A Naturalist’s Journal

Bob saw a BOBCAT out the Museum’s viewing window this afternoon. It was watching the squirrels and chipmunks like a housecat watches for mice.

This morning I heard a DOGDAY HARVESTFLY in St. George.

4:20 p.m. Around the lagoon area in Winooski, I heard SONG SPARROWS, saw ROBINS (one with a speckled breast), 2 KINGFISHERS flying around making a racket, a female MALLARD, a SPARROW with a speckled breast but NO DOT, GOLDFINCHES, a small HERON with a brown back, white on the sides and maybe the front of the upper neck, chestnut on shoulders and head (I think maybe a GREEN HERON).

When I was in Winooski today I heard my first DOGDAY HARVESTFLY of the season.

3:10 p.m. Sunny, 70 degrees. I decided to walk down my side of the brook to the river today. It’s cool and moist in the woods. I was afraid there would be lots of bugs, but as long as I keep moving they don’t bother me. There were more bugs trying to bite me when I was fussing around my rock garden in my side yard than there are here. But I do need to keep moving …. 4:10 p.m. Finally got to the river. Flushed a flock of ROBINS — probably a family group. Hear a SONG SPARROW and also CEDAR WAXWINGS. They’re moving around but I saw one perched in a dead tree near where I am. Also flushed an agitated female YELLOWTHROAT when I was pushing through weeds higher than my shoulders. She convinced me to backtrack and try to drop down to the river, which is running so high there’s not much of a bank to walk on. I managed to make my way downstream toward my favorite rock, but there’s just too much water to sit on it, so I settled for another rock upstream a ways. It’s hot now that I’m out of the woods, but I do love the sound of the rushing water here. A RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD just flew in. I’m still hearing CEDAR WAXWINGS, who seem to like this spot too. JOE PYE WEED and MEADOWSWEET are flowering near the river and GOLDENRODS are just starting in the Heaths’ old meadow. The surface of the original beaver pond is totally covered with DUCKWEED. No motion anywhere except for a few birds flying around. I hear CHICKADEES and see PHOEBES (I think). Noticed a DEAD SNAKE on the road when I was almost home — a small brown one with a bright salmon color on its underside. Home at 5:00 p.m.

4:50 p.m. Overcast, feels like rain. On my late afternoon walk up the road I saw a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK at Baileys’. Also a MOURNING DOVE, plus I hear two more cooing in the distance. Some GOLDFINCHES flew overhead, and I’m hearing a lot of them as I continue up the road. I’m also hearing some bird chatter — a family group? — and BLUE JAYS and a SONG SPARROW. Across from Betty Charland’s, I’m hearing an INDIGO BUNTING and at WENDALL’S a CHICKADEE. BERND HEINRICH just ran by headed down the road. Heard a ROBIN near Lisa’s. Also a GRACKLE. Could I be hearing CRICKETS already? BINDWEED is in bloom. MILKWEED is in full flower, but I’m not seeing any pods yet. Heard a PILEATED WOODPECKER across from Saxtons’ on the way home.

10:45 a.m. Walking around the WATERWORKS with Tom after breakfast in Bristol. We heard a PEWEE first thing, followed by a SWAMP SPARROW singing from the wet area just off the main trail. At the reservoir we saw a KINGFISHER, heard an ALDER FLYCATCHER and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, saw a small group of CEDAR WAXWINGS, heard a HERMIT THRUSH, saw a CATBIRD, and heard a SONG SPARROW. At some point we heard the slow song of the BLUE-HEADED VIREO followed by the faster song of the RED-EYED VIREO. Up in the woods we heard a BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, and toward the end of our walk we heard a RAVEN croaking overhead. On our way down the trail out of the woods, we ran into a MUSHROOM PICKER. He was gathering CHANTERELLES, which were growing all over the place. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many all at once. The Waterworks is full of MOSQUITOES, but otherwise it’s a great place to take a walk.

Took a quick walk up the road to Buffy’s (#1406) late this afternoon. Heard and/or saw 10 species of birds: ROBINS, GOLDFINCHES, INDIGO BUNTING (heard but didn’t see), PILEATED WOODPECKER (heard and saw), WARBLING VIREO, SONG SPARROW, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, REDSTART, GRACKLES. I’m pretty sure I heard CEDAR WAXWINGS too, but I couldn’t be sure without seeing them.

6:40 a.m. When I went out to get the paper this morning, I saw a PORCUPINE poking around on the grass parking area near the mailbox.

4:30 p.m. It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon, so I decided to take a late afternoon walk up to Bob’s Pond. BLACK-EYED SUSANS are flowering in the Wildflower Meadow. Four WHITE POND LILIES ARE IN FULL BLOOM on the pond, plus 3 that are pretty well open, 2 fat buds showing some white, and 2 buds still closed tight. Heard a SCARLET TANAGER singing in the woods above the pond over toward the Saxtons’ boundary.

Bob Low and Gale Lawrence’s Annual Loonwatch —to be sure there are no loons —  on Gillett Pond: 8:05 a.m. Water is high this year because of all the rain. It’s cool and windy this morning. Heard and later saw a GOLDFINCH, heard a RED-EYED VIREO, CHICKADEE, HERMIT THRUSH, and SOLITARY VIREO, saw a KINGFISHER, heard a BLUE JAY, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and JUNCO, saw a PHOEBE, heard a PEWEE, saw CEDAR WAXWINGS, heard a WINTER WREN, SONG SPARROW, VEERY, ROBIN, and SWAMP SPARROW, saw a RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. So our species total for this year’s Loonwatch was 18 birds, plus YELLOW POND LILIES IN BLOOM, GREEN FROGS “singing,” and THREE PAINTED TURTLES sunning themselves.

On my way to Gillett Pond this morning I noticed some small SUMACS growing near the parking area at the Huntington end of the pond. They had GREEN FLOWER HEADS so I stopped to look at them, and yes they are definitely covered with very small, light green flowers in full bloom. They have red centers.

4:00 p.m. Decided to sneak down the little used (except by me) trail from the Museum’s feeding area to the brook. Found Bob’s SUET FEEDER at the top of the trail, where the BIG BEAR that raided his “bear-proof” feeders dropped it. Have spent the rest of my walk poking along the brook, hugging trees and generally moping around. I’m tired today. The INDIAN PIPES are just starting up in the hemlock woods on my side of Blood’s Chute.