Bird Walk

About

This program is free and does not require admission. Please register. Appropriate for teens and adults.

Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot. Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house.

If you're able, paying it forward helps support our programming. Thank you for helping make meaningful educational programs accessible to our community.

Please register. Questions? Contact Juliette 802-362-1835 or email juliette@hildene.org

Bird Note: Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal

Although fall migration is in full swing, it's not so much the passerines (perching birds) we see as it is hawks, ducks and geese. Both Blue-winged Teal and Green-wing Teal are among the many species of ducks seen in Vermont. The Blue-winged Teal arrives later in the Spring and departs earlier in the fall than the Green-winged. Most Blue-wings have left by October with Green-wings at their peak of movement.

Both teal are small, fast-flying ducks, the females a non-descript brown. But the breeding male Blue-winged sports a distinctive white crescent shape behind the bill. In flight the wings flash light blue on the leading edge of their wing.

Green-winged males have a dark red-brown head with a wide green eye comma. At a distance a white, vertical strip forward on the body is diagnostic on a sitting bird.

Identifying fall teal can be difficult, however. The time of year helps. A Blue-winged Teal in flight is easy, but all the male and female fall birds on the water are garbed in drab browns. The Greens are our smallest dabbling duck with thinner bills and show a vertical buffy streak at the tail.