Birding Hotspot Highlight ~ Geprags Community Park

Birding Hotspot Highlight ~ Geprags Community Park

Geprags Community Park is a fantastic 80-acre property owned and managed by the town of Hinesburg that hosts myriad bird species and Spring ephemeral wildflowers. It contains different habitats including grasslands, shrublands, and mature northern hardwood forests that are attractive to many bird species. The latest eBird species count there is 163, with 1581 checklists submitted. The main perimeter trail is about 1.1 miles long; if you explore all the side trails you will cover almost 2 miles and gain 134’ of elevation. This park is one of the best places in Vermont to find breeding Golden-winged Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, and some of the hybrids like Golden-winged X Blue-winged Warbler, Brewster’s Warbler, and Lawrence’s Warbler. A collaboration started over a decade ago between the Hinesburg Conservation Commission (HCC), Audubon Vermont, and Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has successfully managed this habitat.

Birds By the Numbers: 75 Years of the Burlington CBC

Birds By the Numbers: 75 Years of the Burlington CBC

In mid-December each year, people in the Burlington area flock to tally which birds make this part of Vermont their home. This past year on December 18th, a calm winter morning greeted 74 participants as they made their way outdoors on foot, by car, by snowshoe, or from the comfort of their homes, to count. From Williston to the waterfront, and from Mallets Bay to the middle of Shelburne, birds were identified and recorded as part of the “Christmas Bird Count.”

Bird Outings

Contributed by Patrick Phillips

New Year’s Day on the Burlington Waterfront

Members of the Green Mountain Audubon Society and guests started off 2023 with a New Year’s Day Birding excursion along the Burlington waterfront.  Twelve birders braved damp conditions and strong winds out of the northwest, catching sight of fifteen avian species, the highlight of which was a lone Snow Goose flying overhead in the midst of a string of Canada Geese. While all hoped to report a more diverse array of birds, everyone agreed that it was indeed a fine way to bring in the New Year! 

Link to New Year's Day Bird outing eBird report: https://ebird.org/checklist/S125142338




President's Message: The Next Generation

President's Message: The Next Generation

I have the good fortune to monitor a Peregrine Falcon nesting site through a program managed by Margaret Fowle of Audubon Vermont. Each spring for the past several years I have traveled to a cliff site called Upper West Bolton Notch to check on a pair of Peregrine Falcons. The site has been productive, with chicks fledging each year. It is wonderful to be one of the few people who get to see the fastest animal on Earth training its young to become the fastest animal on earth. In graceful flights the parent shows its offspring how to use all of the tools available - body, wings, tail, talons, bill - to maximize its chances of thriving. In this way, one generation ensures that the next generation may be successful.

Educational Grants Touch Hundreds of Students' Lives

Educational Grants Touch Hundreds of Students' Lives

Combined GMAS grants of $6,000 have given over 200 students access to a wide variety of educational programs and activities in 2022. A $5,000 grant to Audubon Vermont provided scholarship funds to a diverse group of students, according to Debbie Archer, Education Program Manager at Audubon Vermont. “It really covered the full range of educational opportunities we have here at Audubon, like our Forest Classroom and our Forest Playschool programs, and then also summer camp.”

Birding Hotspot Highlight

Birding Hotspot Highlight

Delta Park is located in Colchester in Chittenden County. This magnificent natural area encompasses 55 acres of diverse habitats that include lakeside marshes, buttonbush swamp, sand beaches, grassland, river, and lake. Delta Park is one of 17 Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Vermont and has been owned and managed by the Winooski Valley Park District since 2008. The current checklist includes 251 species, making it the top birding spot in Vermont!