New Hampshire

An ebook on the bird populations of one of the most important birding sites in the Connecticut Valley is now available for free, online. The Birds of Hinsdale Setbacks and Bluffs, by Hector Galbraith, addresses in some detail all 244 species that have been recorded there over the last 80+ years. It is 70 pages of text bar charts, maps, and photographs.

With world class birding sites like Odiorne and Parker River only a couple of hours drive away, it is easy for some of us in inland New England to forget the ornithological importance of some of our inland sites. This is definitely the case with Hinsdale Setbacks and Bluffs in southwest New Hampshire and southeast Vermont. Situated on the Connecticut River, and comprising a rich mixture of habitats, including emergent marsh, open water, and riparian scrub and forest, the Setbacks and Bluffs are one of the most diverse and productive birding sites in inland New England.

Since bird records began there in the 1930s a total of at least 244 species have been recorded, equaling or exceeding most other inland New England sites. Many of these species are migrants, the site being particularly known for its waterbird migration in the spring and fall, when just about any goose, duck, loon or grebe species can turn up. Also, while many of the birds recorded are those that might be expected in the Connecticut Valley, many have been much less common, including such rarities as Swallow-tailed Kite, Acadian Flycatcher, and Barnacle Goose. So, birding the Setbacks and Bluffs can combine high biodiversity with the attention-getting prospect of seeing a rare bird.

Given the data that have been collected over the decades and what we know about the Setbacks and Bluffs, Hector Galbraith thought it was high time to summarize their avian occurrence, abundance and seasonality in a readable book. This is what has been attempted in the free ebook, The Birds of Hinsdale Setbacks and Bluffs. The 70 pages of text, bar charts and photos provides a detailed review of the two sites, their birds and birding opportunities. So, if you intend visiting the sites or are just interested in bird migration through the Connecticut Valley, you’ll want to read this ebook. It can be accessed on the web at https://hinsdalebirds.wordpress.com/ and saving the resulting download to your computer. If you have problems with this procedure, simply email the author at hg2@myfairpoint.net and he will email you a copy back.