A few days ago, I travelled to East End Park in Woodstock and hiked the brand-new Ottauquechee River Trail. It is a great addition for Woodstock, the Upper Valley, and visitors to the area. This three-mile trail was constructed with help from Woodstock residents and the Upper Valley Trails Alliance.
I took some photos near the trailhead.
As I was thinking about heading down the trail to the area where three unusual bird species had been spotted, Nathaniel Sharp of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies arrived.
So we headed down the trail together, with me keeping a respectable distance behind him.
We were going to leave the trail and turn into a field with signs saying something like “Keep Off, bio materials spread”. He ignored the warnings as did the half dozen or so other birders that arrived over the next hour.
Without hesitation I followed. After all, that is where most of the sparrows were.
Along the way to the sparrow field, I took a photo of the Ottauquechee River.
Before we reached the main sparrow field, I managed to photograph a Savannah Sparrow …
… and a Pine Siskin.
This is the field where we found them.
Soon after we reached the sparrow field, other birders arrived. They parked near the field and missed the beautiful walk along the first part of the Ottauquechee River Trail. Their loss. But I suspect they identified many more species than I did. I never did see the three rarities that had been reported here.
Song Sparrows were everywhere. I kept photographing them hoping a few would turn out to be Savannah, Lincoln’s, or some other similar species. I don’t worry about trying to make identifications when photographing. I have enough trouble with sparrows even after the fact.
I managed to photograph a nice Swamp Sparrow.
There were quite a few White-crowned Sparrows around.
Heading back to my car, I took a quick photo of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet against a deep blue sky.
There was a Hermit Thrush cavorting with some robins. Robins seem to be everywhere this fall.
A trio of Common Mergansers were swimming in the Ottauquechee River. Here is the parent, or at least the biggest of the three.
Very near my car, above the amphitheater, I found a Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Give the Ottauquechee River Trail a try sometime soon. It is likely also good for xc-skis and snowshoes when winter arrives. Maybe I’ll see you there with mine. And in the spring look for many bird species to return to the river and fields.
If you missed my Blog on Paradise Park in Windsor, you can see it if you CLICK HERE.