Adamant, Vermont

I went on a bird walk on April 14th in the village of Adamant, Vermont. It was a beautiful, cool day. The temperature was 42 degrees Fahrenheit. It was slightly overcast, but became patchy with intermittent bursts of sunshine. There was a slight breeze out of the northeast. The walk began at 4:50 pm and continued until 6:25 pm.

Adamant village is interesting because there are a variety of habitat types within a very small area. I began in the upper village where there is a pond with a beaver dam which then converts to a small waterfall. The pond is surrounded by a dense forest composed of primarily evergreen trees. On the near side of the pond is a small dirt road, and across the road are a few houses. In front of one house is an apple tree. I found many birds perched in this tree, foraging for the fruit. There were dozens of male Red-winged Blackbirds in here. I then followed the dirt road up a bit. I encountered a thick, brushy habitat. I could hear many birds calls and songs from this area. The thick brush was adjacent to a field, with a tall poplar tree on the edge between the two habitat types. There were a few species of birds perched in this tree, including a few American Goldfinches, and some American Robins. I decided to walk back down the road to the lower village where there is a bigger, more open pond. This pond has dense brush around the perimeter which then yields to cattails and similar water plants. The road follows the edge of the pond for a bit, circling around a good third of it. It felt cooler here and was a bit shadier than the upper pond. I saw more waterfowl here including Canada Geese, Mallards, a Great Blue Heron, and another species of duck that may have been Buffleheads. I was lucky enough to observe a Belted Kingfisher that was perched in a tree on the edge of the pond. In the brushy habitat closer to the road I observed a House Sparrow, many Red-winged Blackbirds, a few Eastern Phoebes, multiple Black-capped Chickadees, an American Robin, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, and a Dark-eyed Junco. These birds had easy access to both the pond habitat and a thicker, mid-succession forest right on the other side of the narrow dirt road. The forest was a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees, and continued off for a ways into the distance, providing a fairly large continuous habitat patch conducive to life for many different species of birds. In the middle of the village there were very few birds. I did observe a few Black-capped Chickadees and some Song Sparrows. They were very interested in a bird feeder hanging in the tree next to one house. Overall, the birds were very vocal and busy foraging for food.

Publicado el abril 15, 2020 01:23 TARDE por emerrylees