where natural history meets art
A nice month! We were busy with camp groups, some new Nestlings programs, our wonderful annual butterfly walk, a carving class, and the final touches on our July Chip Notes newsletter.
And with all that, we still time to do a little sedentary birding! Though we are a bit sparse on birds at the feeders right now (see below)…
It’s been a pleasant early summer month at the Birds of Vermont Museum. We’re continuing our Early Birder Morning Walks on Sundays, and had a new walk offered: “Tree IDs for Birders”. We even had a booksigning and a carving class!
Even though we’ve cut back on our feeding, we have still been able to enjoy spotting birds through our windows (and doors) at the Museum.
Our 2022 art show, Fine Feathers, features over 70 works, chosen from over 250 submissions from artists, photographers, and poets. Each piece is inspired by birds and their feathers. The creators are influenced by feather colors, shapes, patterns, and functions. Through illustration, painting, textile, collage, photography, sculpture, and the written word, these creative expressions are as varied as the feathered creatures they depict. Continue reading “Fine Feathers, at play with structure and function | 2022 community art show”
Still limiting feeding, although this month we saw so many birds that one might hardly have thought we were doing this! (Also, see below for why.)
We also noticed that at certain times of the day, the light hit the front door just right (or perhaps, just wrongly) to apparently encourage bird collisions. We have fixed this! (More on this below, too.)
Also this month (and next): Early Birder Morning Walks! Check out the results when the walk leaders post them to eBird.
Despite changing from regular feeding to a restricted type and amount (see below for why), we still enjoying observing birds through our window. Something about just sitting, watching, maybe taking notes or doing Feederwatch… this helped us get through a wicked bad mud season and a few April snowfalls.
And as we post this, we’re well into another migration season! Check out BirdCast for nighttime forecasts of what’s moving where.
We are open 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. Because COVID continues to circulate in Vermont, we ask that you wear a mask while indoors.
What’s happening this spring-summer-fall? We’re presenting almost all Vermont birds as wood carvings, sharing an art show called “Fine Feathers: at play with structure and function”, hosting a 3-day woodcarving class for the Green Mountain Woodcovers, offering bird walks, and so much more.
Of course, our trails, treehouse, and pollinator sanctuaries are open! Bring a picnic (and good shoes and bug repellent) and spend time seeking to spot newts at the pond or listening for a wren from the treehouse. Trails are open sun-up to sundown.
Need directions? Want to schedule a school or camp field trip? Attend a bird walk? We look forward to seeing you!
March usually see us getting excited about what’s left to do before our drop-in season (May – October) and which migrants are passing by on their way further north (looking at you Fox Sparrow. Also mud. Sherman Hollow Road at the end of March this year was …. remarkable. Yet passable, unlike some other roads around the state. So we could keep feeding the birds.
By the way, Vermont Fish & Wildlife recommends taking in your bird feeders on April 1st, to avoid habituating bears to our spaces. Our feeders are 8′ off the ground on a steel pole set in concrete; it’s both bear resistant and not too much of a temptation. Bears learn quickly what’s out of reach and not worth the effort.
Lawson’s Finest Liquids of Waitsfield selected the Birds of Vermont Museum as one of their semi-monthly Sunshine Fund recipients. From March 1st through 15th, customer donations at their Taproom will benefit the museum. Visit the Lawson’s Finest Liquids taproom to enjoy a local brew and support us too. Non-alcoholic beverages and light pub fare are also available.
We three museum staff dropped in on Monday to taste some for ourselves. We gave high (field) marks to the three beers we tried—a stout, a pilsner, and a porter—as well as the vegetarian chili, the grilled cheese, and the cheese plate. Yum.
Continue reading “Lawson’s Finest Liquids supports the museum”
Is February midwinter? A month of goldfinches turning? Time for signs of spring? The start of sugaring season? Snow Moon? Something else? All this and more…
We like to hunker down in January a bit, watching the birds from the relative quiet of our offices.
However, it’s possible we get distracted from writing reports and making new library displays and planning the next art show and saying thanks to members and donors and finding out about bird codes and…