Melchor Tract Park, and Newburg and Hollo Road Ponds ~ October 10, 2026

I birded the Melchor Tract Park first thing in the morning. Marilyn Hessinger was also there when I arrived, so we birded the site together. In the first section, we found Swamp and Song Sparrows, Gray Catbird, Red-winged Blackbirds, a few Palm Warblers, and a couple Lincoln's Sparrows.

Lincoln's Sparrow

Farther along, several Savannah Sparrows and an American Kestrel were present. Canada Geese, Turkey Vultures, and about 20 Blue Jays flew by. Birds seen along the eastern treeline area included a few Eastern Bluebirds, 6 Cedar Waxwings, 3 White-throated and 3 Field Sparrows, and several Yellow-rumped Warblers. The western side of the entrance area held a Black Vulture, 2 Northern Flickers, and a Pileated Woodpecker.

Pileated Woodpecker

I left there and drove up to the Newburg Road retention pond, which held a Pectoral Sandpiper and several Killdeer.

Pectoral Sandpiper

A Palm Warbler was in the small, wooded area, and several Savannah Sparrows were around the pond's weedy edges while a dozen Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew by.

Palm Warbler

Savannah Sparrow

Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Across the street, the corner of the weedy field produced a Common Yellowthroat, a Swamp Sparrow, and more Savannah Sparrows.

Common Yellowthroat

Swamp Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Over by the cattails area along Koch Toyota, I was surprised to see a Nashville Warbler.

Nashville Warbler

My last stop was the Hollo Road pond, which only held 3 Mallards and 2 Killdeer, but the nearby Shoeneck Creek area held 2 Blackpoll Warblers.

Two Blackpoll Warblers (center left and center right).

Blackpoll Warblers

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New Hampshire - Vermont Trip for Leaves, Not Birds ~ October 7-8, 2026

My wife wanted to see the leaves in the Northeast, so I wormed in a two-day trip between our other scheduled things, which turned out to be the 7th and 8th.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

We left very early (4:30 AM) so that we'd be past the New York City area before rush hour. It took us about 7-1/2 hours to get to Conway, New Hampshire where we started driving the Kancamagus Highway towards Lincoln. A short distance up the highway, we stopped at the Albany Covered Bridge.

The Albany Covered Bridge.

This is a view up the Swift River from the bridge.

The Swift River from the Albany Covered Bridge.

A little farther along, we stopped to check out the Lower Falls.

The Lower Falls.

Farther up the road, we hiked the trail up to Sabbaday Falls.

The Sabbaday Falls.

We also stopped at three overlooks giving nice views of the multi-colored mountainsides.

The C.L. Graham Wangan Overlook.

The Pemigewasset Overlook.

Panoramic Overlook.

I had previously purchased tickets for the Loon Mountain Gondola Skyride. We got there a little after 3:00 and took the ride up to the top of Loon Peak, which is 2,733 feet high.

The view to the northwest from Loon Peak.

From the top of the observation tower, there were super views in all directions. The view to the east was the most impressive.

The view to the east from Loon Peak.

The view to the northeast from Loon Peak with Mount Washington in the far distance.

I took some photos from the gondola on the way back down from Loon Peak.

The view to the north on the way back down.

Leaving there, we drove a short distance to the Seven Birches Winery where my wife enjoyed some wine. I don't drink, so I'm always the designated driver.

The Seven Birches Winery.

We tried to find a nice place for a good, sit-down dinner, but all of the places were jammed due to it being the peak period. We started driving towards our motel and ended up having to settle for a McDonald's dinner instead. We stayed at the Quality Inn in Ashland, New Hampshire.

Thursday, October 8, 2026

We got up pretty early. It had rained overnight and was a still foggy in places. We had a continental breakfast at the motel and then headed west towards Vermont. After crossing the state line, we continued west and stopped at the Quechee Gorge, which is Vermont's deepest gorge.

The Quechee Gorge in Quechee State Park, which drops 165 feet down to the Ottauquechee River.

South of Bridgewater, I stopped along the way to Plymouth Notch to take this photo.

A view along Route 100A near Bridgewater.

After reaching Plymouth Notch, we headed south on Route 100 towards Wilmington.

Along Route 100 south of Plymouth Notch.

A few stops at a couple lakes and ponds produced some nice views.

Amherst Lake.

Echo Lake.

Reservoir Pond.

A little farther south, we made a slight detour to Buttermilk Falls. It wasn't that eye-popping, but was still photogenic.

Buttermilk Falls.

Just below the town of Ludlow, we found our most dynamic roadside view of the trip.

Along Route 100 south of Ludlow.

Near Mount Snow, I saw a Pileated Woodpecker fly across the road, and about 40 Wild Turkeys were in a grassy field soon after that. Common Ravens were seen at many spots in both states. Another good view of the leaves was found just south of Mount Snow.

Along Route 100 south of Mount Snow.

It began to cloud over with occasional sprinkles when we got to Big Pond, north of Woodford. We got lucky weatherwise since it rained overnight, cleared up during the day, and didn't start to shower until after we had completed our Route 100 section in the afternoon.

Big Pond near Woodford.

At Wilmington, Vermont, we headed west towards Albany, New York and took I-87 south to New Jersey and then back home. We got back around 6:00 PM. It was a long, but enjoyable trip that covered 907 miles.

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