where natural history meets art
Congratulations to all the walkers, runners, and supporters of the 2021 Race Around Birds.
The results below are shown in three sets: The winners of the one-loop “single” race (about 5k, 3.6 miles); the two-loop “double” race (about 10k, 7.2 miles); and a chart of everyone’s times broken out by class. Continue reading “Results for Race Around Birds 2021”
We are happy to tell you that the Museum opened again for drop-in visiting on May 1!
As we did last year, the Museum building will be open Wednesday through Sunday. Our hours are 10am -4pm. We are limiting the number of people in the building to 12, and we are requiring masks that cover noses and mouths. We have kept some of our touchable and interactive items put away.
If all goes well with vaccinations up and case counts down, and all of us doing our part with distances, careful interactions, managing masks and how frequently we get together, we anticipate being able to expand further. We are certainly looking forward to our events this year! Continue reading “Open for drop-in visitors, 2021”
A Call to Artists from the Birds of Vermont Museum
The year 2020 asked a lot of us—and taught us even more. As our habitual systems hit rock bottom under the weight of the pandemic, economic hardship, and social injustice, voices rose, and long-time institutions were loudly questioned. New ways of experiencing and perceiving our world opened our minds to new comprehension. How could our art, our creativity, our practices remain unaffected? Our perspectives inevitably changed.
We are a museum about and for birds and conservation. We are part of a community of birders, artists, conservationists, and learners. Your experience and perspective may be unseen or unknown to someone else, even in the same community. For 2021, we’d like to hear and share your artistic voice.
What perspectives exist for birds, birding, and conservation, and the possibilities these offer? We seek works that explore many viewpoints for our 2021 art exhibit, Expanding Voices: perspectives on birding. Continue reading “Call to Artists: Expanding Voices”
Congratulations to all the runners and walkers who took part in our first annual Race Around Birds! All participants who provided a postal address were sent a Museum bumper sticker. And of course we had some awards to give out:
The Arctic Tern Award : J. Dion for the fastest “10k” (the double-route is actually over 11km!). She ran two loops in 1:50.
The Peregrine Falcon Award : S. Silverstein for the fastest 5k (it’s more like 5.8km). He ran it in 0:34.
The Roadrunner Award : M. Barnes (who was also the youngest runner) for being the second fastest at 0:44.
Double Clutch Recognition, for all runners who raced more than once but on separate days: L. Edling, V. Talmage, and S. Silverstein. A special congratulations to L. Edling for cutting her race time by a whopping 5 minutes on her second go.
The Hermit Thrush Award, for the fastest walking time, had a three-way tie between K. Hudson, G. Hudson, and A. Gergely, all at 1:25.
The Caching Championship, for seeing the most number of bird species while on the trail, goes to J. Morris and P. Spielman.
Our Golden Rake Award is to be shared by R. Sloan and V. Talmage for trail marking, prepping, and clearing trails. Thank you so much!
Ready to do it again? We have scheduled next year’s Race Around Birds for November 6th, 2021. Stay tuned for more info!
Cheers to all!
p.s. We’ve received some feedback but would welcome more. We want to make the trail run as enjoyable as possible—although we can’t make it easier. M. Barnes says, “It’s harder than Harwood!” All you Vermont high school cross-country runners probably know just what this means…and you’re invited to run ours next year.
From November through April, we’re open by appointment and for special events. Individuals, families, and groups are all welcome at *all* times of year.
Admission is free for members! Continue reading “Return to Winter Hours for 2020-2021”
We’re hosting a month-long self-reported trail race from October 5 – November 1, 2020, on our trail system here at the Museum on Sherman Hollow Road in Huntington. Join in! Continue reading “Month-long Event: Race Around Birds, October 2020”
As you likely know, the Museum had to remain closed due to Covid-19. This was the first spring in 32 years where we didn’t open our doors on May 1. This was the first time since we started Early Birder Morning Walks (more than a decade ago!) that we couldn’t gather for to walk and watch spring migration together.
We have missed you! Although we were saddened to hear of people who were ill or lost their lives; we also are hugely grateful that, by all of us working together, we kept the numbers lower than they could have been. As the number of Vermont cases continues to be encouragingly small, the state is allowing some businesses to open (with restrictions in place).
We are happy to tell you that the Museum opened on Wednesday, June 3! Continue reading “Open for 2020, finally”
Yes, our trails are open! But we ask you to take extra precautions for now:
![Borders: illusions that constrain us [a call to artists]](https://birdsofvermont.org/wpsite2017/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/paintbrushes-banner.jpg)
A Call to Artists from the Birds of Vermont Museum
What borders do birds encounter? Our maps do not typically reflect the territories they perceive, the ranges they travel, or the barriers they comes across. How do birds’ boundaries connect to human borders? To those of other species? Edges of things—physically, spatially, temporally— raise questions, not least of which is “Is it really there?”
We ponder this, wondering, how do and will these encounters and connections alter us, birds, and the borders themselves?
We seek works that share visions of birds, borders, and boundaries, now and into the future, for our 2020 art exhibit, Borders.
Starting Wednesday, January 23, we’ll host the new six-week It’s a Bird’s Life series. Sponsored by a local Community Senior Center and the Birds of Vermont Museum, meet on six consecutive Wednesdays at 1:30 at the Birds of Vermont Museum, and learn more about specific Vermont birds—as well as two sessions connecting coffee and maple to birds!
Continue reading “New “It’s a Bird’s Life” talks starting soon”