A “Big Year” at DNRT

BY LINDA VANDERVEER, LAND MANAGER AND JAMES WARNER, LAND STEWARD

The Land Management staff are taking on a “Big Year” of birding in 2026! In the birding community, a Big Year consists of trying to see as many birds as possible in one calendar year within a specific geographic area. Our goal is to bird at every DNRT reserve in one calendar year and share what we find along our way. We do not have enough space to highlight every bird we see, though we would love to be able to, so our focus will be on interesting observations and highlights. Please note, not all the Reserves we visit are accessible to the public. For a list of Reserves with trails suitable for hiking (and birding!) click here.

For the month of January, we spent dedicated time at five Reserves and observed 36 different species. Our first excursion out to our Teal Rock-Winsor Reserve was a standout. Upon arriving, a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flew out of the salt marsh. Confused by its initial posture we realized that it was quite wet and must have been hunting in the marsh itself. A fun collection of ducks was also present including Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, and Northern Pintail. There were some typical forest dwelling birds as well; however, one stood out. We observed a Downy Woodpecker move among Phragmites, a common invasive reed seen on saltmarsh edges, pecking at the stems. It would travel from one reed stalk to another looking for insects in the stalks. To our knowledge other woodpeckers don’t typically forage in the saltmarsh like this.

We then went to the Bergh Reserve, a small waterside Reserve on the banks of the Little River. Waterfowl and sea birds were seen eating and floating along with the tide.  A flock of Common Goldeneye hung out farther upriver while a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers fished near the bridge. Birding is not always straightforward when trying to make distinctions from afar. We spent time identifying a Common Eider with interesting feather coloring. “First-winter” males have mottling with dark brown and white patches different from the sleek black and white look of adult males.

While doing trail maintenance at Dodge Reserve, we were able to spot some birds before and after completing our trail work. At the work site a Red-shouldered Hawk was perched in the trees looking out along the marsh’s edge. On our way out we spotted a Brown Creeper. This bird, whose brown feathers blend in well with the bark of trees, is relatively quiet and unremarkable if you do not know what you are looking at. Brown Creepers forage for insects on trees, only ever climbing upwards from the trunk to the top, never going down.

We have had good luck seeing different woodpeckers this winter. At Wernick Farm Reserve we thought we spotted a Downy Woodpecker. Upon further investigation we realized how much bigger it was than a Downy Woodpecker and suspected it was a Hairy Woodpecker. Once the Hairy Woodpecker cooperated and stood still, we noted the difference in markings on the tail feathers that distinguish it from a Downy Woodpecker. At our office at Helfand farm a Red bellied Woodpecker made it easy by stopping by outside on our suet block feeder.

The most recent feathered friend we confirmed was a Screech Owl. During DNRT’s Owl Prowl at Slocum’s River Reserve, we heard a pair of Screech owls calling back and forth. Although we did not actually see the owl, their call is very distinctive, so we felt comfortable adding it to our list.

We are excited to be taking on this project in 2026. If you want more information about a Big Year and why it is important, look out for DNRT’s Milestones coming out soon.