Vermont White-crowned Sparrows In The Rain

I spent a couple of days camping at Gifford Woods State Park in Killington Vermont. I stopped at the Vermont Country Store on the way up. They offered lots of locally made food samples. They were free but everything tasted so good that I ended up buying some to take with me. 

Right across from the campground is Kent Pond. I didn't see many birds when I did an initial survey of the pond. There were Osprey, Common Mergansers, and Mallards on the water and a few Song Sparrows near the shore. I was hoping to see something out of the ordinary because Kent Pond has a reputation of being a good birding spot.

I hiked from the campground to a trail that took me to the top of an overlook. I think it was called Deer Mountain overlook.

The best way to get a view of Vermon't foliage seems to be when you're driving on long stretches of road. Connecticut has great foliage too but the routes to view them aren't nearly as long.

 

 I passed miles of mountains painted with colorful foliage, lots of antique shops, country stores, and farms along the way. I saw dozens of country inns on my way up. They must hold the record in that category.

I was disappointed when I heard a forecast of rain for the entire day but it was only a light rain so I decided to hit the trails to look for birds anyway. I finally caught up with the Pileated Woodpecker that had been taunting me with its call. This one looks to be a male with an all red crest and a bit of a red moustache. We're fortunate that these great woodpeckers are doing so well.

 

Other birds of interest during my walk were large numbers of Golden-crowned Kinglets, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I also found a couple of Ring-necked Ducks and a Common Loon on the pond.

 

The trail led to a road on the opposite side of Kent Pond. The woods along the edge of this road were loaded with sparrows including White-throated, Juncos, Song, Swamp, White-crowned and I also found 1 Lincoln's Sparrow.

Surprisingly, there were about as many White-crowned Sparrows as there were White-throated Sparrows. I saw as many as 6 at a time.

I tried to take photos in between rain squalls. Everything came out grainy or blurry but I managed to keep a few in focus. Several were picking through pebbles on the side of the road. 

 It's funny how things work out sometimes. I spent two rain-free days hiking through the woods for hours hoping to see lots of birds without much luck. Then I go for a short walk in the rain with no expectations and hit the birding jackpot. You just never know.