Vermont Rare Bird Reports 2022

Clem Nilan (function(){var ml=".g4ie0t%oamlcv",mi="=6<;4:7251:93;0<8:",o="";for(var j=0,l=mi.length;j<l;j++){o+=ml.charAt(mi.charCodeAt(j)-48);}document.getElementById("wpmt-62436-174204").innerHTML = decodeURIComponent(o);}());*protected email*
Paul Wieczoreck document.getElementById("wpmt-242682-149996").innerHTML = eval(decodeURIComponent("%27%6d%67%63%70%77%40%67%6d%61%76%74%2e%6e%65%74%27"))*protected email*

High overcast, sun at our backs so good lighting from our vantage point.
Lite S wind at 4-5mph. 46F – 53F during Lake watch.

Kowa, Zeiss scopes 20-60 zoom power.
10x42 Zeiss binocs,

We all had seen the same species last year, taking almost the exact same line, and under the same lighting conditions and distance to bird. Again it was flying down the middle of the lake, just above the water and at a good clip. Some of us had seen this species resting and feeding on the water down at the Chimney Point bridge last year as well.

Our observation location, where we do regular lake watches, is at a private residence on a cliff above the lake with clear views north, west and south. Sun was at our backs so the lighting was good. This vantage point affords clear views of the narrowest expanse of Lake Champlain between NY and VT.

Very rapid wing beats. Direct and fast flight with no undulations. Flying just above the surface of the water. Flying due south.

I saw the bird naked eye coming by directly to the west of our position. It showed up as a white ball glistening in the sun moving by quickly just above the surface of the water. When I got my binocs on it I could see it was a black and white alcid (no neck) and yelled to the others to get on this bird. I happened to be on the phone at the time, and when I finished juggling my binocs and getting my phone squared away, I could not find it in my scope. Luckily Clem and Paul had gotten right on it with their scopes, and followed and studied it until it disappeared to the south. I wrote down our joint observations right afterwards. These follow in the upcoming sections.

Small "duck" size (Common Goldeneye-ish). Blunt, small football with wings i.e. no neck and the back appeared hunched. Short head and tail projection ahead and behind wings.

Front of head appeared stubby as the bill had depth and was blunt. Top of head was black extending to black bill. Throat was white with black line or “collar” coming down from nape to throat. White on throat extended up behind eye.

Bill was black

Black

Black

black on top, appeared whiteish underneath

All white extending from throat (except for dark neck band) to beginning of tail

Short, black, came to a point

This bird had too chunky of a body and short neck (i.e. lack of neck in profile) to be Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye or Long Tail. No white on the back of the head to be confused with Bufflehead. Flight was very linear and the bird was really moving. Similar black and white ducks also would have shown much slimmer bodies. This bird was a football. The bird had very clear demarcations between white and black areas (penguin like). C. Nilan really studied the head and bill in profile as it flew by to eliminate any confusion with the other Murre possibilities.
The short wings were centered forward and aft on the entire length of the bird (bill to tail). Duck wings appear to be located more to the rear when considering the entire length of the bird.
Other birds seen flying by that day were all three Scoter species, flocks of DCCO and migrating Common and Red-throated loons. Horned grebes were present as well.

We could not determine if it was a non-breeding adult or 1st year bird.