Tag Archives: Veery

Local Birds — late August

I have combined dog walks and birding for years and here are a few shots from recent outings. Here’s my companion, resting halfway through a three mile hike.

A few minutes earlier we had encountered several Northern Flickers.

Most of the woodlands birds aren’t singing now so you have to spot them. This Veery was very accommodating.

Walking along the river, I’m seeing the Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Belted Kingfishers nearly every day. Here are a Wood Duck, a Green Heron, and a Common Merganser.

It’s been a good birding summer and we look forward to fall walks — with fewer birds but also, fewer bugs.

Some Vermont Spring Birds

As the hills green up, often you can hear a bird but not spot it — at least open enough for a photo. Here are a few successful encounters I’ve had in the last few weeks.

Typically, warblers are bouncing around and in foliage, like this Yellow Warbler.

But, once in a while …
A cooperative Common Yellowthroat
A Chestnut-sided Warbler taking a quick break.
A more laid-back Veery.
Eastern Kingbirds often perch for nice photos.

One of the noisier and ubiquitous birds we hear is the Ovenbird with its distinctive “Tea-cher, Tea-cher, TEA-cher. They are small and hard to see. This one had a companion flitting nearby and had its mind on something other than the guy and dog standing on the path nearby.

Have a bird-filled, bug free June.

Some Local Birds

Over the past weeks, in spite of the challenges of foliage, I’ve managed to see a number of birds who are easy-to-hear but hard-to-see. The best example is the Red-eyed Vireo, who persistently calls from high in trees, rarely moving.

This Veery was another, “usually heard but not seen” bird.
Alder Flycatchers are sort of the opposite – unless you hear them you can’t tell the from their Least/Willow cousins.
Goldfinches, on the other hand, are pretty easy to spot and to hear — just great birds to put some pizzaz in your birding day.

The other day, this bird was out back and lit in such a way that to me, it looked like an Orchard Oriole, which are rather uncommon here. Based on its song, I labeled it a Baltimore Oriole – still a nice summer bird.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with a shot from yesterday which captures the reason we love getting out in Vermont on nice summer mornings. This in East Montpelier off Center Road.