Tuesday, June 21, 2016: Vermont

Tuesday, June 21, 2016: Silvio 0. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Vermont 

This 26,000 acre portion of the entire refuge was established in 1991 to help restore, enhance, and protect the diversity and abundance of native fish and wildlife and the health of the ecosystems join which they depend.  It is within the 7.2 MILLION ACRE Connecticut River Watershed in Eastern Vermont, Western New Hampshire and Central Massachusetts and Connecticut.

We spent most of the day driving the back roads in this refuge and then drove by Montpelier to camp about 20 miles south of Vermont's capitol.

Mama Mallard and her brood

One of Vermont's most outstanding areas of Black Spruce Woodland Bog Habitat is the refuge's 76 acre Mollie Beattie Bog.

Rufous Ruffed Grouse Adult

Probably a female as she was with several babies that high-tailed it into the brush.  This species is the state bird of Pennsylvania.

Adult Male Hairy Woodpecker

The males incubate the eggs during the night and the females take over and incubate them during the day.

Juvenile Hairy WP

 Dad had Junior out for some foraging lessons

There are more than 17 subspecies of this most prolific woodpecker in North America.  They are distinguished from all other woodpeckers except Downy by the large white patch on their back.

Common Whitetail Dragonfly

Chalk-fronted Corporal Dragonfly

Blue Flag Iris

Great Spangled Fritillary

Male Magnolia Warbler

A group of Magnolia Warblers is collectively known as a "corsage" of warblers.




Cedar Waxwing

As mentioned earlier, orange, rather than yellow, terminal bands now seen on the tails of some of these birds is attributed to pigments found in an alien honeysuckle fruit introduced into their diet.

White Admiral Butterfly

Signs to Make you Smile:

On a plumber's truck:  

"We repair what your husband fixed."

Gotta Love the South