The Sightings Archive

2000

December
November
October

October sightings 2000

10/30

I heard and finally saw Golden Crowned Kinglets sunday around my house in Essex Center, along with the usual chickadees, titmouses, robins, etc. Today I noticed a Turkey Vulture over Shelburne Bay.

Frank Rounds

10/26

At the Route 17 Geese Viewing Area in Addison:

• 1 Ross's Goose
• 3 Bald Eagles (1 subadult and 2 immatures keeping the geese busy)
• 15,000 Snow Geese (plus or minus 5000 birds)
• 2 Pectoral Sandpipers
• 3 Northern Pintail
• Numerous Green-winged Teal Plus the usual assortment of Northern Harriers, Rough-legged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Horned Larks and American Pipits.

At the mouth of Whitney Creek in Bridport (along Route 125):

• 12 Greater Yellowlegs

At McCuen Slang in Bridport:

• 7 American Coot
• 3 American Tree Sparrows (in a flock of White-throated Sparrows)

Elsewhere, Common Loons and all three eastern Grebe species (Pied-billed, Red-necked and Horned) as well as Bonaparte's Gulls were scattered across Lake Champlain. Notable were 31 Horned Grebes at Button Bay. (The orange sulfurs were delightful at Button Bay today.) Red-necked Grebes afforded some great looks at Potash Bay and the Charlotte Town Beach.

At the wetland that crosses Slang Road in Panton was a flock of about 800 Red-winged Blackbirds (many singing) with at least one Rusty Blackbird among them.

Finally, a few monarchs were streaming south over the lake today.

Enjoy the show (and don't forget your long underwear and rain gear Saturday),

Bryan Pfeiffer, Vermont Bird Tours

10/21

• Horned Grebe: max 70 Noblewood Park 21 Oct
• Red-necked Grebe: 3 Noblewood Park 21 Oct
• Bufflehead: 100 Noblewood Park 21 Oct
• Dunlin: 2 Noblewood Park 21 Oct
• Little Gull: 3rd year ad. Westport 21 Oct
• Bonaparte's Gull: 220 Noblewood Park, ~10-20 Westport 21 Oct
• Great Black-backed Gull: 19 Noblewood Park 21 Oct

John M.C. & Susan F. Peterson, John G. & Patricia H. Thaxton.

November sightings

Nov. 25

Crown Point to Burlington Highlights - Ted Murin and Wayne Scott

• 8 Red-throated loons at Crown Point
• 2(f) Black Scoters at Potash Bay
• 1 Killdeer and 1 White-rumped Sandpiper (late) at Button Bay
• 1 Pine Siskin in Charlotte
• 1 Oldsquaw, 3(f) Lesser Scaup in Burlington

Also: Several flocks of Canada Goose, 1 flock of Snow Geese, scattering of Horned Grebe, Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Horned, Red-breasted and Common Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Rough-legged Hawk, 1 Harrier, 8 Snow Buntings.

Also reported 11/25 at St. Albans Bay

1 GLAUCOUS GULL 1(f) Rusty Blackbird on Dunsmore Road, St. Albans

Nov. 20

Harriers galore

A trip down ferrisburgh/dead creek way looking for owls deposited some amazing views of 5 NORTHERN HARRIERs. The best coming right near west rd as a couple came soaring overhead working the wind and kiting on down the hill towards the valley. The female came right over us and sat not but 20 feet above our heads in direct light while kiting the breeze. I had never seen harriers kiting for more that a second or two but this couple seemed to relish the chance. Later on and farther along the road we bumped into 3 other male harriers swooping and occasionally dropping the shoulder, showing off their ink dipped wings. Other birds sighted included: a KESTREL harrasing an immature REDTAIL, a GBH in dead creek looking rather out of place this late in the year, a ROUGHIE hunkered down for the night, some passing SNOW BUNTINGS showing off their bubbling masses, and of course the always lingering snow geese still hanging around. Happy Birding!!!!

Silas Miller

Nov. 8

A flock of about 25 snow buntings were at Shelburne Airport Wednesday November 8th.

Ian A. Worley

Saturday Nov. 11, a.m.,
Westport to Willsboro, Essex Co., N.Y.

Red-throated Loon: 2 Westport
Common Loon: 2 Westport
Horned Grebe: 2 Westport; several Whallon's Bay
Red-necked Grebe: 23 Westport
scaup (sp.): 1 hen amongst BUFF & COGO Noblewood Park
Black Scoter: 5 Whallon's Bay
Bufflehead & Com. Goldeneye: 1,000+ Noblewood Park
Hooded Merganser: 5 Noblewood Park
Northern Harrier: Essex
Northern Goshawk: Webb Royce Swamp
Peregrine Falcon: ad Wadhams
Bonaparte's Gull: 200 Westport; also Whallon's Bay & Noblewood
Northern Shrike: Essex
American Robin: 100s Webb Royce Swamp; many elsewhere
Bohemian Waxwing: 1 Westport
Cedar Waxwing: 100 Westport
American Goldfinch: ~90 Westport; others elsewhere

OBSERVERS: John M.C. Peterson, Robert C. Wei

11/6

Ted Murin reports an immature IVORY GULL sighted off the Charlotte shorline this morning, moving slowly *northward*; may be searched for off of Charlotte Town Beach or points north. Other rarities sighted on Lk. Champlain this past weekend included a pair of BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, both in 1st winter plumage, and several LITTLE GULLS, all moving south past Charlotte with Bonaparte's Gull flock on Saturday. Another adult LITTLE GULL was seen with Bonaparte's off Shelburne Town Beach on Saturday.

Good birding,
Scott W. Morrical, Ph.D.

December sightings

Dec. 15/16

I saw a Great Blue Heron on both 12/15 and 12/16 flying over the Malletts Bay area of Colchester--heading toward the broad lake.

Lynne Hefferon

Dec. 3

During a few hours in the NYS side of the Ferrisburg, VT/NY, CBC circle between Essex & Westport (Essex Co.) on the afternoon of 3 Dec, John & Pat Thaxton and I found:

• 3 Common Loon, Whallon's Bay
• 15 Red-necked Grebe, Whallon's Bay
• 300 Canada Goose, s. Westport
• 12 American Black Duck, Westport
• 150 Mallard, Westport
• Drake Green-winged Teal, Westport
• 21 Bufflehead, Westport
• 30 Common Goldeneye, Whallon's Bay
• 3 Northern Harrier (2 Stevenson Rd., 1 Essex) ad.
• Red-tailed Hawk, Wadhams
• 9 Rough-legged Hawk (6 Stevenson Rd., 1 Westport, 1 Essex, 1 Whallonsburg)
• 3 Northern Flicker, Stevenson Road ad.
• Northern Shrike, Essex
• 8 Cedar Waxwing, Essex
• flock American Goldfinch (with House Finch), Camp Dudley Road

Mike Peterson

Also Dec. 3.

Highlight of the day was a Snowy Owl flying just offshore in West Swanton, then landing on the ice to survey the scene in snowy splendor. Other birds of interest were 11 Snow Buntings on Popasquash Island, American Kestrels in West Swanton and Grand Isle, and 12 Brown-headed Cowbirds in a huge flock of starlings along Dunsmore Road in St. Albans.

Frederick and Chris Pratt

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