Through the Window: March 2025

Northern Flicker. Carved by Bob Spear; photographed by Museum staff.
Northern Flicker. Carved by Bob Spear; photographed by Museum staff.

As usual, we keep track of birds seen through the window with  notes on a white board by the window (see the list below). We had a couple of less-usual species sighted this month, including both year-round residents (just not usually observed from the window) and migratory species.

Spring is surely happening!

March Bird List

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April 2025 events

A barn-style dark wooden building at the end of a wooden bridge, with a slate walkway in front. Some benches are at the viewer's left, next to the entrance. Trees with buds tinting the otherwise bare branches are visible to the left. It is early spring (April).

We’re busy getting ready for Opening Day in May! Choosing art, organizing volunteers, checking trails… While we do this, the Museum is open by appointment and for special events.

The trails are open from sunrise to sunset, every day—we recommend using the south trails (Spear, Discovery, Story) rather than Gale’s, Pop’s, or Bob’s, thanks to flooding last July. Trail maps and more information are available on our website, and are posted at the museum and at trail kiosks as well. (Let us know if the wind moved any!)

=== APRIL EVENTS ===

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March 2025 events

Crocuses pierce a light coating of snow in the foreground; a wooden bridge in the midground leads to a dark barn-type building in the background (the Birds of Vermont Museum). Leafless trees frame the background to either side of the bridge and museum.

The Birds of Vermont Museum is busy behind the scenes, but here are a few events to know about. Feel free to post this on your sites, boards, etc., and thank you! The Museum is open by appointment and for special events (like the Great Backyard Bird Count) at this time of year. Free admission for members!

The trails are open from sunrise to sunset, every day—we recommend using the south trails (Spear, Discovery, Story) rather than Gale’s, Pop’s, or Bob’s, thanks to flooding last July. Trail maps and more information are available on our website, and are posted at the museum and at trail kiosks as well. (Let us know if the wind moved any!)

=== MARCH EVENTS ===

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Through the Window: January 2025

Brown Creeper, carved by Robert N. Spear, Jr.
Brown Creeper, wood carving by Robert N. Spear, Jr.

Many thanks to the MP and MP, two regular volunteers with the same initials, who help us participate in community science programs. They have been here almost every Tuesday to record birds for Feederwatch and eBird… and to note birds on the white board by the window (see the list below).

When you go birding, take note of your observations! Every record you contribute is part of important community science and large data monitoring for conservation! One record at a time may not feel like much, but they add up into incredibly useful data. You might enjoy reading “9 Ways People Have Used eBird Data to Make Conservation Happen.” (Ed. note: Let me know of more recent conservation successes based on bird data, and I’ll add that info to next month’s post!)

January Bird List

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February 2025 events

Camel's Hump: view from the Birds of Vermont Museum's backyard

February is a great month for backyard birding and making art. The Museum is open by appointment and for special events (like the Great Backyard Bird Count) at this time of year.

The trails are open from sunrise to sunset, every day—we recommend using the south trails (Spear, Discovery, Story) rather than Gale’s, Pop’s, or Bob’s, thanks to flooding last July. Trail maps and more information are available on our website, and are posted at the museum and at trail kiosks as well. (Let us know if the wind moved any!)

=== FEBRUARY EVENTS ===

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Call to Artists: Birds and Myth

Text over a sepia-toned photograph. Text reads Birds and Myth / meanings metaphors and guides / a call to artists. The background is the bristle-ends of 7 paint brushes, radiating out from the center.

Birds and Myth: meanings, metaphors, & guides

We seek to understand the world. Birds are some of our teachers, not only through our senses and observations, but also through our stories about them. These stories can be factual accounts, broader myths, or something in between. A myth might be a traditional legend, a widely-held-but-false belief, or a representation (or misrepresentation) of something true. A myth can offer insight into who we are, individually or collectively. A myth can offer us ways to behave and ideals to live by. What understanding of birds and humans have you gained through myths you have heard, told, or invented?

The Birds of Vermont Museum’s 2025 art show is centered on these ideas. We invite art submissions that bring birds and their meanings into art to retell an old story, weave several together, represent your beliefs, and/or create a myth for the future.
Continue reading “Call to Artists: Birds and Myth”

January 2025 events

small songbird (Junco or Chickadee) tracks in snow

Happy New Year! We’re launching 2025 with some talks, the ever-changing winter art show, and bird walks (of course). The Museum is open by appointment and for special events from now through April 30.

The trails are open from sunrise to sunset, every day—we recommend using the south trails (Spear, Discovery, Story) rather than Gale’s, Pop’s, or Bob’s, thanks to flooding last July. Trail maps and more information are available on our website, and are posted at the museum and at trail kiosks as well. (Let us know if the wind moved any!)

=== JANUARY EVENTS ===

Continue reading “January 2025 events”

Endure, Change and Bridge: 2024 annual appeal

Enduring qualities and ongoing change: these shaped 2024. Endurance and change are like the rocks and the water of a creek. Museum founders Bob Spear and Gale Lawrence shared these qualities with all who helped them. They opened their lands and barn-turned-museum to everyone and for decades shared their love of birds. They created museum trails that are free to wander year-round. You can walk or sit, listen or look, observe birds or the whole forest, reflect, meditate, open your senses, be inspired. You can help create an accessible route for everyone, from the museum building all the way to the Retreat. Continue reading “Endure, Change and Bridge: 2024 annual appeal”