Backyard Feeders Field Trip

Fifteen people braved the cold, damp morning to look at different types of backyard feeding habitats.  We saw everything from small yard feeding stations to a ten acre place that included two creeks, extensive habitat plantings and yard feeders.  We also visited South Wilbur ponds and were lucky to see over 80 wood ducks on the water.  Some of the other birds seen were sharp-shinned hawks, a great blue heron, juncos, black-capped chickadees, mallards, goldfinches and song sparrows.

Bennington Lake today

This is the slow time of the year at the lake, but the Tuesday walkers were able to find 4 great horned owls, a barn owl, 2 Cooper's hawks, a sharp-shinned hawk, a northern shrike and numerous small wintering passerines.  The lake is free of ice once again, but there was little on it – 6 green-winged teal, 2 mallards, 2 killdeer, a ring-billed gull and a great blue heron.  A beautiful morning for a walk.