Читать книгу Birds of New Hampshire & Vermont Field Guide - Stan Tekiela - Страница 9

Millions of people have discovered bird feeding. It’s a simple and enjoyable way to bring the beauty of birds closer to your home. Watching birds at your feeder and listening to them sing their songs often leads to a lifetime pursuit of bird identification. The Birds of New Hampshire and Vermont Field Guide is for those who want to identify the common birds seen in New Hampshire and Vermont.

There are over 800 species of birds found in North America. In New Hampshire alone there have been more than 409 different kinds of birds recorded throughout the years, and in Vermont over 384 species have been reported. These are impressive numbers of species for two individual states! These bird sightings were diligently recorded by hundreds of bird watchers and became part of the official state records. From these valuable records, I’ve chosen 130 of the most common and easily seen birds of New Hampshire and Vermont to include in this book.

Bird watching, or birding, is the most popular spectator sport in America. Its appeal in New Hampshire and Vermont is due, in part, to an unusually rich and abundant birdlife. Why are so many birds in these states? The main reasons are open space and diversity of habitat. While New Hampshire and Vermont combined cover around 18,900 square miles (48,950 sq. km), despite the small area, the region is a remarkable place to see a variety of birds due to its wide range of habitats.

The White Mountains of northern New Hampshire have a peak elevation of 6,288 feet (1,917 m). This mountain range is a good place to see Horned Larks and other wonderful birds. The New England Uplands, which covers most western and southern parts of New Hampshire, is a great place to see forest and woodland birds, including Baltimore Orioles. Shorebirds and other unique birds not found in other parts of the state can be seen in the coastal lowlands of southeastern New Hampshire.

The Green Mountains are Vermont’s principal geographical feature. Extending from the Canadian border into Massachusetts, these mountains not only have the highest peaks in the state, but they are home to some of the most interesting birds, such as Ruffed Grouse and tiny Eastern Screech-Owls. The Vermont Piedmont, a narrow corridor of hills and valleys to the east of the Green Mountains, composes much of the rest of the state. This is a good place to see Red-tailed Hawks and other open country birds.

From the coastal lowlands to the mountains, New Hampshire and Vermont are some of the best places in North America to see an assortment of birds. Whether you watch hummingbirds at spring flowers, bluebirds nesting in summer, hawks migrating in fall or cardinals feeding in winter, you’ll enjoy an exciting array of birds in your state all year long.