Morning Sounds and Sights

Every Friday this summer, June 24 until September 2 at 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. we will meet at the Curious George Cottage for the Valley Bird Walks. Although most of the migratory species have yet to arrive, the staff has decided to do some early scouting.

Yellow bellied sapsucker nest entrance hold in tree - above

We gathered this beautiful Earth Day morning and strolled around the walkways of Waterville Valley trekking across fields, sidewalks and trails. Time really flies (no pun intended - well, maybe a little) when you are stopping for birds around every corner. We started out with the regulars, European starling and crow and we checked each group chickadees for any other species that might be tagging along.

We certainly had some highlights this morning like the brown creeper, kingfisher at Corcoran's Pond and some very nice looks at the golden-crowned kinglet. We even spotted moose and bear tracks! Although we are still waiting for our first warblers and swallows in Waterville Valley. Here is our complete species list:

American robin
Red-winged blackbird
European starling
Crow
Black-capped chickadee
Eastern phoebe
Brown creeper
Song sparrow
Golden-crowned kinglet
Northern flicker

Dark-eyed junco

Kingfisher


Eastern phoebe - above

Total species count: 12

Happy Earth Day and happy birding!

Teaching Science

A group of Plymouth State University undergraduates joined me in the field yesterday for a training session on monitoring vegetation phenology. Jessica Brennan, Amanda Hook, and Jax Huckins are our field research interns this spring season. They will be helping out Jim VanGyzen, the Rey Center research assistant, each week by collecting data on the rate of leaf and flower development of trees and herbaceous plants. Jax will work with Jim on Mount Tecumseh while Amanda and Jess will work with him on Mount Starr King in Jefferson, NH. We enjoyed a brisk afternoon in the woods yesterday where there is still plenty of snow pack. We appreciate the willingness of these students to spend a day each week in challenging spring trail conditions to help us keep this ongoing monitoring research moving forward.

(Jess, Amanda, Jax)

Posted by: Kim Votta, Research Coordinator

Spring is just around the corner. Really!

I write that about spring even though as I type it is snowing outside my window. Forecasts tell us we are in for about 6 inches of snow this afternoon and evening. I still think spring is close at hand...why? Well field season has started again!

On Sunday, March 20, I joined Jim VanGyzen, Rey Center Research Assistant and Plymouth State University graduate student, on Mount Starr King in Jefferson, New Hampshire. We were lucky to be in the field on such a beautiful Sunday.

Mount Starr King is one of two mountains Jim is working on for his graduate research as an Environmental Science and Policy student. Jim is monitoring vegetation phenology and climate on Mount Tecumseh as well as Mt. Starr King. On his first trip in the field this season he was learning how to select and tag buds on trees that will be monitored twice a week to measure the rate of development of spring buds.

Jim is continuing the work started on Mount Tecumseh almost three years ago and is extending it to Mount Starr King. Though the Rey Center’s environmental monitoring is still focused on Mount Tecumseh we were happy to provide technical support in an effort to expand this important study that will help resource managers better understand the influence of climate change on northeastern forests.

Below is a picture (right to left) of Jim, Kim, and Kim’s husband, Ken Vallery, atop Mount Starr King. Wonderful views of the northern presidential mountains are more easily appreciated in winter when the top of this peak still holds several feet of snow pack. It is a snowshoe hike worth taking!

(Submitted by Kim Votta, Rey Center Research Coordinator)

Broadway 101: A Musical Retrospective with Maureen Brennan and Catherine Stornetta

The Rey Center would like to thank all of those that made our February fundraising dinner, “Broadway 101: A Musical Retrospective with Maureen Brennan” such a success! Thanks to the generosity of our hosts, Kevin and Leslie Saba, our performers, Maureen Brennan and Catherine Stornetta, our sponsors, and all those who attended, we were able to raise $10,000 to support Rey Center programs! Attendees enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared jointly by Chef Sean Stout of the Coyote Grill and Chef Franz Dubach, a phenomenal performance by Tony nominated actress and singer Maureen Brennan accompanied by Catherine Stornetta, and a lively auction led by Tom Gross, Jr. We were so appreciative of all the support we received for this event, which, much to our surprise and delight, sold-out within one-week! We are already planning for next year's dinner. We hope you will plan to join us!