbler because of gaps in its archive. There will be 265 instalments of Tweet of the Day.

Radio 4 controller Gwyneth Williams said: “I’m thrilled to have birds flying into the early morning schedule on Radio 4. David Attenborough, of course, will rule the roost.”

The series will be broadcast every weekday morning at 05.58 with a special tweet repeated on Sundays at 08.58. Every episode of Tweet Of The Day will be available to download.

Posted in bird calls, bird identification, bird song | Tagged BBC, bird song, British birds | Comments Off

Maryland Wrap-up

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Richard

As we watch snow squalls move through our backyard, it is nice to think back to earlier this week when I was birding in Maryland in temperatures in the 70’s. I took a look at the eBird data from my outings and realized that I logged 49 species — without really doing a lot of driving. Here’s the report:

It is interesting to note that the last bird I logged in Maryland, a Dark-eyed Junco, is a species that is over-running Vermont this week. As I look outside right now, I can see about 20 DEJU’s feeding on the deck and the lawn. Birders across Vermont have been reporting large gatherings of these northern birds that should be heading out any day.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this is likely the last time I’ll bird Anne Arundel County. I’ve met some neat people there and gotten a few life birds: Yellow-breasted Chat and Blue Grosbeak among the highlights. It’s a great place to bird — I’m glad to have had the opportunity to experience it. Good birding, y’all.

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Posted in Birding_trips, Maryland birding | Tagged Anne Arundel County | Comments Off

Bird Mentoring

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Richard

Having had a chance to bird with my grandson Dane last weekend, I was reminded once again about how rewarding it is to go out with kids on a bird watching outing. Regardless of how much or how little you know, there’s always something you can pass on. Those young eyes are sharp to catch movement but often, patience is required to let them get the bird in the binoculars.

One of the things I’m learning about youth birding is that attention spans are different with kids — in fact the leaders at a birding camp this summer interspersed many games with the kids which were as popular as the birding. Short outings, especially if the birding is spotty, work well. We learn as they learn.

A young birder releases a banded bird at the North Branch Nature Center. (photo by dickmfield)

A while back, I came upon this little article that I’ve been saving — but I can’t find the source. If you wrote it, let me know and I’ll give you the credit you deserve.

People who have been birdwatching for many years store an enormous amount of information in their heads – the kind of experiences and emotions you can’t learn from a book or website. To foster an appreciation for nature in new generations, it is essential that information be passed on.

Do you have years of birding experience? For the sake of the birds, become a mentor to an eager new birdwatcher; lead a tour; start a young naturalists club; give a talk. Looking at beautiful bird photos on the computer is one thing, but there is no substitution for a personal introduction to the magic of nature. Pass it along – the birds will thank you for it!

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Posted in Youth Birding | Tagged mentoring, youth birding | Comments Off

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