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Wild Times Spring 2016

By Tom Estill

Spring, 2016 Summary

The first day of spring was the first time in 3 and a half years that while hiking from Giorgetti Rink to Muddy Pond, I did not see nor hear a single bird! But, Muddy Pond itself was a different story. Paired wood ducks, mallards, Canada geese, common mergansers, and a belted kingfisher were all seen, along with painted turtles sunning themselves. Near the intersection of Carriage Trail and Redfield Farm Trail could be heard a pair of barred owls “hooting”. The last week of March was quite different with cardinals, song sparrows, northern flicker, Eastern phoebe, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, golden-crowned kinglets, and tufted titmouse singing, while hairy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers and pileated woodpeckers were drumming. Crows were harassing a young bald eagle flying over Muddy Pond, while pairs of wood ducks and Canada geese were exhibiting behaviors associated with next building on Rocky Pond. The first wildflower of the season-Coltsfoot was observed, as was a mating pair of Eastern newts.

The beginning of April saw the first appearance of robins in the park, with turkey vultures flying overhead. Countless trout lily leaves were also seen emerging from the forest floor throughout the whole park. Spring peepers were heard for the first time, and leaf buds were starting to appear on many forest trees. Snow flurries were becoming fewer in number, with only thin patches of snow appearing here and there. A pair of Canada geese were seen nesting in an isolated cove on Rocky Pond, and Bobcat tracks were seen by Shelly Lutz and Lauren White near the intersection of Stegosaurus and Redfield Trails. And this sighting happened just a few days after both of them had taken a wildlife tracking workshop. Ruffed grouse could be heard drumming in a few places in the forest. Rocky Pond water level continued to rise due to the increasing size of the beaver dam at the outlet of the Pond.

Mid-April was a time of colder temperatures and an increasing number of flurries. Frog calls decreased substantially with the declining temperatures. The hermit thrush was seen for the first time this season, Canada geese continued to sit on the nest at Rocky Pond, and Wood ducks were a common sight on Muddy Pond. Mourning doves could be heard “cooing” at Rocky Pond, and wood frogs could be heard croaking. Tadpoles were seen swimming at Rocky Pond for the first time this season. Bumblebees (there are 18 species in VT) were a common sight, along with large numbers of other small flying insects. Anglewing butterflies were seen above the old quarry along with mourning cloak butterflies. The beautiful blue iridescent tiger beetle (They have a nasty bite!) could be seen on the trails in large numbers. The spring migrating warblers were beginning to be seen with palm and yellow-rumped warblers being two of the most common. And garter snakes were seen for the first time. And, of course, with the arrival of the spring migrants, you have the arrival of their predators, especially the broad-winged hawk.

Towards the end of April, chipmunks were a common sight, yellow-bellied sapsuckers were busy building nests, red-eyed vireos were back, and trailing arbutus(flowers usually hidden by leaves) were in flower. By this time of year, fern fiddleheads are emerging, chipmunks and squirrels are a common sight, Canada mayflowers are emerging from the forest floor, and the pair of Canada geese was still on the nest at Rocky Pond. New flowers were beginning to appear on a regular basis, along with new songbirds including the rufous-sided towhee and solitary vireo. Water level at Rocky Pond continued to rise with the increasing size of the beaver dam.

The first week of May had me listening to the beautiful evening song of the hermit thrush for the first time this season, and Canada mayflowers were now becoming the dominant floor flower, replacing the declining Trout Lily. Blood root was beginning to flower. Had an early morning birdwalk on May 7th, and was surprised at how quiet the forest was. Thought I’d see and hear a lot more birds. Birds seen included: turkey vulture, cardinal, white-breasted nuthatches, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, crow, slate-colored junco, robins, American goldfinch, hairy woodpeckers, chipping sparrow, pileated woodpeckers, blue jay, tufted titmouse, black and white warbler, ovenbird, hermit thrush, Canada geese, mourning doves, wood ducks, and red-winged blackbirds. Wildflowers are starting to appear in large numbers, and new birds are starting to appear for the first time, including the black-throated blue warbler, least flycatcher and yellow-throated vireo. More and more trees are starting to “leaf out”, Lauren White saw a snapping turtle near the Rocky Pond beaver dam, and the geese at Rocky Pond mysteriously disappeared. I did receive an unconfirmed report that a pair of geese and two goslings had been seen at Rocky Pond towards the middle of May. Many wildflowers are in flower this time of year trying to beat the “leaf out” when they will be shaded, and the sunlight hitting their leaves decreases dramatically. Saw my first Red Eft walking across a trail towards the beginning of May.

