November 2025 events

November is mostly behind-the-scenes month. We have a lot to be thankful for, this month, and will post about all sorts of amazing people, places, and phenomena on instagram, facebook, and/or bluesky. We are open by appointment while we take the time to move art around, build the annual appeal, work on our newsletters, and update and invent new traveling exhibits. We have a few events, of course!

=== NOVEMBER EVENTS ===

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By-Appointment Season 2025-2026 (November)

The Museum's entrance as seen from the parking lot in autumn, before many plants grew up between them. (A brown building with a shaded roofed entrance and a white banner on the side of the building, seen at a distance. The bridge to the entrance is visible in the lower left of the photo.)

From November through April, we’re open by appointment and for special events. Individuals, families, and groups are all welcome at all times of year. Our trails are open year-round, sunrise to sunset.

Behind the scenes in November: we’re collecting feedback from our year; working on special projects like fundraising for the replacement bridge; updating labels; the next newsletter, and changing over to the annual Gift of Art show from this year’s Birds and Myth. We invite all artists to pick up their works; we’ll have a new theme soon!

Please call (802) 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org several days in advance to schedule your visit. Admission is free for members!

Or sign up to attend upcoming events: these are listed on our calendar at https://birdsofvermont.org/special-upcoming/

Through the Window: September 2025

Unidentified hawk overhead against a brilliantly blue sky. Photo copyright Erin Talmage and used by permission.
Unidentified hawk overhead against a brilliantly blue sky. Photo copyright Erin Talmage and used by permission.

Warm and dry pretty much the whole month. Pleasant for sitting around, and can make some nice updrafts. Did you go hawk watching?

Every now and then this year, a warbler comes to the feeder—not to eat, apparently, just to check things out from that perch. And (presumably less often) we notice!

September Bird List

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the Big Sit! 2025

A Stanley brand 25' metal measuring tape; a pair of black binoculars; a bag of Birds and Beans coffee (scarlet tanager dark roast). All three item are line d up on a wooden railing, with green foliage behind them.

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.

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), 2022 (overall), 2022 (ours), 2023 (overall), 2023 (ours)

several birders standing during a Big Sit event

Birds and Myth art show continues (October)

A white horse with a green decoration under its forelock looks at the viewer. Three birds in multicolored plumage accompany the horse. Painting by JoAnne Wazny, 2025, and shown with permission.

Birds and Myth continues in October! Visit often, as some works are for sale and may go to new homes during the season.

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. Legends, beliefs, representations, truth, insight, guidance, metaphors, meanings, and understandings all play a part. What birds play a part in your autumn mythologies? You might enjoy reading the call to artists also.

The show is open when the Museum is (Wednesday – Sundays, May 1 – October 31) and is included with admission. Admission is free for members.

Exhibiting artists and writers:

Alice C (Burlington )
Alison Forrest (Huntington)
Alyssa B (Colchester)
Amanda Makepeace (Watkinsville, GA)
Anita Michele (Swanton)
Annette Goyne (Richford)
Aprille Soons Palmer (South Hero)
Cat McKeen (Essex Junction)
Chris Selin (South Burlington)
Dara Theodora (Fairfax)
Deana Allgaier (Huntington)
Deb Runge (Williston)
Denise Letendre (Castleton)
Elisabeth Mazzilli (Moretown)
Elodie Parthenay (Longueuil, QC)
Greg Didyoung (Wilmington)
Hannah Mahar (Grand Isle)
Heather Rusch Zelonis (Bristol)
Henry S (Jericho)
Jamie Quint (Richmond)
Jennefer Jolls (Williamstown)
Jessica Wilson (Saint Albans)
Jo Marsan (Johnson)
JoAnne Wazny (Enosburg Falls)
Judy Crocker (Burlington )
Julia S C (South Hero)
Julie Dunigan (South Hero)
Karla Van Vliet (Bristol)
Katrina Meyers (Colchester)
Kay Johnson (Hinesburg)
Kristen Donegan (Essex)
Kristin Dexter (Essex Junction)
Lily Hinrichsen (Bristol)
Lisa Acerbo (Trumbull, CT)
Marcia Vogler (Charlotte)
Miriam Adams (Hinesburg)
Nancy Leeman (Huntington)
Nancy Stone (Williston)
Nicole Gadouas (Swanton)
Olin P (Middlebury)
Patrick McAllister (Burlington )
Pedro Salas (Starksboro )
Peter Aldrich (Essex Junction)
Richard Crocker (Burlington )
Sandra Morris (East Middlebury)
Sandra VanVooren (East Hartford, CT)
Sarah Rosedahl (North Hero)
Steven Farrar (Richmond)
Theo Chang Andreu (South Burlington)
Todd Kiel (Bolton)
Tonya Whitney (Williston)
Tricia Knoll (Williston)
Viviane P (Richmond)
William Chaiken

