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October Vermont Trip

PalmWarbler

By PalmWarbler
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PalmWarbler

PalmWarbler

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Hi, my family is planning on going to Vermont next week. I wanted to go to Moose Bog because I've heard it's a good place for Canada Jays, Boreal Chickadees etc. Anyone have any tips or other recommended places to go in Vermont? We're staying for the long weekend, so...

Some birds I want:

-Canada Jay

-Boreal Chickadee

-Spruce Grouse

-Black-backed Woodpecker

Anything else I haven't seen like Cape May Warbler or something.

Of course I'm not keeping my hopes too high but I would love to see one of those.

@Avery @The Bird Nuts @AnyoneElseWhoHasBirdedInVermont

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Avery

Avery

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Those 4 are known as the boreal grand slam! Since it’s fall, the hardest one to find will be Boreal Chickadee. 
 

Spruce Grouse: Moose Bog is your best bet. There is a male and a few females along the trail, as well as a young bird. They are very hard to see if they are not foraging. Good thing it’s silent! You’ll love it there. 
 

Canada Jay: Moose Bog again. They are very inquisitive, and if they are within earshot, they will come check you out if you imitate their whistle. Also, put some birdseed out of the boardwalk and wait. If they see you there they’ll assume you have put out food and will fly right up to you!

Black-backed Woodpecker: Moose Bog, South America Pond Road, Peanut Dam Road. Just learn their drum. It’s similar to Hairy/Downy, but has a “crescendo” to start, meaning it kinda gets louder quickly, instead of just starting. 
 

Boreal Chickadee: Moose Bog, Peanut Dam Road. They breed there. I’ll suggest walking the road from the entrance, as depending on its condition and what vehicle you will have, it’s possible to get stuck. It’s a logging road. Learn their calls, and follow the Black-caps. The BOCH don’t call much, but they do follow with the other chickadees. 
 

Moose Bog. Plan to spend most of your time here, if you can. This is your best bet for all those. I usually walk the path very slowest several times. The boardwalk platform will give you a lookout over the pond, so bring a scope if you have one. This is the best place for warblers at the bog. Also, White-winged Crossbills have been there since winter, flying over and calling. I bet the bred/are breeding there. 
 

South America Pond Road. If you walk down the road from the parking lot of Moose Bog, you’ll come to a stand of dead trees. Woodpecker city! 
 

Peanut Dam Road. Good for warblers and BOCH. Spruce Grouse and BBWO possible here too. Also, near the end of the road is a nice place to lay down in the woods in the moss. It’s soooo peaceful. 
 

You’ll love it up there! One of my favorite places in the world. 

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PalmWarbler

PalmWarbler

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26 minutes ago, Avery said:

Those 4 are known as the boreal grand slam! Since it’s fall, the hardest one to find will be Boreal Chickadee. 
 

Spruce Grouse: Moose Bog is your best bet. There is a male and a few females along the trail, as well as a young bird. They are very hard to see if they are not foraging. Good thing it’s silent! You’ll love it there. 
 

Canada Jay: Moose Bog again. They are very inquisitive, and if they are within earshot, they will come check you out if you imitate their whistle. Also, put some birdseed out of the boardwalk and wait. If they see you there they’ll assume you have put out food and will fly right up to you!

Black-backed Woodpecker: Moose Bog, South America Pond Road, Peanut Dam Road. Just learn their drum. It’s similar to Hairy/Downy, but has a “crescendo” to start, meaning it kinda gets louder quickly, instead of just starting. 
 

Boreal Chickadee: Moose Bog, Peanut Dam Road. They breed there. I’ll suggest walking the road from the entrance, as depending on its condition and what vehicle you will have, it’s possible to get stuck. It’s a logging road. Learn their calls, and follow the Black-caps. The BOCH don’t call much, but they do follow with the other chickadees. 
 

Moose Bog. Plan to spend most of your time here, if you can. This is your best bet for all those. I usually walk the path very slowest several times. The boardwalk platform will give you a lookout over the pond, so bring a scope if you have one. This is the best place for warblers at the bog. Also, White-winged Crossbills have been there since winter, flying over and calling. I bet the bred/are breeding there. 
 

South America Pond Road. If you walk down the road from the parking lot of Moose Bog, you’ll come to a stand of dead trees. Woodpecker city! 
 

Peanut Dam Road. Good for warblers and BOCH. Spruce Grouse and BBWO possible here too. Also, near the end of the road is a nice place to lay down in the woods in the moss. It’s soooo peaceful. 
 

You’ll love it up there! One of my favorite places in the world. 

Thank you sooo much!! This is really helpful. :)) Sadly I'm still not sure if I'm gonna be able to go because there are very little hotels left in the area and my mom has some schedule conflicts. ?

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PalmWarbler

PalmWarbler

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15 hours ago, Avery said:

How did it go? I'm purposely not checking eBird to see ?

Well, I got the Canada Jay and Black-backed Woodpecker plus an unexpected Hermit Thrush, which were all lifers. But sadly I didn’t get the Spruce Grouse, which was the one I wanted the most. We woke up and got there really late due to some loud party going on at the hotel, so there wasn’t that many birds. Woodpecker city (South America Pond Road) had no woodpeckers, and Peanut Dam Road was sad and really weird so we just left. Then we went to West Mountain which had no birds but the foliage was really pretty. Overall had a good time but I had like 9 species at Moose Bog. Lol

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The Bird Nuts

The Bird Nuts

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3 hours ago, PalmWarbler said:

Well, I got the Canada Jay and Black-backed Woodpecker plus an unexpected Hermit Thrush, which were all lifers. But sadly I didn’t get the Spruce Grouse, which was the one I wanted the most. We woke up and got there really late due to some loud party going on at the hotel, so there wasn’t that many birds. Woodpecker city (South America Pond Road) had no woodpeckers, and Peanut Dam Road was sad and really weird so we just left. Then we went to West Mountain which had no birds but the foliage was really pretty. Overall had a good time but I had like 9 species at Moose Bog. Lol

I think it's pretty typical to get low species numbers in that area.  We didn't get Spruce Grouse the first time either.  Did you stay at the Essex House and Tavern in Island Pond by any chance?

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