where natural history meets art
You’d think that being “closed” would mean we’d get all the behind the scenes things done. But of course there are birds to watch for, which distracts us from tasks like our Annual Appeal … preparing programs and events …
But we did get to see a hawk! And turkeys, which have been less-often spotted in the feeder area recently. And more!
As we wound down to the “end” of the year—we are really just shifting into our “winter” season—we enjoyed the last of the migrants, a sedentary birding event, and the final days of the 2024 art show.
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.
Max: 12 people
Suggested donation $10-$15
Register at https://sevendaystickets.com/organizations/birds-of-vermont-museum or call 802 434-2167
Outdoors
Photo of Ruffed Grouse in Crabapple. Photographed at the Museum by Museum staff.
Ah migration! Everyone getting busy, going places, and we humans getting a chance to be surprised by birds on the move. This month, we saw some that aren’t usually in the feeder area.
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.
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)
All birders (current, experienced, newbie and would-be!) are welcome! Join 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, and dress for the weather. Tick repellent and water bottles are recommended.
Max: 12 people
Suggested donation $10 – $15
Register at https://sevendaystickets.com/organizations/birds-of-vermont-museum
Outdoors
Photo of White-breasted Nuthatch © Zac Cota-Weaver and used by permission.
We’re sorry but we’ve had to cancel this event. You are welcome to walk our trails anytime from sunrise to sunset.
The birds seem to be weathering the weather a bit better than some. It was a nice month for both usual and less-frequent species.
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!