Dorset Vermont, A Beautiful Colonial New England Town in Southern Vermont

What is it about Dorset that people love so much?

Maybe it's the peace and quiet. Perhaps it's the white clapboard New England architecture, the well-kept houses overlooking the town green. For some people, it's the mountains and clean country air. For others, it's Dorset's role in the American Revolution.

Maybe it's our back roads, birds and wildlife, maple covered hillsides, walking trails and stone walls. It might be our handful of country inns and sophisticated restaurants, our summer theatre, artists and artisans, nearby music festivals and fairs, or our wonderful year-round outdoor activities… or the interesting people who live here.

For almost 150 years (since 1868, when the first "summer people" came to Dorset), visitors have discovered countless reasons to love our little town. Fascinating day trips, including museum visits, cheese tours and dirt road adventures, will make your visit memorable. See map.

Welcome to Dorset!

July 2010 Bird Notes

Kids' Antics

July10 If you are hearing strange bird sounds or seeing unusual bird behaviors, you might be hearing or looking at a juvenile bird. There are many around! When a bird leaves the nest, it has 'fledged'. These 'fledglings' are feathered enough to fly away from the nest, but they usually lack fully developed flight and tail feathers. They are still totally dependent on their parents to feed them. Small birds assume a begging posture complete with wing flutter and incessant, squeaky calls. And - they usually don't move around too much which gives one more time to locate them tucked deep in a bush or tree. Evidence of yellow around the bill, or gap, is also a clue to a juvenile bird. When that mouth is open on a young bird, the bright yellow lining gives a parent a good target for a juicy morsel. Young fledglings should be left right where they are. A parent is sure to be not very far away.

I maintain a platform feeder all summer with black oil sunflower seed and cracked corn just so I can watch more bird action in my yard. The flat surface makes it much easier for young birds to land. One morning there were 10 House Finches on the platform, with families of Tufted Titmice, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Mourning Doves, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Black-capped Chickadees all coming in and out to get their share. There are many more nesters about - catbirds, robins, Chipping and Song Sparrows, and orioles. I could hear the young crows ' yapping' with their more raspy, caws, the House Wren's constant chattering and the low, warble of the Eastern Bluebird. The young Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are very 'dirty brown' all over; the Ruby-throated Hummingbird young have 'dirty' bellies, but look just like their mom. I expect to see the Red-bellied Woodpecker kids hanging their heads out the hole in the dead tree any day now.

Watching birds at this time of year is all about behaviors - what are they doing? why are they doing that? and what can we learn from our observations? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology even has a database where all this business about raising a family can be recorded. http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/. Happy Behavior Watching.

See Previous Bird Notes

For more information about birding in the Dorset
and surrounding area email the .

Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 121 · Dorset VT 05251
chamber@dorsetvt.com