birdwatching – Page 4 – Birds of Vermont Museum

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!
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! 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.

Free, suggested donation $10 – $15
Max: 12 people

Register online with the button

or call 802 434-2167.

Outdoors

February 6, 2026February 17, 2026

Through the Window: January 2026

Dark-eyed Junco ( a small gray and white songbird) on a snow-covered wooden railing.

We had a relatively cold stretch of weather this January, which can lead to extra activity at the feeders. Perhaps that explains the one unusual sighting?

January Bird List

Continue reading “Through the Window: January 2026”

March Bird Monitoring Walk

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

Please bring your own binoculars and dress for the weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent and a water bottle.

Free, suggested donation $10 – $15
Max: 12 people

Register with the button below

OR register at https://sevendaystickets.com/organizations/birds-of-vermont-museumor call 802 434-2167.

Outdoors

Museum Open for Great Backyard Bird Count

black-capped chickadee eyes black oil birdseed in the platform feeder in fall-winter

Visit us February 14th, 2026, to see what birds we’re counting for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Learn to ID birds — what do we look or listen for?
Go birding with a friend — twice the fun!
Find out more about and record observations for this great community science project.

We’re open from 10-4 on Saturday for the GBBC
Members admission: Free!

About the GBBC:

Friday – Monday, February 13-16, 2026 • All Over the World

From the Great Backyard Bird Count website:

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.

Since then, more than 100,000 people of all ages and walks of life have joined the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds.

For more info visit Great Backyard Bird Count website

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Friday – Monday, February 13-16, 2026 • All Over the World

Whether you are with a friend or on your own, watching one bird or counting hundreds, join a worldwide community-science and conservation project! All you have to do is observe for 15 minutes and submit your observation(s). Here are few details from https://www.birdcount.org/participate/ :

Step 1 – Decide where you will watch birds. [Suggestion: at the Museum on Saturday!]

Step 2 – Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 13-16, 2026.

Step 3 – Count all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:

If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to the count, try using the Merlin Bird ID app.
If you have participated in the count before, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
If you are participating as a group, see instructions for Group Counting.

For more info visit https://www.birdcount.org/

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, 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 and older youth.

Please bring your own binoculars and dress for the weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent (seasonally) and a water bottle.

Max: 12 people
Free, suggested donation $10-$15

Register at https://sevendaystickets.com/organizations/birds-of-vermont-museum or call 802 434-2167 or register with the button below:

Outdoors

If the walk fills, but there’s enough interest, we may be able to 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.

January 2, 2026January 13, 2026

Through the Window: December 2025

Feet and lower legs of a lifelike woodcarving of Rough-legged Hawk, perched on a dead branch and holding a vole.

December had moments of excitement with two unusual birds (unusual in that we rarely see them from the viewing window). This image is a hint… Read on!

December Bird List

Continue reading “Through the Window: December 2025”

December 5, 2025January 13, 2026

Through the Window: November 2025

The late fall November routine is all about ending the “summer” open season and preparing for the winter “behind the scenes” season. We often try to take lunch at the viewing window or share a moment with visitors there.