Tag: birds

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upcoming event: Winter Birding Presentation

Winter Birds with the Milton Historical Society
Winter Birds with the Milton Historical Society

Winter Birding: Presentation for the Milton Historical Society and friends
Wednesday, November 7 • 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Vermont in Winter: cold, muddy, slushy, icy, snowy. But there are still birds! Which ones? How come? What do they eat? How do they shelter from the weather? And how can you get involved with birds, birding, and conservation?

Join the Birds of Vermont Museum for an evening presentation, find out more about birding (whether you are a beginner or have decades of birdwatching experience), bird food, and citizen science, all in the company of friendly people.

Requested by the Milton Historical Society and open to the public. At the Milton Historical Museum, 13 School Street, Milton. Their number is (802) 734-0758 or call us at the Museum (802) 434-2167.

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upcoming event: Monthly Bird Monitoring Walk

Saturday October 27 • 8:00–9:30 a.m.

Join experienced birders on the last Saturday of every month for the monthly bird monitoring walk. Discover more of the Museum’s forest and meadows! Please bring binoculars.

Free • Adults and older children have the most fun

Optional: pre-register by emailing museum@birdsofvermont.org or calling (802) 434-2167.

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upcoming event: Potluck Birding (open mike for birders)

Open Mike for Birders

Potluck Birding: Open Mike for Birders
Saturday, October 27 • 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
An experimental evening of tasty food and delightful birds from you. Get inspired for your winter birding vacation.

  • 5:30-6:15: Potluck dinner : bring a dish to share
  • 6:30-9:00: Share your favorite birding images, calls, stories, etc.

Up to 15 images per presenter pre-arranged on a flash drive or CD. We have Picasa and an old version of Powerpoint.

Please sign up for a presenting time-slot with the Museum so we can coordinate hard- and software!

Free for participants; donations welcome.

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Bird and Birding apps for kids and adults

A nice young couple visited yesterday with their two year old son who is really into birds (and bears).  The dad, asked about bird Apps. Here’s a combined reply from our Museum Educator and Executive Director!

Lots of bird ID apps for adults. They vary on ID tips, recordings, ability to keep lists, etc.  I like the Audubon Guides, but know others who like iBirdPro, Sibley Guide, and Peterson guides. For example, a short list of bird Apps recommended to us by two of our favorite, fervent birders:

To find bird related apps for my son (age 3), I just typed into the search fields variations of  “bird”, “quiz”, “toddler”, etc.  I like (and so does my son ) the Toddler Teaser apps. They have apps to help kids recognize letters, numbers, and animals (including birds).

The choices are extensive!

Added later: BirdDiva also recommends  the Audubon Guides (from Green Mountain Digital)

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Through the Window: September 2012 Bye-bye, (Humming) Birdie

Last of the Hummingbirds! We’re confident that our feeding of them didn’t slow their departure; rather, feeding seems to supplement migrating birds rather than delay them.  If you’re curious about what we saw in high summer, you can see that list too. Bold birds are the ones we didn’t record last month.

  • American Goldfinch
  • Mourning Dove
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • House Finch (female)
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female last seen 9/15/2012)
  • Blue Jay
  • Northern Cardinal
  • White-throated Sparrow
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  • Purple Finch
  • Tufted Titmouse
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • American Crow
  • Evening Grosbeak
  • Wild Turkey
  • Cooper’s Hawk
  • Northern Flicker

Some typical (and observed) wee neighbors:

  • Red squirrel
  • Gray Squirrel
  • Chipmunks

You can always compare our informal list to other area records on eBird—that’s where we record the observations from our monthly bird monitoring walks (thanks to our wonderful volunteer MM) . We will be part of Project Feederwatch this winter of course, as well as the Great Backyard Bird Count.

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 to make it more difficult for birds to see the watchers. We have chairs and binoculars to try there, a white board and many identification guides, and several feeders outside on a single, bear-resistant pole, as well as a small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees. You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.

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upcoming event: Birds of India Program

Early in September Kris and Jim Andrews presented an informative talk and slideshow on the Birds of India at the Museum.  While visiting acquaintances in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Kris and Jim were treated to a bird’s-eye view at twenty stories up which afforded them a great view of the city and several high-perching birds. Interestingly, an urban park nearby once served a significant role in Indian rites associated with the dead.  Customary practice called for placing  deceased bodies on outside biers for vultures to consume.  Jim explained that this tradition has been lost locally due to the effects of pollution in the air and environment which have decimated the vulture population.

