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Reports
on Previous Events
Midwinter Star Gazing -
Saturday, January 16, 6:00 pm -
cancelled due to overcast skies
Fall Color Hike - Saturday,
October 10 - 10:00 am
Seven hikers, led by Rob Pendygraft,
hiked the newly reopened Waterfall
Trail, Yellow Trail, a good portion
of Circle Trail, and Cross Trail. In
addition to a variety of colorful
late fall wildflowers, mushrooms,
and lichens, Rob pointed out many of
the changes on and near those trails
as a result of the January ice
storm, some of which are still
occurring. For example, we
encountered a large tree that had
finally fallen across Cross Trail on
Friday night after the heavy rains
earlier that day.
Night Sounds Hike -
Saturday, August 8 - 8:30 pm
Twelve people,
from teenagers to senior citizens,
got to see many bats leaving their
daytime perch behind the Education
Center, enjoyed a tour of the meadow
east of Island Pond noticing several
interesting plants with the help of
Rob Pendygraft, our guide for the
evening, and stood for a good while
on the Island Pond dam listening to
crickets, frogs, feeding fish, and
watching for the beaver that has
taken up residence in the pond this
summer. After awhile, a smaller
group returned to the meadow for
some constellation identification on
a beautiful, starry night.
Summer Solstice Star Gazing
- Saturday, June 20 - 9:00 pm
Four observers, guided by Tom Bryant
and his telescope, enjoyed an
intermittently overcast evening and
were able to see Saturn and its
rings, the globular cluster M-13,
the red super-giant Antares, and two
double stars: Mizar and Alcor in the
Big Dipper and Albireo, a yellow and
blue-green pair in the Northern
Cross.
Spring Birding Hike - Saturday,
April 18 - 9:00 am
5 hikers spent two hours in the
Refuge and sighted 21 species, the
most exciting of which were three
pair of Blue-winged Teal on Green
Heron Pond and a Ruby-throated
Hummingbird. Other species were
Eastern Bluebird, Northern Cardinal,
Brown-headed Cowbird, Mourning Dove,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American
Goldfinch, Canada Goose, Common
Grackle, Blue Jay, Belted
Kingfisher, White-breasted Nuthatch,
Eastern Phoebe, American Robin,
White-throated Sparrow, Tufted
Titmouse, Turkey Vulture, Downy
Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and
Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Spring Wildflower Walk
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Saturday, April 11 - 10:00
am
24 guests enjoyed a cool, clear
morning on the Martha Clay
Wildflower Trail. Led by Dr. Anne
Lubbers, the group saw 23 species of
wildflowers: Bloodroot, Blue Phlox,
Common Blue Violet, Cream Violet,
Cutleaf Toothwort, Downy Violet,
Dutchman's-Breeches, False Rue
Anemone, Hepatica, Jacob's Ladder,
Larkspur, May Apple, Ramp (Wild
Leek), Rue Anemone, Spring Beauty,
Squirrel Corn, Toadshade Trillium,
Trout Lily, Twinleaf, Virginia
Bluebells, Walking Fern, Wild
Ginger, and Wood Poppy .
Birding in the Blind
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Saturday, March 21 - 9:00 am
Four participants joined Jane
Brantley, enjoyed a crisp, mostly
clear morning, and saw 16 species:
Red-winged Blackbird, Northern
Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird,
Carolina Chickadee, Mourning Dove,
American Goldfinch, Purple Finch,
Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco,
White-breasted Nuthatch, Pine
Siskin, White-throated Sparrow,
Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker,
Hairy Woodpecker, and Red-bellied
Woodpecker.
Great Backyard Bird Count 2009 -
February 13-16
Friday, February 13 - 14 species,
including 3 Red-bellied Woodpeckers
(at once!)
Saturday, February
14 - 21 species, including 75(!)
American Goldfinches and a
side-by-side view of a male House
Finch and a male Purple Finch.
Sunday, February 15 - 12 species,
including 30(!) Mourning Doves
Monday, February 16 -
16
species, including a Carolina Wren
(the only one seen during the four
days)
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Birding in the
Blind - Saturday,
January 17
Despite temperatures in
the teens, eight
participants, several of
whom were first-time
visitors to the Refuge
and the Fred Loetscher
Bird Blind, saw 15
species: Blue Jay,
Northern Cardinal,
Carolina Chickadee,
Mourning Dove, Purple
Finch, American
Goldfinch, Dark-eyed
Junco, White-breasted
Nuthatch, Song Sparrow,
White-throated Sparrow,
Tufted Titmouse, Downy
Woodpecker, Hairy
Woodpecker, Red-bellied
Woodpecker, and Carolina
Wren.
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