 

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

Through the Window: July 2025

The head of a robin is barely visible above the rim of a mud-and-grasses nest built on an electrical or phone system box on the exterior of a building.
The head of a robin is barely visible above the rim of a mud-and-grasses nest built on an electrical or phone system box. (Photo by K. Talmage, July 2025. Grainy because taken by a zoomed-in cell phone.)

Goodness it’s been hot. What did you have out for birds in your backyard to beat the heat? We have multiple types of cover (shade and safety) and water as well. These robins used the roof of one our sheds as their shade.

July Bird List

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Birds and Myth art show continues (September)

Baba Yaga's Hut in the Green Mountains: white earthenware clay sculpture of ramshackle cabin standing on two chicken legs. Created by Nancy Leeman, 2025, and shown with permission.

Birds and Myth continues in September! Visit often, as some works are for sale and may go to new homes during the season.

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. Legends, beliefs, representations, truth, insight, guidance, metaphors, meanings, and understandings all play a part.

The Birds of Vermont Museum’s 2025 art show is centered on the ideas of birds, myth, meanings, metaphors, and guides. We called for art that brings birds and their meanings to retell an old story, weaves several together, represents beliefs, and/or creates a myth for the future.

The show is open when the Museum is (Wednesday – Sundays, May 1 – October 31) and is included with admission. Admission is free for members.

Exhibiting artists and writers:

Alice C (Burlington )
Alison Forrest (Huntington)
Alyssa B (Colchester)
Amanda Makepeace (Watkinsville, GA)
Anita Michele (Swanton)
Annette Goyne (Richford)
Aprille Soons Palmer (South Hero)
Cat McKeen (Essex Junction)
Chris Selin (South Burlington)
Dara Theodora (Fairfax)
Deana Allgaier (Huntington)
Deb Runge (Williston)
Denise Letendre (Castleton)
Elisabeth Mazzilli (Moretown)
Elodie Parthenay (Longueuil, QC)
Greg Didyoung (Wilmington)
Hannah Mahar (Grand Isle)
Heather Rusch Zelonis (Bristol)
Henry S (Jericho)
Jamie Quint (Richmond)
Jennefer Jolls (Williamstown)
Jessica Wilson (Saint Albans)
Jo Marsan (Johnson)
JoAnne Wazny (Enosburg Falls)
Judy Crocker (Burlington )
Julia S C (South Hero)
Julie Dunigan (South Hero)
Karla Van Vliet (Bristol)
Katrina Meyers (Colchester)
Kay Johnson (Hinesburg)
Kristen Donegan (Essex)
Kristin Dexter (Essex Junction)
Lily Hinrichsen (Bristol)
Lisa Acerbo (Trumbull, CT)
Marcia Vogler (Charlotte)
Miriam Adams (Hinesburg)
Nancy Leeman (Huntington)
Nancy Stone (Williston)
Nicole Gadouas (Swanton)
Olin P (Middlebury)
Patrick McAllister (Burlington )
Pedro Salas (Starksboro )
Peter Aldrich (Essex Junction)
Richard Crocker (Burlington )
Sandra Morris (East Middlebury)
Sandra VanVooren (East Hartford, CT)
Sarah Rosedahl (North Hero)
Steven Farrar (Richmond)
Theo Chang Andreu (South Burlington)
Todd Kiel (Bolton)
Tonya Whitney (Williston)
Tricia Knoll (Williston)
Viviane P (Richmond)
William Chaiken

 

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

Through the Window: June 2025

Juvenile American Robin looks at viewer: a scruffy songbird with a dark head, charcoal-white-rust speckled breast and belly, and a few tufts of down fluffing out behind its head. One dark eye is visible.
This young American Robin had left the nest, but was still looking around for its parents to bring it food. (They did). Photo by Brady Lasher © 2025 and shown with permission.

We had some great Early Bird Walks this month—you can visit our checklists at eBird to see what we observed not from the window (link below).

By the end of the month, it felt like things are settling down : a robin is incubating or raising a second brood near our back door; adult cardinals are feeding young. Who next will bring their babies around? Chickadees? Blue Jays? Hummingbirds? Watch for fluttering wings and listen for unusual squeakings.

June Bird List

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