Through the Window: December 2015

A little drama, as we waited for snow to finally appear:

Barred Owl with Ruffed Grouse kill. Photo by Allison Gergely for the Birds of Vermont Museum, 10 December 2015 . The birds are near the small pond visible through a conference room window.
Barred Owl with Ruffed Grouse kill. Photo by Allison Gergely for the Birds of Vermont Museum, 10 December 2015 . The birds are near the small pond in the feeder area, and visible through a conference room window.
  • Barred Owl (on December 10, the Barred Owl killed a Ruffed Grouse then dragged it down the hill. It was a little bit difficult for the owl!)
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Blue Jay
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Mourning Dove (more than 11 on December 10)
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Northern Cardinal
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • Ruffed Grouse
  • American Robin (on and under the crabapple, December 8)
  • Tufted Titmouse
  • American Goldfinch

Bold indicates those we didn’t see last month.

We also observed Red Squirrels, and Gray Squirrels—generally about 3-5  of the Red ones and about 6 or so of the Gray. Some small malls were caught on our nightcam, but we couldn’t identify them positively—the resolution was a little low. We suspect they were Eastern Cottontails, based on size, behavior, and overall hazy shape.

You too can watch from our window! Call, tweet, phone (802) 434-2167, or email museum@birdsofvermont.org to schedule your visit.

The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.