In Mid-May, one could hear gray tree frogs croaking, or see Mourning Cloak, Juvenile’s or cabbage white butterflies throughout the forest, especially along the trails. Black flies were starting to become a nuisance, and I received the first of MANY reports of Osprey at both Rocky and Muddy Ponds. Light flurries were experienced as late as May 16th, the same date that I first observed flowering Jack-In-The-Pulpit flowers. Mid-May seemed to be the apex of bird activity this year. Many birds could be seen or heard on any day and still, new birds were arriving including, yellowthroat, great crested flycatcher, Eastern peewee, and scarlet tanager.

Late May saw the forest explode with wildflowers including forget-me-not (the bridge area near the trailhead is covered with them), common buttercup, false Solomon’s seal, Solomon’s seal, star flower, wild lily-of-the-valley, wild columbine, pink lady’s slipper, common cinquefoil, bunchberry, slender blue-eyed grass, and clintonia. Saw my first VERY LARGE millipede on the trail near Muddy Pond. Hadn’t realized they were found this far north. On May 29th, I saw a black water snake swim past me near the Rocky Pond beach rocks, then smelled a dead animal from an area where it swam from. Looking more closely, I found 5 dead black water snakes of varying sizes, coiled up together. I was wondering if they had recently emerged from their nearby winter den too weak to hunt after fasting over the winter months. It appears Muddy Pond had THREE successful wood duck nests this year. Broods of 8, 6, and 3 were seen by numerous people, throughout May and June. With all the dead trees lining Muddy Pond, this is no surprise to me. Holes in the dead trees make perfect nests, and the proximity to water allows for fledglings to make a quick run to the relative safety of water and nearby adults. On the last day of May I saw a pair(female and male) of Indigo Buntings near Trail Marker #11, but haven’t seen them since.

The first week of June had David Jenne emailing to Shelly Lutz (then forwarded to me), some spectacular pictures of Osprey at Muddy Pond. They’ve built a temporary nest on the top of the electric wire towers at the north end of the pond. They’ll go there to feed, but are not nesting. At least not this year. But, I’m going to make a guess that we are going to have a pair attempt to nest there next year. Maybe even take over the abandoned great blue heron nest on the East side of Muddy Pond. They’ve been a common sight at the pond, have been seen feeding there, and have been seen carrying twigs and sticks up to the temporary nest. I wait with great anticipation. Great blue herons have also been sighted at Muddy Pond, sometimes sitting on the old abandoned nest. They, too, are not nesting on the pond. The scarlet tanager is nesting somewhere around trail marker #11. While taking a group of Rutland Middle School students on a nature hike on June 7th, we were able to call in a scarlet tanager close enough for the students to get a look at one of the most beautiful birds in America.

19 more American chestnut trees were planted in Pine Hill Park this June. There are now 41 chestnut trees in the park. They are weeded, watered, sprayed (organic garlic oil) on a regular basis. For the most part, trees planted last year are doing quite well. A barred owl was seen and heard “hooting” every day for over a week towards the beginning of June just above the old rock quarry. Haven’t heard it there for a while. But, if you go up to Rocky Pond at dusk, you’re sure to hear them “hooting” on the far side of the pond, and see the beaver swimming back and forth from its dam.

By mid-June, Christmas fern spores were maturing, fireflies were seen for the first time, and new butterflies were seen including red and white admirals, and the Eastern tiger swallowtail. New flowers continue to emerge (Stay away from the Wild Parsnip at Rocky Pond), garter snakes are seen on a regular basis, male deer are just starting to grow their antlers, the cottontail rabbit is once again feeding on the Crusher trail, and bullfrogs can sometimes be heard in chorus croaking, which can be VERY loud, when dozens are croaking at the same time as commonly happens this time of year on Muddy Pond. Black flies are having a field day, with mosquitoes and deer flies trying to get their share of our blood.

That’s it for this season. Hope you’re all enjoying your time at Pine Hill Park. Please stay on the trails, and don’t hesitate to email me (testill@cksrutland.org) with any interesting wildlife sightings. I’ll be sure to put them in my next summary.

