Another Important Bird Area!

These pictures are from a ramble yesterday at the West Rutland Marshes, another Important Bird Area (IBA), this time in Vermont. Unlike the complex of agrigultural lands and state-owned parcels at the Washington County Grasslands, this mix of freshwater marshes and forested swamps is presumably preserved for the future. If I had to guess, I'd say the sprawling Phragmites (aka Common Reed) and other invasives are probbly the biggest threat.

West Rutland Marsh IBA from the boardwalk,

Most of the photos here are from the Whipple Hollow Trail, which features a path through the forested swamplands. 

Bloodroot flowers along the Whipple Hollow Trail.

Spring green birch trees at the back end of the marsh.


Are youi sick of green yet? False Hellibore in the swamp.

Ending the day with a deep pink sunset.

Among the many species of birds scene/heard included: Osprey, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Raven, Swamp Sparrow, and Brown Creeper.

P.S. I missed a day yesterday, so I'll try to make it up with another post later today!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

OPENING DAY FOR GRANVILLE (NEW YORK) DAILY PHOTO

Image
 March 3, 2026 Welcome to Granville, New York, Daily Photo!  Quoting from Wikipedia: Granville is a town on the eastern border of Washington County, New York, United States, abutting Rutland County, Vermont. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 6,215 at the 2020 census. The town of Granville contains a village that also bears the name Granville. Granville is properly part of "upstate New York" and is on the Route 22 corridor that stretches east of the Hudson River from the Bronx all the way to the Canadian border. Granville is a historic center of the slate industry, producing colorful slate for roofs, walkways, and other uses. There are still active mines and slate producing factories. Some beautiful homes in the village of Granville attest to the area's former wealth. The region as a whole is agricultural. A major employer in the village is Telescope, a fabricator of patio furniture. I've lived in the town for a little...
Read more

Amazon

Image
Depending on your perspective, it's a modern convenience or the Devil's handiwork, or maybe both. I read that when Amazon converted a former lumber yard building in Granville into a warehouse/distribution center in 2023, they promised 200 jobs, but it's unclear whether there are currently more than 100 employees there. (I am going to call them to ask.) That's still a decent number for our small town. I am not out of the habit of using Amazon; there are products which are easier to order, and usually less expensive, than driving at least 45 minutes to an hour to a retail center to buy. I read a lot of books on my iPhone Kindle app. But I fully acknowledge Amazon's reputation for terrible, dangerous working conditions, its animosity toward unions, and the damage to our country and the world that Bezos and his ilk do.  Here I go getting political again. And I need prettier pictures. Coming up soon, I promise! Happy one-week Daily Photo bloggiversary to me!!
Read more

Gray Day, Gray House, Red State?

Image
It was another dreary day outdoors. I woke up to two inches more of slush and ice. Well, I chose to move north, so here I am. Spring will be a welcome relief this year. This is the front of the house I live in. My apartment is in the back. It's nice enough. My neighbors are good folks. One couple has an 11-year-old boy who was out shoveling and chopping ice at the same time I was. We had a nice chat, and I pulled him out of the snow when we got stuck. (You can see from the mound in front how much snow has been shoveled and plowed this winter!)  The landlord, who lives in Vermont, is nice enough, too. I assume it's his choice to fly the large American flag in front. I'm not a big fan, especially of what we're doing elsewhere in the world, but it's hardly an unusal choice on his part. These being rural parts, the town is pretty "dark red," as we say here (i.e., conservative and Republican-leaning). Our U.S. representative is a Trump lackey; she was slated to...
Read more