Connecticut River Birding Trail - New Hampshire Fish and Game ...

BY EMILY BRUNKHURSTAND JANE VACHONCEDAR WAXWING PHOTO ©ROGER IRWINf you’re a birdwatcher looking for some new areas toexplore, you’ve hit the jackpot with the Connecticut RiverBirding Trail. This isn’t a linked “trail” with connectingpaths, but a joint conservation, education and tourism venturethat identifies 128 prime places for birding in theConnecticut River watershed. The sites range from localslices of protected land to expansive national refuges andstate parks, destinations where visitors and local residentsalike can get out and enjoy their natural surroundings.The New Hampshire/Vermont part of the trail is nowcomplete and is detailed in three separate maps.The Birding Trail maps contain a bounty of information,with site descriptions, directions and bird species lists. Theyidentify lesser-known birds that experienced birders mightseek, but also common species. “You can look for a blueheadedvireo or a Blackburnian warbler, but even songsparrows are exciting for the beginning birder,” says BillShepard, of Thetford, Vermont, Project Coordinator for theBirding Trail.continued on next pageWILDLIFE JOURNAL • March/April 2007 15

©JIM BLOCK PHOTONorthern parulaGet Out and ExploreThe trail is a “great idea because it gets peopleout there looking at birds, and hopefully thatinterest will lead to stewardship,” said Pam Hunt,a bird conservation biologist with N.H. Audubonand coordinator of the state’s Important Bird AreaProgram. “The Birding Trail shows people linkageswith the river, which is animportant flyway,” Hunt said. Thesouthern stretch of the river fromClaremont to the Massachusetts borderhas recently been identified as an ImportantBird Area, largely because it is a major corridorfor migrating waterfowl that rest and feed on itsimpoundments, marshes and setbacks. This stretchof the river also hosts two bald eagle nests.Sites along the Connecticut River Birding Trailgive people a chance to discover a rich diversity ofhabitats. “We have wonderful forests and wetlands.Why not get outside and explore the naturalenvironment we have in the region?” says Shepard.The Otter Brook Lake site in Keene, for example,owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, featureswetlands, old fields, shrub and forest habitats thatsupport many different bird species.Part of the fun is discovering regional differencesalong the trail. North Country sites, like theConnecticut Lakes Headwaters Natural Areain Pittsburg (another ImportantBird Area), have a unique habitatand ecology that can sustainHow tobird species not often found inOrdersouthern reaches, includingspruce grouse, gray jay andMapsblack-backed woodpecker.Wildlife educator Judy Silverberg, N.H. Fishand Game’s liaison to the project, agrees that thesites serve many users. Since Texas first launchedthe birding trail idea, “the concept has spread toother states and become a way to identify sites ofinterest for multiple audiences,” Silverberg said.“Birding sites often coincide with other wildlifeviewing opportunities and areas of other natural orcultural interest.”Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, in Cornish,is a perfect example. This historic home of anoted American sculptor is also a site on theBirding Trail. Its 150-acre grounds include trailsthat wind through numerous habitats where visitorscan watch for ruby-throated hummingbirds,cedar waxwings and scarlet tanagers.Hikers and bikers will enjoy the Northern RailTrail, which stretches 23 miles from Lebanon toGrafton, offering easy birding from the rail bed asit passes through a variety of habitats, includingfields, woods and wetlands. More than 100 birdspecies have been recorded along this trail, includingthe pied-billed grebe, American woodcock andBaltimore oriole. Further north at PondicherryWildlife Refuge in Whitefield, also an identifiedImportant Bird Area, you’ll find a great diversityof birds (234 species, 135 breeding species), butalso spectacular mountain scenery, easy walking,isolation and wildlife.The maps include recommended times forbirders to visit the sites, usually from spring throughfall. “May stands out as a prime birding month.Many migrating birds are coming and going, settingup nesting territories. Life is exploding. There’slots of singing and the birds are in their best springplumage,” said Shepard. “But don’t forget oppor-©JIM BLOCK PHOTOConnecticutRiver Birding Trail mapsfor the Northern, Central andSouthern sections (NH/VT) are free, butcontributions are welcome. Visitwww.ctriverbirdingtrail.org to ordermaps or make a donation. Maps are alsoavailable from N.H. Fish and Game; emailinfo@wildlife.state.nh.us or call(603) 271-3211. Please specify whichmaps you want to get.Birding and MoreBirds aren’t the only attraction.“It’s called a birding trail,but when you’re going to thesebeautiful spots, you’ll see lotsof different wildlife,” saysShepard. “It’s really a naturalhistory trail. You can also seemany different butterflies, dragonfliesand mammal tracks.”Bill Shepard (in green jacket), the driving forcebehind the development of the Connecticut RiverBirding Trail, leads a bird walk at one of thetrail’s prime viewing sites.16 March/April 2007 • WILDLIFE JOURNAL

