We were open last Saturday to celebrate and support the Great Backyard Bird Count. Naturally, we counted birds—and a few others—as well. Our results from that open time follow, and we will have our full count results posted to eBird as well.
Observed on February 19th, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Blue Jay
9
Hairy Woodpecker
2
Downy Woodpecker
1
Dark-eyed Junco
4
Northern Cardinal (female)
1
Tufted Titmouse
2
Mourning Dove
6
Black-capped Chickadee
4
White-Breasted Nuthatch
1
European Starling
1
American Crow
1
We also observed an Eastern Cottontail and 3 Red Squirrels.
How did your counts go?
This competition is open to persons aged 0 – 18 years old.
The theme of the contest isBirds, Birds, Birds.
Flat submissions (paper, collage, etc.) must be no larger than 8 ½” x 11”
3-D art must be smaller than 6”x 6”x 8”.
One entry per person.
Name, age and contact information must be included with entry.
Contestants may use any media.
Past entries (and winners) have used paint, colored pencils, crayons, markers, clay, wood, or papier-mâché.
Entries must be received no later than September 30, 2011.
Please drop off or mail entries to Birds of Vermont Museum 900 Sherman Hollow Road Huntington, Vermont 05462
All entries will be displayed at the museum throughout the 2011 season, so enter early!
Judging
First, second, and honorable mention prizes will be awarded in the following categories (most are age-based):
5 years and younger
6 – 8 years
9 – 13 years
14 – 18 years
3-D Art
Winners
Winners will be announced at the Museum at our Fall Festival, Saturday October 8, 2011.
Winning entries will be displayed (with artist and parent approval) on the BOVM website or our Facebook page after the festival.
Entries may be picked up at the Museum after Nov. 1, 2011.
Sponsors
We welcome sponsors of our art contest! Contact us if you’d like to donate funds (to purchase prizes) or prizes (we do ask that we get to vet these first).
Past sponsors have included farm and garden stores, art supply shops, artists, and museum members.
Age 0-5: Melody B, Lily K, Kenny F, Anna P, Olivia O Ages 6-8: Noah B, Cooper H, Jake B, Petra B, Celeste B Ages 9-13: Lena H, Anna-Sophie S, Lexi P, Amanda G, Kate O Ages 14-18: Christina H, Lindsay F, Hannah G
And some special categories:
Sculpture (3-D): Shannon H, Allison G, Alexander U, Hannah D, Melissa A Collage (First Graders): Kameron C, Mary M, Cater F, Ian M Flying Patterned Birds: Will P, Nicholas M, Caroline S, Caleb R, Carter S, Myiah D 3-Dimensional Flying Foil Birds: Makenna T, Isaac D, Jackson E, Shannon H, Amy L, Kyle D
We had a few “Specials” (these are at the Judge’s discretion and change from year to year):
Georgia W for “Best Kestrel”; Clementine for “Cutest Penguin”; Lily for “best Mallard”; Leola A for “Cutest Couple”; Kenny for “Best Cardinal”; Aziana H for “Best Happy Owl”, and David A for “Best Woodpecker”
So much art! We nearly covered our viewing window area walls.
For more images, check out our album at Facebook. Feel free to leave comments here or there.
Guest post by Lori Hinrichsen, Artist, Photographer, and Judge of the 2010 Art Contest
When I walked into the Museum the other day I was thrilled to be surrounded by so much creativity, imagery, and enthusiasm of all the artwork entries. From abstract to representational, from humor, composition, color and form, to a range of creative interpretation, the Birds of Vermont Museum Art contest was a delight for the eyes.
I want to congratulate all of you who participated in the event and I genuinely wish I could have given each of you a ribbon for all your wonderful entries. I would like to encourage you to keep making art and sharing it with others. I would like to extend gratitude to your teachers, parents, neighbors, friends and family for keeping the arts alive, every day.
Wishing you a warm lingering autumn. Vermont is a very special place in all seasons.
Here’s a quick little sneak peek of some of the entries in our Community Art Show and Youth Art Contest. Come by to see more … much more! There are some wonderful pieces on display.
Enjoy our Fall Festival with Woodcarvers — Live birds — Used Books/Garage Sale — Nature Journal Workshop — Insect Info — Birds!
