BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Join local birders Jean Cannon and Peter Bergstrom for a bird walk on Saturday, May 14 at 8 a.m. at the parking lot just below the Adams Grist Mill at 26 Mill St., Bellows Falls. Mill Street looks like an alley off the south end of The Square, to the left of Flat Iron Coop. If it is raining that morning, we’ll hold it a day later on Sunday, May 15 also starting at 8 a.m. Bergstrom has recorded 87 bird species at the park in 184 eBird checklists since 2015, and 119 bird species have been seen at the park by all birders over the years.
Participants will watch and listen for colorful and tuneful spring birds that are common there in May, such as Baltimore oriole, warbling vireo, house wren, catbird, veery, wood thrush, chipping sparrow, rose-breasted grosbeak, yellow warbler, and American redstart. Cannon and Bergstrom will demonstrate how to use the “Merlin” smartphone app to help ID birds, either by their size, colors, and habitat, or their songs and calls, as recorded by the app. Participants should download and install this app before the workshop and bring binoculars if possible. Bergstrom will share a list he compiled of mnemonics (memory aids) for the songs and calls of some local birds, such as “Ee-o-lay” (wood thrush) and “cheer-up; cheer-a-lee; cheer-ee-o” (rose-breasted grosbeak), and share other tips for “birding by ear.” If the birds are really slow that day, he will point out historical features in the park, and the start of the Saxtons River Valley Trail.
Preregistration is not required, but if participants contact Bergstrom before the walk at 802-444-1860 or rockinghamvtenergy@gmail.com, he will email the list of the mnemonics to study before the walk, answer questions, and send an update if the rain date is necessary.