Following their brief stay in Mumbai, Kris and Jim set out on a self-guided journey to birding regions of the country, photographing a number of India’s 1300 species along the way.  Jim suggested that only about a half dozen birds inhabited both India and the northeastern United States, but many names or physical characteristics seemed to show similarities.  The couple traveled the landscape exploring the Elephanta Island basalt cave temples dating from the  5th-7th centuries  and embellished with Buddhist and Hindu carvings and investigated irrigation systems when not spotting birds such as Mynas,  Rock Pigeons, and Green Bee-eaters.

Heading out to the Snake Temples, Kris and Jim snapped photos of Eurasian Curlews, White-throated Kingfishers, Indian Robins, Indian Grey Hornbills, Large-billed Crows, Intermediate Egrets, and Wagtails. Their journey embraced India’s “Golden Triangle”, a three-points region including the cities of Delhi ( New Delhi), Agra (where the Taj Mahal sits), and the Rajasthan desert area which includes Jaipur.  Babblers and Hoopoes were documented at the Keoladeo National Park.  Also,  Red Wattled Lapwings (pictured above), Oriental Magpies, Pochard Ducks, Yellow-beaked Pileated Woodpeckers, Soras Cranes, Whistling Ducks, high-flying Bar-headed Geese, Purple Herons, and Painted and Pink-headed Storks were part of our birders’ visual feast.  Jim and Kris featured about fifty species of birds in their slideshow attesting to the wonderful abundance of bird life  residing in India’s diverse landscape.

The Birds of Vermont Museum thanks Kris and Jim Andrews for sharing their fascinating insight and images from this most remarkable journey. Please keep an eye to our website for  more great programming and opportunities for armchair or lawn chair birding!

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Through the Window: July 2012 is for Fledglings

We list them on our white board in the order we see them (more or less, since the usually the first several are from the first day of the month). We put the ones not seen last month in bold.

  • Common Grackle
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Mourning Dove
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  • Blue Jay
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Brown-headed Cowbird
  • American Crow
  • Baltimore Oriole
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • American Goldfinch
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Tufted Titmouse
  • Northern Goshawk (and on 7/23, observed it taking a Mourning Dove!)
  • Black-billed Cuckoo (by the pond)
  • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (nest and fledglings in the tree beyond the picnic table, later filmed by Linda Hurd for us)
  • House Finch
  • Eastern Phoebe
  • Indigo Bunting
  • Purple Finch

Some other intriguing and special notes:

  • Red squirrel
  • Gray Squirrel
  • Chipmunks
  • Sphinx Moth (at first mistaken for a Hummingbird!)
  • and a baby Skunk

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 to make it more difficult for birds to see the watchers. We have chairs and binoculars to try there, a white board and many identification guides, and several feeders outside on a single, bear-resistant pole, as well as a small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees. You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.

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Through the Window: June 2012 Goshawks, Sapsuckers, and Skunks Oh My!

Did you know we just list them in the order we see them? Usually the first several are from the first day of the month. We put the ones not seen last month in bold.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male). Carved by Bob Spear in 1985.
  • American Crow (6/4/12 fly – over, 6/22/12 juveniles under feeder)
  • Blue Jay
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Evening Grosbeak
  • Wild Turkey
  • American Robin
  • Mourning Dove
  • Common Grackle
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  • Brown-headed Cowbird
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Purple Finch
  • Tufted Titmouse
  • Downy Woodpecker (6/27/12 downy with young feeding)
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Baltimore Oriole (6/22/12)
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird (5/5/12 FOY male)
  • Northern Cardinal (male & female)
  • Goshawk (6/13/12 chasing 3 crows, 6/21/12 perched in the tree above picnic table)
  • Sapsucker (6/21/12 & 6/22/12 nestlings calling for food, nest hole visible from picnic tables)
  • Black Bear (6/14/12 @ 12:30 pm stayed about 3 minutes until the sound of the door scared it off)
  • Skunk (6/29/12)
  • Gray Squirrels
  • Red Squirrels
  • Chipmunks

*FOY stands for First Of Year.

Skunk visiting bird feeders on June 29, 2012
Skunk visiting bird feeders on June 29, 2012

You can always compare this list to other months, or check out sightings in the area on eBird.

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Highlights of the June 3rd Early Morning Bird Walk

a guest post by Mae M

After yesterday’s rain it was perfect weather this morning for a leisurely walk along the forest trails behind the museum.  Five birders enjoyed great looks at Ovenbirds, a Hermit thrush, a Blackburnian warbler, a Yellow-rumped warbler and two Yellow-bellied sapsuckers. The Northern flicker nesting near the museum also made several appearances for our delight.

After the walk we enjoyed coffee and cake seated in front of the viewing window while Rose-breasted grosbeaks and Ruby-throated hummingbirds came in to the feeders. What could be better than that?!

Our next Early Morning Bird Walk will take place on Sunday, June 10 at 7:00-8:30. Won’t you join us? Continue reading “Highlights of the June 3rd Early Morning Bird Walk”

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