For the Birds

Anson spotted a Woodcock near his home while getting out to enjoy the warm weather this week. We listen to this bird's unique call and discuss their courtship display. Lots of birds are back in Vermont with the warm weather arriving. What are you seeing near your feeder or on your nature walks?

Chip and Anson discuss the birds that are coming back to Vermont as it warms up in the last few weeks. Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle are becoming a more common sight in late March, but the Killdeer is perhaps the most interesting. A member of the Plover family, this unique-colored bird can often be found in open spaces around farms or even in suburban yards or golf courses and is the only nesting Plover species in Vermont.

Chip tells us about a couple of Common Ravens he saw while out on a walk this week in Chickering Bog who were out gathering materials for their nest. This is a common sight for this time of year in Vermont and soon they'll be laying eggs.

Chip and Anson talk about the Brown Creeper, a small woodland bird that circles up tree trunks in search of small insects for food. Chip spotted his first of the season on March 1 after hearing its unique call.

A few weeks ago, we had Matt Young on the show to talk about the Finch Forecast. And just as predicted, late winter is bringing a lot of Bohemian Waxwings to Vermont. Chip and Anson discuss this disgruntled-looking little bird with an interesting call.

Spring is on the way. It may feel far off with the current temperatures outside, but there are reports of some migrating birds already returning to Vermont. Chip and Anson talk about these sightings of blackbirds and other migrating birds in Southern Vermont and Massachusetts.

Chip tells us about an abundance of waterfowl he saw this past week out on the Causeway, going from Colchester to South Hero. There were multiple species of ducks and scaups out on the partially frozen Lake Champlain.

Chip and Anson talk about Cornell Lab of Ornithology's upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count they organize with Audubon. You can participate anywhere by spending at least 15 minutes counting the birds in your backyard February 12-15 and posting them on eBird. Anson does his own little count outside his window. Then they talk Woodpeckers; specifically the Downy woodpecker, Hairy woodpecker, and Pileated woodpecker.

Chip and Anson talk about Short-eared Owls that have been spotted around the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison county hunting at dusk.

Chip and Anson continue the conversation they started last week when Matt Young was on the show about Redpolls. Redpolls are a type of Finch and we typically get two species in Vermont, the Common Redpoll and the Hoary Redpoll.