PDF of Wild Times 2016 by Tom Estill

Wild Times at Big Muddy!

By Dave Jenne

I made a trip yesterday to Muddy Pond via the Park and Carriage Trail in search of some interesting photos.  What a day! If you are interested in wildlife watching, stop and watch for a while at either Rocky Pond or Muddy Pond as you cross the power line on the Carriage Trail.  There are some amazing critters there!  Here’s a little summary of my morning (click on the images for a larger version):

I arrived at my location and was set up by 7 am (about an hour later than I wanted, but shlepping my 60+ lbs of gear up Pond Road was a good workout!)  I no sooner got myself concealed and sat than the bird I had most wanted to see came to me right over the pond and carrying a large stick.

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Osprey carrying a large stick over Muddy Pond.

It’s possibly a young Osprey just starting to learn the skills of nest building… what he was building yesterday is best termed avant-garde sculpture!

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Osprey flying over Muddy Pond.

After a couple attempts at sculpture, the Osprey glided over to the opposite side of the pond and sat in a tree for two straight hours presumably waiting for breakfast to swim under his perch.

Once my heartbeat slowed to a pace to where I could concentrate again I noticed that I had set up my blind about 10 feet away from a little dead tree snag that was being used by a Song Sparrow to announce his territory.

Song Sparrow-Muddy Pond-Rutland-VT-20160604-27-3
Male Song Sparrow proclaiming his territory at Muddy Pond.

After an hour or two I discovered that this wasn’t just a territory, it was already home for a family.  His mate soon dropped by with some breakfast for the nestlings which I couldn’t see from my location.

Song Sparrow-Muddy Pond-Rutland-VT-20160604-18-2
Female Song Sparrow with a dragonfly for its nestlings.

I had heard and suspected there would be some ducks with chicks at the pond and wasn’t disappointed. The first bird to swim past me was a female Hooded Merganser.  There weren’t any chicks in sight, but maybe they’re still in the nest.  I’ll be checking back in a week or two so maybe we’ll see some then.

Female Hooded Merganser
Female Hooded Merganser

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To the left of my location was another larger (30ft or so tall) dead tree.  I hadn’t pointed my camera in that direction because the light was bad from that angle, but true to form, about every species of bird at the pond decided that THAT was the place to hang out!  One of them was this Northern Flicker that stayed just long enough for me to get off 4 frames… and then it “Flicked” off across the pond.

A Northern Flicker perched on a dead tree limb at Muddy Pond.
A Northern Flicker perched on a dead tree limb at Muddy Pond.
A Northern Flicker flys off across the pond.
A Northern Flicker flys off across the pond.

Muddy Pond is home to at least 2 broods of Wood Ducks.  I counted one group with 8 ducklings and another with 5. Its always amazing to me how fast young birds can grow. Some of these guys are already looking pretty big, so probably will be just about ready to fly by the next time I see them.

Wood Duck family at Muddy Pond.
Wood Duck family at Muddy Pond.
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Wood Duck mother and ducklings at Muddy Pond.

I came to the pond intending to get some photos of some of the beavers there, but there was no sign of them… although they left plenty of evidence of their presence.  Be careful around the pond— especially on a windy day. Some of them are really large trees that are about ready to go!

A large oak tree chewed by beavers.
A large oak tree chewed by beavers.

Broken Handlebar Gets Some TLC

Broken Handlebar now has an uphill option as well as a downhill only option. We are calling it Broken Handlebar South and North. Broken Handlebar South is the techy XC two way section and Broken Handlebar North is ONE WAY downhill. Both start at intersection 30A and come out at intersection 42. Thank you very much to this year YES plan groups who have made this possible.

Map of trail division

YES Plan Mtn bike group
Thanks Ryan, Alex, Jeremiah and Rick for carrying the sign post in.

Keith putting up temporary sign Folding tarps to carry out IMG_0812 IMG_0809 IMG_0805 IMG_0804

Thank you Volunteeers !

Pine Hill Partnership held a community work day in Pine Hill Park,  Saturday, May 14th.

Thank you National Guard for Army Reserves and Fair Haven Girls on the Run along with all the other volunteers who helped move 18 yards of bark mulch and finished the repair work on Exit Strategy that is now open.

