Birding – Page 4 – Birds of Vermont Museum

Early Birders Morning Walk

Photo of Catbird surrounded by green foliage. copyright J. Comeau and used by permission.

Spring mornings are terrific for birding. Join us for a walk led by experienced birders.

Who’s singing, calling, nesting, or flying around the Birds of Vermont Museum? Discover birds on an early morning ramble in the Museum’s forest and meadows. Walks are led by experienced birders familiar with Vermont birds. This week Becky Giroux will be leading the walk.

Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Early mornings are often damp with dew and boots are definitely in order. Don’t forget bug spray/tick repellent!

Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.

Suggested donation: $10-$15

Max: 12 people • waitlist available if walk fills

Masks recommended inside the Museum. (We will update this listing with any changed COVID-19 precautions as we get closer to the date.)

May Bird Monitoring Walk

Birders in early spring, looking at trees that are not fully leafed out.

All birders (current, experienced, newbie and would-be!) welcome! Attend our monthly monitoring walk outdoors on the Museum’s trails in forest and meadow.

Most fun for adults, older children. Please bring your own binoculars, dress for weather. Tick repellent and water bottles are recommended.

Max: 12 people
Suggested donation $10 – $15

Face masks recommended inside the museum.
We go out the last Saturday of every month. Walks start at 7:30 am April – August; 8am September – March.

April Bird Monitoring Walk

Photo: Fox Sparrow photographed by Erin Talmage, © 2019 and used by permission.

All birders —current, experienced, newbie and would-be— welcome! Most fun for adults, older children.

Please bring your own binoculars and dress for the weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent and a water bottle. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 10 people
Free, suggested donation $5 – $10 (pay what you can)

Outdoors

We go out the last Saturday of every month.. Walks start at 7:30 am April – August; 8am September – March

See it. Sketch it. Bird It.

nature journaling and sketching materials

Get ready for spring birding with this interactive program.

Learn techniques for observing, describing, sketching, and identifying birds that will immediately help you become a better birder.

All you need is a willingness to make marks—we supply pencils, paper, models, and identification guidance. (You are welcome to bring your own sketchbook if you prefer, of course!)

Suggested: $10 – $30 (pay what you can; includes museum admission)

Recommended for older children and adults

Carving shown is a Red-breasted Nuthatch, carved by Bob Spear.
Books pictured include Sibley’s Field Guide to Birds, Law’s Guide to Drawing Birds, and Johnson’s First Steps: Sketching and Drawing.

January 5, 2023January 8, 2023

Call to Artists: Spark!

Spark! fueling a love of birds

Many birders—and artists—have a “spark” moment that fueled a lifelong love of birds and birding and took them in unexpected directions. What’s your spark story? How did you start combining birds, birding, art, and science in your art? Does it show in your work? Continue reading “Call to Artists: Spark!”

March Bird Monitoring Walk

Bohemian Waxwing in Museum's crab apple tree, by Erin Talmage. Copyright 2016 and used by permission.

Join our monthly monitoring walk to record birds at the Museum’s trails, forest, and meadow. Learn something new, share what you know, or both!

All birders —current, experienced, newbie and would-be— welcome! Most fun for adults, older children.

Please bring your own binoculars and dress for the weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent and a water bottle. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 10 people
Free, suggested donation $5 – $15

Outdoors

If the walk fills, we’ll have a waitlist; when there’s enough interest, we often can schedule more walks. Please call or email us to make arrangements.

(Walks start at 7:30 am April – August; 8am September – March)

January Bird Monitoring Walk

Black-capped Chickadee and Dark-eyed Junco in winter. The Chickadee is perched on a half-fallen dried goldenrod stem on the left; the Junco is underneath he stem on the right. There are some forsythia stems in the background and snow covers the ground. Digiscoped iPhone photo by K. Talmage and used by permission.

Join our monthly monitoring walk to record birds at the Museum’s trails, fores,t and meadow. Learn something new, share what you know, or both!

All birders —current, experienced, newbie and would-be— welcome! Most fun for adults, older children.

Please bring your own binoculars and dress for the weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent and a water bottle. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 10 people
Free, suggested donation $5 – $15

Register online with the button above or call 802 434-2167.
Outdoors

If the walk fills, we’ll have a waitlist; when there’s enough interest, we often can schedule more walks. Please call or email us to make arrangements.

Photo of Black-capped Chickadee and Junco in winter. Photographed at the Museum by Museum staff.

December Bird Monitoring Walk

Join our monthly monitoring walk to record birds on the Museum property. Learn something new, share what you know, or both!

All birders (current, experienced, newbie and would-be!) welcome! Most fun for adults, older children.

Please bring your own binoculars, dress for weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent and a water bottle. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 10 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $5 – $10
Registration required.

Outdoors

Photo of Northern Cardinal.

November Bird Monitoring Walk

Join our monthly monitoring walk to record birds on the Museum property. Learn something new, share what you know, or both!

All birders (current, experienced, newbie and would-be!) welcome! Most fun for adults, older children.

Please bring your own binoculars, dress for weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent and a water bottle. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 10 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $5 – $10
Registration required.

Outdoors

Photo of Ruffed Grouse in Crabapple. Photographed at the Museum by Museum staff.

the Big Sit!

The most relaxed birding around. And around and around …

How many birds (and birdwatchers) can we identify from a 17-foot diameter circle between sunrise and sunset? Can we beat last year’s record? We’ve seen birds big and small, in night and day: from Kinglets to Great Blue Herons, Barred Owls to Turkey Vultures.

This is a great long-running community science project. Pledges and donations welcome:

We are observing from Dawn to Dusk. The Museum is open from 10am – 4pm. Masks required when inside the Museum.

Call or email to ask about joining the observation team.

For much more info, see https://www.thebigsit.org/ .

Check out the reports from previous years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (overall), 2021 (ours)