Art, coffee, wildlife festivals, wood carving, migratory birds—even trees! This is a happening month. Events at the museum are below, or check the special upcoming list for a few extras.
The Museum is open Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm. The trails are open sunrise to sunset, every day. The best access to to those on the south, the pond side of the property, thanks to flooding in July. Libraries have passes you can check out, and admission is always free for members (https://birdsofvermont.org/membership/).
While it’s lovely just to sit by the window, sometimes we catch sight of birds as we come to work as well. Catbirds, phoebes, and some other species are more likely to be seen at the entrance than in the bird feeding area.
Watch for, protect, record birds during both migration seasons!
The map above shows the movement of birds in this date last year from BirdCast.info. The United States is depicted in white outlines on black, while a heat map ranging from purple to pink to orange to yellow shows the intensity of bird migration (mostly in the eastern US). Arrows show the directions the birds are moving. (Dokter, A. M. 2023 of live migration map image. BirdCast, live migration map; 2023-10-12. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/migration-forecast-maps. Accessed 2024-09-05.)
In Vermont, birds are moving!
Screenshot of BirdCast Migration Dashboard for 12 October 2023, Vermont. Data show estimates of birds that crossed Vermont, when they crossed, flight information, comparison with other nights, and likely species. Find this current data at https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-VT
While the official day of celebration for World Migratory Bird Day is on the second Saturday in May each year, the [Smithsonian] recognizes that migratory birds stop in various places along their journey. This means that the celebration can be flexible, depending on the location. In addition, Environment for the Americas encourages people to also catch the migratory birds on their way south in the autumn, celebrating another time on the second Saturday in October.
September is for transitions: an equinox, return to school, seasons officially change. Yet, it’s also continuous, with ongoing art shows, new chances to learn, and time to just enjoy birds (and possibly coffee).
The Museum is open Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm. The trails are open sunrise to sunset, every day—for now only on the pond side of the property, thanks to flooding in July. Libraries have passes you can check out, and admission is always free for members (https://birdsofvermont.org/membership/).
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.
The 2024 art show, The Power of Perspective: shifting points of view opened May 1 and runs through October 31.
Visit, and find your own new idea, question, or experience. Our call to artists for this year’s art show asked,
Consider the scope of an eagle’s eye—the narrow view of a gleaning warbler—the shadowed sight of a loon underwater. We may see birds above us from the ground, or below us from a plane. We may use a camera lens to record from afar, or a magnifier and lamps to perceive what is normally unknown. How does time influence your perspective? What if we “zoom out” from one bird to a species, to an ecosystem, to a planet? What if we “zoom in” to one bird to its wing, to a feather, to a gene?
How does your art reveal a point of view? …How might a change in perspective alter people’s understanding of the lives and needs of the birds who share our world?
Discover how artists, poets, sculptors, photographers and others have answered. The full list of creators is in our blog post, Power of Perspective.
Looking for a new way of noticing? Come visit art, try hand work, listen to music, or look for birds. August is a great month for you and a friend to stretch or swap points of view.
The Museum is open Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm (but we are closed July 4th). The trails are open sunrise to sunset, every day. Libraries have passes, and admission is always free for members (https://birdsofvermont.org/membership/).
The 2024 art show, The Power of Perspective: shifting points of view opened May 1 and runs through October 31.
Visit, and find your own new idea, question, or experience. Our call to artists for this year’s art show asked,
Consider the scope of an eagle’s eye—the narrow view of a gleaning warbler—the shadowed sight of a loon underwater. We may see birds above us from the ground, or below us from a plane. We may use a camera lens to record from afar, or a magnifier and lamps to perceive what is normally unknown. How does time influence your perspective? What if we “zoom out” from one bird to a species, to an ecosystem, to a planet? What if we “zoom in” to one bird to its wing, to a feather, to a gene?
How does your art reveal a point of view? …How might a change in perspective alter people’s understanding of the lives and needs of the birds who share our world?
Discover how artists, poets, sculptors, photographers and others have answered. The full list of creators is in our blog post, Power of Perspective.
Eastern Phoebe pair at nest. This woodcarving by Bob Spear is on display in our Nesting Bird Gallery.
This is a strangely short list. We did limit feeding until late in the month due to nearby bear sightings. And I know we were more likely outside when looking at and for birds in June. (I mean, how can you resist June? Except for that weirdly horribly hot week.) Of course, it’s also possible the birds were very busy elsewhere. Because June!
While it’s lovely just to sit by the window, sometimes we catch sight of birds as we come to work as well. Catbirds, phoebes, and some other species are more likely to be seen at the entrance than in the bird feeding area.
