A sample of some of the falcons that can be seen in Vermont. Listed small to large; Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine. All very fast flyers and can catch birds on the wing. They can also feed on small mammals caught unaware. The smaller falcons are good at hovering, similar to the osprey. All can dive at very high speeds to capture prey that is on the ground or perched. This action is called "stooping".

Some of the warblers seen in the North Hollow area of Rochester, VT. Photos taken in 2023. Warblers are small, shy birds that are constantly on the move. Most flit among the brush and tree branches looking for insects. They should get a lot of credit for a healthy forest, as they capture most of the caterpillars that could strip a forest of leaves.

Feb '24 Followed a report about bluebirds being seen and was able to locate some that were wintering nearby. These bluebirds were flying back and forth from a group of hardwood to sumac bushes nearby. Sometimes one would fly to the ground, like they would do in the summer when they are chasing insects. Near the location of the bluebirds a different pair of birds flew down onto the road. They turned out to be a pair of Crossbills, gathering grit. These birds, usually seen in larger flocks, sometimes come this far south in the deep winter. There cross shaped bills developed to efficiently extract seeds from conifer tree cones, their main food source.

A surprise visitor to our pear tree yesterday (2/13/2024). It was a Bohemian Waxwing! So exciting to see this species for the first time. Very similar to a Cedar Waxwing but slightly larger, with a buff colored belly, brown under-tail coverts (under-rump) and colorful pattern on his primaries (wing feathers). He was alone and hung out for over an hour eating the small pear fruit that did not mature. Not sure what the alcohol content is of these shriveled fruit. Fortunately waxwings are used to this type of diet. A golden-crowned kinglet made a quick visit as well to see what the waxwing was doing.

A year round resident of Vermont's forests. Brown Creepers are a small and energetic birds that hunt along the trunks of trees for insects and their like. Unlike a nuthatch, which hunts moving down a tree, the brown creeper flies to near the base of each tree and hunts climbing up the tree. Each species hunting style gives them a unique viewing angle and therefore each can spot bugs hiding in different crevices. A handsome mottled brown back gives brown creepers great camouflage, especially when on a tree trunk and sitting still. Their curved bill has evolved to allow quick and easy extraction of insects from craggy bark. The brown creeper is the friend of the trees, doing their part to keep pest species under control.