Headed north the other day to Island Pond, Vermont to do a little scouting for a trip later in 2013.
Priscilla Moor and I left around 5:30am and headed up 91 North towards Vermont. Considering the time of year, the weather and roadways were pretty good. We made a quick stop at Exit 17 for breakfast at the P&H Truck Stop. After breakfast we continue north until we got to Newport, Vermont, from there we headed east on rte 105 to Island Pond and onto our main target.... Moose Bog. This region plays host to such boreal specialties like Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee and Black-backed Woodpecker.
Although we arrived late, we were able to locate a couple of Boreal Chickadees amongest a flock of Black-capped Chickadees. The area also had a recent light snow fall, which made it a winter wonderland. No big surprise, we didn't break 20 species for the day...besides the Boreal Chickadees, the other highlights were several large flocks of Wild Turkeys and a 1st winter Iceland Gull in Newport.
Below are a few photos of Island Pond region and recent Redpolls in the Honey Pot area in Hadley.
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| Main Road to Moose Bog |
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| Bulletin board at Moose Bog |
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Winter Wonderland...we only had to drive 220 miles to experience it. |
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| Priscilla on Moose Bog Trail..... |
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| Iceland Gull-Newport, VT (Sleeping in center) |
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| Red-breasted Nuthatch- Moose Bog |
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| Black-capped Chickadee |
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| Common Redpolls- A large flock has been hanging out in the Honey Pot for the last couple of weeks. There also have been 1-3 Hoary Redpolls mixed in with the flock. |
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| Common Redpoll |
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| Common Redpoll |
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| Common Redpoll |
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| Bobcat! Sunning at Hampshire Fittness in Amherst. |
Scott
