Missiquoi National Wildlife Refuge

On Thursday May 21st I went out to Vermont and went birding on several of the trails located within the Missiquoi National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is located towards the northern end of Lake Champlain and is compose of several habitats though the dominant habitat type with the refuge are wetlands. The weather continued the trend for the week and was beautiful. Starting out just before 7:40 am the temperature was in the upper 50's and by the end of the morning was approaching 70 degrees F. There was definitely more wind today at least at the first two loops I explored. I would say the wind was a little over 10mph. I ended up driving between three distinct trails today. This allowed me to experience a larger array of habitats.

I started the day off at the refuge Visitor Center and walked down the Discovery trail. Just below the center there was a large number of American Robins, Tree Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds who were all very active. As I entered the woods I almost immediately spotted an American Redstart. As I looped down the trail the wind made it a bit difficult to distinguish specific vocalizations. I looped back to the center and drove down to the Stephen Young Marsh trail. Along the route I spotted what appeared to be Bobolinks in the field to my left. Pulling over I was able to see several Bobolinks and even snap a picture. The Young Marsh Trail started off in wetlands before transitioning into a young mixed deciduous forest. While I didn't see any new species on this loop I did identify a female Red-winged Blackbird which was a first.

I ended up heading down to Black Creek trail network farther east in the refuge. This trail followed the Black creek as it worked its way through a young deciduous forest. The area immediately next to the creek was very boggy throughout. On the herpetology side I came across 7 garter snakes along the trail. I also encountered two beavers. The wind was reduced in this area which made it quite a bit easier to hear the vocalizations. I saw a decent number of species including an osprey overhead but the two distinct highlights were the Scarlet Tanager and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak both new species for me. The two Scarlet Tanagers stayed visible for quite a while and were quite vocal which was really nice. I also encountered quite a few Baltimore Orioles and was able to hear their song quite clearly which was a big plus.

Posted on May 21, 2020 11:26 PM by tsshafer tsshafer

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

What

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Veery (Catharus fuscescens)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Veery (Catharus fuscescens)

Observer

tsshafer

Date

May 21, 2020

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