Woodcarvers will be demonstrating their art in the workshop.
Carol Winfield returns with live birds at 11:00.
Find something wonderful at our Used Books/Garage Sale.
Heather Fitzgerald offers a Nature Journal Workshop.
Rhonda Mace from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture will answer questions about Invasive Insects.
Kids activities and games, nature walks.
Storytime at the Museum: Join us at 10:30 on Tuesdays in September and October for stories about birds and more.
Intended for Pre-schoolers, but all ages are welcome. Stories will be followed by a craft project, music, or nature walk, depending on the topics and weather.
Join us for an old-fashioned ice cream social to celebrate Bob Spear, the Museum’s founder and Master Woodcarver, and another glorious year!
We’re hosting this event at the Museum on Sunday, August 22, 2010. We’ll serve ice cream and cake at 1:00 or so, right after Bob blows out the candles.
While here, visit all the new carvings from the past year. Eat good food. Spend some time with old and new birders, carvers, and other friends. Great fun for everyone.
Free with museum admission – and of course all current members get in for free. Just show us your card! (Not yet a member? Become one on Sunday—just in time.) If you let us know you’re coming, we’ll be sure to have enough ice cream. Looking forward to seeing you!
I’ve just come back from the Annual VES Butterfly Walk. Thank you so much to Bryan Pfeiffer, Trish Hanson and many others for sharing their knowledge! We had about 35 guests or so on the walk, ranging from young kids to grandparents, new explorers to professional (and retired) entomologists. I’m a new explorer, practically a rank beginner with bugs. I love it.
You’ll no doubt get much more by coming on a walk, going outside, and paging through field guides. I went out with my just my notebook and camera, though. So, from my notes:
Grandfather and grandchild exploring for butterflies on today's VES Butterfly Walk
About observing tools: Water nets and butterfly nets are not the same. A butterfly net (for field insects, etc.) is longer, cone-shaped, and of a very fine soft mesh. The longer shape (compared a vaguely trapezoidal water net) allows one to “flip” the net closed, so the insect won’t escape while you are examining it. That’s less of an issue with a water net; water beetles and dragonfly nymphs aren’t so likely to fly off.
About Butterflies: Lepidoptera — the order that contains butterflies — means “scale(d) wing”, for the thousands of tiny, often iridescent scales that cover the wings. We found a clouded sulphur female (Colias philodice). One way (of several) to tell this was a female was because she had spots in the dark margin of her upper wing.
Canada Darner (Aeshna canadensis) on child's hand. This one is an "old lady" -- about a month or so!
About Dragonflies and Damselflies: When identifying them, look at where the color is on which segments of the abdomen — look very closely! Also look at the profile of the claspers at the end of the abdomen. The different shapes (hook, c-clamp, straight, knobby, etc.) helped in identification.
About Daddy-long-legs: I had never noticed how the mouth parts fold so neatly, making such a even oval profile of their bodies. Lovely.
Here’s a cool online resource I just found too, for comparing multiple pictures of butterflies (and others): http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=Butterflies What are your favorite online resources for Insects and Arachnids?
Young Entomologist on the VES Annual Butterfly Walk
Guest post from Dr. Stewart Kirkaldy, Museum Volunteer
Every once in a while one has an experience that is profoundly moving. This happened to me recently on International Migratory Bird Day at the Birds of Vermont Museum where I was working at the viewing window. A young couple came in with three children, the eldest of whom was a serious birder. She was 10 years old or less but had a “life list” of fifty-eight on arrival. Very soon she saw her first Hummingbird to which she responded with incredible vocal enthusiasm, jumping up and down and rushing across the room to give her father the news. (She added two new species to her list that afternoon.) Her interest and enthusiasm was evident all day. She was an inspiration and rejuvenated hope in my heart for the future of humanity.
The realization dawned on me that she is at one end of the spectrum of human activity and, sadly, too many are at the other end as exemplified by Big Oil Company Executives whose actions and indifference led to the recent catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But what she left me with was the hope well expressed in a hymn that ends “… when man’s crude acts deface no more / the handiwork of God.”
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male), carved by Robert Spear, Jr.