Here are a few photos of some incredible volunteers at work.

Again, thank you !

Trails are now open!

Please NO bikes. April 18th update: Trails are open to bikes. Voldemort, Carriage Trails and lower loop on the Redfield trails are still closed. PLEASE RESPECT TRAIL CLOSURES. The rut in this pic was from the past weekend. We just repaired all those drainage’s last week and someone just had to ride through them.


April 14th update: Trails are open to all bikes. Trails that are closed-Underdog, Voldemort, Carriage Trail and Redfield trails. Please respect those trail closures. Thank you for your patience.


April 7th update: Trails are closed to all bikes. We are monitoring the trails daily and they are soft from 3″ of snow last Monday and an 1″ of rain today. Please be patient.


We are closing the trails for a few days with the cold night temps moving in the frost has come in with those temps. Hopefully by the end of the week we will be able to open the trails to mountain bikes.


April 2nd update: Most trails are open today and tomorrow April 2nd and 3rd. Trails will close Sunday at 5pm due to cold weather moving back in. The freeze thaw cycles raise havoc with the trail tread with frost issues. Underdog, part of Droopy, Lichen Rock, Exit Strategy, Voldemort are closed in Pine Hill Park. The Carriage Trail and Redfield trails are closed and will remain closed until we get some significant drying weather.


April 1st update: We are going to open the trails for Saturday and Sunday, April 2nd and 3rd. They will close Sunday late afternoon. The weather is going to get really cold with some snow and we’re trying to protect the trails the best we can. Underdog will be closed to bikes this weekend. Please set Pine Hill Park as a favorite on TrailHUB for up to date information on the trails.


March 31st update: The freeze/thaw cycles are wreaking havoc on the trails.  Please DO NOT ride any type of bike in the park.

Our weather gods do not appear to be cooperating next week to be able to open trails up either.

Here is a very good explanation on why not to ride during freeze/thaw cycles.

Reasons why trails are closed right now

First community work day is Saturday, April 30th at 9AM.


Saturday, March 25th at 10AM there will be a volunteer work day to clean drainage’s and repair ruts left from the bikes last weekend. Meet at front entrance.


Unfortunately we have had to close our trails due to the freeze/thaw cycles we are experiencing. Please be patient while trails dry out and firm back up. No bikes-this includes fat bikes.


 

We opened most of the trail system Thursday, March 17th. Redfield, Carriage Trail and Voldemort are closed to all users(pedestrian, bikes, fat bikes, etc) due to very soft conditions. We would greatly appreciate all your cooperation on staying off these trails.

We have had some vandalism in the park. Pulling ‘you are here’ signs down, cutting small sapling trees along the edge of the trails, plus pulling down trail blazes. If you see vandalism occurring please report the activity to the Rutland Police Dept at  802 773 1820.  If the destruction has already occurred please report it to Rutland Recreation at 773-1822. If you see someone trying to start a fire please call 911 and report it to the police and fire dept. Spring is a nasty time for wildfires. Pine Hill Park is a Rutland City Park, means no fires, no smoking, no camping and pets on a leash.

Exciting Plans for 2016 Outlined

We had great Annual meeting on Monday, March 28th. A group of 30+ members heard first hand about some of our plans for 2016, but more importantly a discussion session led to lots of great ideas. Hopefully we can move forward with some of the great suggestions and enthusiasm that was present in the room!

This yeIMG_2625ar, the board tried a different approach with the meeting. Keith Wight gave a quick presentation of last year’s accomplishments:

Volunteer Days and Hours:
2015 Volunteer Days 57 days
2015 Volunteer Hours 2390 hours
Groups providing volunteer hours: Community Work Days, Fair Haven Girls on the Run,  Youth Mountain Bike Group; RHS Cross Country Team; RHS YES Plan-6 Days; Youth Works-13 days; PHP individuals

2015-php-completed
Projects completed in Pine Hill Park in 2015 highlighted in blue.
Redfield trails opened and blazed in 2015 highlighted in red.

The meeting  then moved on to an open discussion of 2016 plans.

