Birders eye Vermont skies in fundraiser
HUNTINGTON - Countless calls interrupted human conversation early Thursday morning in Huntington.
No one complained.
On the contrary, a dozen or so Audubon Vermont staffers at the group’s 24-hour spring Bird-a-Thon fundraiser in Huntington followed an impeccable etiquette.
When a bird sang, stuttered or trilled, the birders fell silent and perked up their ears and cast glances through the greening undergrowth.
More often than not, the sources of the sound were invisible.
In low voices, the birders hazarded educated guesses. They mimicked what they heard and guessed again.
Resumption of birdsongs abruptly renewed the human silence.
When two or more participants agreed on the species, out came the tally-sheets and the bird-count ticked up.
Birdathon-mavens are stirred into higher-than-usual vigilance by sponsors who have pledged funds to Audubon's education and conservation programs.
Jim Shallow said his pledges amount to $12.50 per species. Last year the group totaled 87 species — so the group's concerted efforts can amount to much more than chicken feed.
On other hillsides and in other pastures, other Audubon Vermont Birdathon teams vied for higher counts and loftier bragging rights.
Those disparate groups fielded nocturnal squads, too — the competition runs from dusk to dusk. Barred owl? Check.
By 6 a.m., the several tents pitched at Green Mountain Audubon Center had emptied. An avian, orchestral lushness prevailed throughout the morning shift.
Birds gave voice to courtship, nest-building, feeding, boasting, territorial claims and maybe old-fashioned high spirits.
Two porcupines, motionless in trees, watched the human procession. But they don't count.
More information about Audubon Vermont's Birdathon can be found at the group's website.
This article was published first online Thursday, May 19, 2016.
Contact Joel Banner Baird at (802) 660-1843 or joelbaird@freepressmedia.com
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