Can You Find These Seldom-seen Birds?Birding along the Connecticut River BirdingTrail may bring you in contact with some ofNew Hampshire’s species of greatest conservationneed, as listed in the state’s WildlifeAction Plan. Here are a few to look for:Pied-billed grebes, endangered in NewHampshire, are small, compact birds with ashort, thick bill. Look for the distinctive ringaround the bill.Pied-billed grebeThese birdsprefer wetlandswithdense standsof emergentplants for hiding,but needopen water fortake-offs and landings. They nest on a platformof vegetation in the emergent plants,near the water surface and in shallow areas,making them vulnerable to changes in waterlevel. Fish and Game is considering a managementplan for pied-billed grebes forMacDaniel’s Marsh in Grafton, one ofthe Birding Trail sites.Look for northern harriers flyinglow over open areas. A white patch atthe base of the tail is a distinctive fieldmark. Harriers inhabit grasslands andmarshes with open areas for foraging.©DAVID HERR USFS PHOTOIn New Hampshire, they breed in Coos Countyand Danbury, nesting on the ground inshrubby areas adjacent to hayfields, pasture,old fields and wetlands. In the winter,they can be seen flying over coastal saltmarshes. Northern harriers are endangeredin N.H. Several of their nesting sites in NewHampshire are protected, including the WhitefieldAirport (a site on the Birding Trail),which manages the grassy habitat cooperativelywith Fish and Game.Warblers are jewels of the forest, withtheir bright colors, lovely songs and variedhabits. In New Hampshire, four species arelisted as species of greatest conservationneed in the N.H. Wildlife Action Plan. All havebeen seen in the Connecticut River system,but are rare. The bay-breasted and palmwarblers nest in northern New Hampshire inconiferous forests. Bay-breasted warblersseek small forest openings so they can foragefor insects in the thick conifers at theedge. PalmNorthern harrier warblers preferbogs andfens in borealforests, a habitatvery difficultto access, sobirders should©JIM BLOCK PHOTOlook for themduring thePalm warblerspring migration.Ceruleanwarblersprefer hardwoodandfloodplain forestswith talltrees. In the southern Connecticut River area,they may be found in the Ashuelot Riverfloodplain and on the steep slopes of Mt.Wantastiquet Natural Area. This species hasseen a major decline throughout its rangeand has been nominated for federal threatenedstatus.Golden-winged warblers prefer abandonedfields, clearcuts and power lines, wherethey nest in shrubs, sometimes interbreedingwith blue-winged warblers. They are atrisk from invasive plant species, such as theautumn olive, and from habitat fragmentationthat exposes their ground nests topredators.As you enjoy your birding, watch for theseand other rare species. Learn more in thespecies appendix of the New HampshireWildlife Action Plan at www.WildNH.com.— Emily Brunkhurst©ROGER IRWIN PHOTOtunities later in the year, like looking for fallwarblers or watching for hawks at Pack Monadnock.The excitement is going back to these placesagain and again.”When enjoying these sites, remember you’re aguest. “We want these sites to remain open, soplease respect the properties and the wildlife,”said Shepard. Tread lightly, stay on trails and parkin designated areas. Enjoy, but don’t disturb thebirds’ normal activities. Stick to “pishing” (makingsqueaking or “kissing” sounds) to attract birds,rather than using recording devices. Leave yourdog at home.Protecting our FutureBirders and other outdoor enthusiasts can usethe Connecticut Birding Trail maps to discoverproperties owned by a wide range of entities —state parks or forests, federal preserves, Fish andGame lands, N.H. Audubon sanctuaries and townlands. These partner organizations – and manyvolunteers – made the project possible, saysShepard. The successful two-state collaborationreminds us that we are connected by habitatregardless of political boundaries.While the New Hampshire/Vermont section ofthe trail is now complete, the Connecticut RiverBirding Trail has the potential to continue southward.Eventually the vision is to have one trail thatcovers sites in the entire 400-mile ConnecticutRiver watershed, including segments in Massachusettsand Connecticut. A similar project is inthe planning stages for the Merrimack RiverValley.Conservationists and birders created theConnecticut River Birding Trail with hopes that anincreased involvement in, and appreciation for,our areas natural landscapes would inspire thepublic to protect remaining resources. These specialplaces beckon for our involvement, concernand stewardship to ensure the conservation of NewEngland’s rich biodiversity. Plus, it’s a fun way tofind new places to go birding!Emily Brunkhurst is a conservation biologistwith Fish and Game’s Nongame andEndangered Wildlife program. JaneVachon is associate editor of NHWJ.Public Affairs Intern Kat Bagley contributedwriting and research for this article.Ruby-throatedhummingbird©MATT PALMER PHOTOWILDLIFE JOURNAL • March/April 2007 17