Rutland County Birding Highlights

Today Don Clark, JoAnne Russo and I struck out for Rutland County, Vermont for a day of birding.  None of us had any expectation of encountering a Northern Saw-whet Owl and a Eastern Screech-Owl in daylight no less.  Both birds offered us excellent views and cooperated nicely for photos.  The Saw-whet was seen on Book Road in West Haven and appeared to be scouting for prey.  The gray morph Screech-Owl took absolutely no notice of us as it sat comfortably in an abandoned stove flue pipe at an old barn near Benson Landing.  Also in Benson we came upon a "pair" of Cooper's Hawks but were unable get photos. We started the day by dropping in on the Peregrine Falcon pair which has been regularly seen on the steeple of Grace Congregational Church in downtown Rutland and ended it with a total tally of 36 species, not bad for late winter.

  Northern Saw-whet Owl. West Haven, VT. 

Eastern Screech-Owl.  Benson, VT.  

 

 

Peregrine Falcon.  Rutland, VT.