Upcoming programs in 2016:

  • Women’s Mountain Bike Clinic
  • Youth Mountain Bike Group
  • Intermediate/Advanced Mountain Bike Clinic(new this year)
  • Summer Sunset 5K Race
  • Droopy Pedal Mountain Bike Race
  • Senior Olympics Mountain Bike Race
  • 10K Leaf Chase
  • Nature Hikes with Tom Estill
  • Full Moon 5K race

2016 Goals:

  • Expand Redfield Trails
  • Broken Handlebar Extension
  • New Pine Hill Park map
  • Potential RRMC trail project
  • Webpage
  • Maintain and expand membership
  • Sponsorship Ideas
  • Tyvek maps
  • Coasters with logos

The current PHP board has been working on redefining the goals for the organization and President Andy Shinn shared some of their thoughts. The board reached out to those present and to the overall membership for help in steering the group forward. In addition to the usual annual tasks like trail maintenance, the board is hoping to recruit folks to help with some new projects.

The partnership has developed a new logo and designs for coasters, t-shirts and plans to produce tyvek maps for next year.  Much of the discussion centered around how we could increase awareness and enthusiasm for the work we do, and how we could translate that enthusiasm into more paid memberships and volunteers to help the board accomplish our goals.

Discussion Topics and Ideas:

  • Ask if member? Do you want to be a member?  At activities have a table or something to sign people up.
  • Set up a membership table at the trail head on busy weekends
  • Maps – good idea to make some money – Thanks to private landowners with permission
  • Get coasters to local pubs and restaurants
  • 59 paid members this year; where do we want to be next year? Membership drive?
  • Get list from Cindi of 600+ emails to get them to sign up for Pine Hill Partnership.
  • Think about Lower membership cost to increase numbers
  • “Trails brought to you by Pine Hill Partnership” signs in park
  • Does everyone know that Pine Hill Partnership exists? Most people think it is the City, but do not realize that Pine Hill Partnership actually maintains the park, Carriage and Redfield Trails
  • Start promoting activities on Front porch forum – City, Rutland Town…
  • Business card or similar item to hand out to visitors with Pine Hill Partnership info (hand out coasters?)
  • Web site eventually will become pinehillpartnership.org – phasing out pinehillpartnership.org
  • We need more social media presence – Instagram, Facebook, Front Porch Forum
  • Partner with a store similar to EMS to bind together to provide discount to someone who pays a membership; example, Alpine Bike Shop
  • Might need membership card ?
  • List of local discounts available to members with a card (similar to Perk card)
  • Trails are all the same and some users want a variation on trails – more difficult terrain. Make Broken Handlebar Extension be something more than just a roller.  Optional routes giving the chance to take a more technical or rocky trail.  Something different.  Broaden the trail system.
  • Raise ridership through the broadening of the trail system
  • Mailing list on maintenance? People find out a week after the items happen.
  • Post a list of tasks that need to be done; bring you own tools; Pick up and sign out tools somewhere
  • Expectations for volunteer efforts, duties, time span – clear expectations will make people more likely to step up
  • How things are presented is important – make it fun or at least sound fun; add something like a barbecue or ride or similar. Need someone to organize B-B-Que for a work day.
  • Evening work times? Get more people for a shorter time. Need someone to step up and lead these groups.
  • Put it out that we need X many people, leader, etc.
  • Trail building 101? Teach some leaders how to do trail maintenance and lead a group.
  • Short videos of how to clean a drainage ditch (or similar)
  • Make the park more inviting – more important things that reporting dogs in park; make it fun and exciting
  • Need help for what? Need more members, more people involved, not just trail work, but membership drive, marketing, social director
  • Why are the trails closed? Educate as to why the trails are closed because people may not understand this especially given the mild winter.

After the discussion the final piece of business was to elect next year’s board of directors. Our board of directors for 2016 are: Joel Blumenthal, Andy Shinn, Keith Wight, Shelley Lutz, Claus Bartenstein, and Dave Jenne.

If you would like to help the board with any of our upcoming projects, or have some new ideas of your own, let us know about them! Email us at pinehillpark@gmail.com

If you shop online and use Amazon please consider using www.smile.amazon.com. Amazon will make quarterly contributions to Pine Hill Partnership if you enter us as the non-profit.

Big thanks for your support this year in our continued efforts to make these area trails so special.

Sincerely,

Keith Wight, Andrew Shinn, Joel Blumenthal, Dave Jenne, Claus Bartenstein, and Shelley Lutz

Board of Directors