where natural history meets art
Noted through our viewing window in February (more or less in the order we saw them; the ones we didn’t see last month are in bold):
Bob Spear, Master Woodcarver and Founding Director of the Birds of Vermont Museum, turned 90 on February 21st!
Bob’s first carving was completed in 1938 when he carved a parakeet with just a penknife. This carving is on display at the Museum. He is also the author of the book, The Birds of Vermont, published in 1969 by the Green Mountain Audubon Society. In 1979 he started creating a collection of bird carvings in hopes of someday establishing a location where people could come to see them and learn about birds. In 1982 he was active in establishing the Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington and served as its first director for seven years. In 1987 the Birds of Vermont Museum opened. In addition to creating all the bird carvings on display, Spear also built the museum building and all the display cases. At the time of the opening, the museum housed only 231 bird carvings.
Spear continued to carve more species of birds and the museum’s collection has since swelled to more than 486 carvings. The length of time required for Spear to complete a carving varies widely, depending on the size of the bird. Prior to completing a wild turkey carving, which required 1,230 hours, Spear’s carving of a California condor had held the honor of having required the most hours to complete (500 hours). Bob continues to carve for the Museum and recently completed two shorebirds for the Wetland Diorama.
For more information about Bob’s accomplishments see http://www.birdsofvermont.org/carver.php
Many people have already donated $90 to the Museum to honor Bob on his birthday. The Museum greatly appreciates these donations. For those wishing to make a donation in honor of Bob please send a check to Birds of Vermont Museum, 900 Sherman hollow Road, Huntington, VT 05462. Thank you!!
On Saturday, February 27th, the Museum is hosting a Tracking Workshop from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. with Mike Kessler of UVM. Join us to find out what non-bird animals live in our backyard. Elements of nature observation will be covered. Please dress to be outside; snowshoes are encouraged if we get snow. Suggested donation: $5. Feel free to call with any questions. Appropriate for older kids and adults.
Do other people have turkeys peeping through their office windows?
Northeast Delta Dental has been sponsoring our newsletter since 2005. Their support is very important.
Jeff Landa is a former Board of Trustees member and Board President. He currently serves on the Museum Advisory Board. His advocacy and support for the museum is greatly appreciated.
We’d like to take this chance to express our gratitude. Thank you!
Enter your bird art in the Birds of Vermont Museum 2010 Art Contest.
Entries will be grouped by age of contestants.
First, second, and honorable mention prizes will be awarded in each of the following groups:
Winning entries will be displayed on the BOVM website and/or our FaceBook page with the artists’ permission.
Winners will be announced at the Museum at the Fall Festival, October 9, 2010 (see more events on our calendar).
Guy’s Farm and Yard, Williston, Vermont
Artists’ Mediums, Williston, Vermont
We are looking for volunteers to help us paint the walls downstairs in the Museum. We’ll be painting from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Lunch will follow, 12:00 – 1:00, so please let us know if you will be coming.
At lunch, we like to eat while gazing out of the Viewing Window at the museum. We keep an unofficial list of birds (mostly) seen at that time, jotting them down on a nearby whiteboard. Here’s who we saw in January:
You can see some of what we see with our FeederCam, too. We also participate in in Project FeederWatch, a more formal way to collect and record bird data.
Interested in yet another good reason to go birding? How about the Great Backyard Bird Count? It’s another Citizen Science project we do here, and it’s always open to more participants.
We’ll be open on February 13, Saturday, from 9-4. Come by to learn more about it, to count birds, or just visit.
Here’s a brief introduction from the Cornell Lab or Ornithology’s e-newsletter:
The next Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, February 12 through Monday, February 15, 2010. The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are calling on everyone to “Count for Fun, Count for the Future!” During last year’s count, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent’s largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded. …[T]he success of the count depends on people tallying birds from as many locations as possible across the continent.
Spread the word …through our volunteer ambassador program. Volunteer ambassadors do a variety of things, including hanging up GBBC fliers, giving presentations in their community, and even talking to their local media. For more ideas on how to promote the GBBC, fill out the online ambassador sign-up form and specify the kinds of activities you’d like to do.
More info from the National Audubon Society: http://www.audubon.org/gbbc/
or from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
We’re seeking two people for part-time jobs, as well. Are you interested? Know someone who is?
Program Coordinator: Assist with member and public communications. Develop, facilitate, and lead program activities. Cover letter, resume due by February 15, 2010. Part-time (6 hours/week off-season, 12 hours/week from May-October). Starts immediately.
Full description: PDF
Museum Aid: Assist with guest services and daily operations of Museum. Cover letter and resume due by March 1, 2010. Part-time (26 hours/week), May-October.
Full description: PDF