citizen science – Page 2 – Birds of Vermont Museum

Museum Open for Great Backyard Bird Count

Visit us February 17th, 2024, to see what birds we’re counting for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

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

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

About the GBBC:

Friday – Monday, February 16-19, 2024 • 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

Snowy Owl, woodcarving by Bob Spear

Snowy Owl woodcarving by Bob Spear. Shown in the Winter Diorama.

Snow Bunting, woodcarving by Bob Spear

Snow Bunting, carved by Bob Spear, 1999.

Ruffed Grouse in snowy crab apple tree

Ruffed grouse in snow. Photo taken by E. Talmage, 2009 and used with permission

Wild Turkey tracks

Wild Turkey tracks in snow, with a ruler to the left, for scale

Chickadee on a snowy day, in an evergreen

Black-capped chickadee

Black-capped chickadee on needle-less evergreen branches in winter

Common Redpoll on spruce

Redpoll female or juvenile with feathers fluffed against the cold. It is perched on a clump of snow on a spruce branch, with more snow, young trees, and a feeder with two more birds out of focus behind it. Photo © copyright by Erin Talmage.

Tufted Titmouse, woodcarving by Bob Spear

A Tufted Timouse, carved from wood and painted, is perched on a short bare branch and appear to look past the photographer's right shoulder.

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

Dark-eye Junco on snowy railing

Dark-eyed Junco in winter, standing on a snow-covered wooden railing. Huntington, Vermont, Photo by E. Talmage,2007 and used with permission.

Dark-eyed Junco, woodcarving by Bob Spear

Dark-eyed Junco woodcarving by Bob Spear. Gray songbird with chunky pale pink beak is seen in 3/4 view, with lower part of body and tail obscured. Background is black, with a partial green leaf (made of metal) behind the bird.

Several woodcarvings of winter owls and others shown together in a winter scene

Winter diorama at the Birds of Vermont Museum

The winter diorama at the Museum contains several species of owls and other birds. These species are more commonly seen in winter in Vermont.

Black-capped Chickadee

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

Black-capped Chickadee and Dark-eyed Junco

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.

Redpoll (small brown and white bird with reddish patch on forehead, type of finch) perches on a snowy spruce branchlet.

Common Redpoll on spruce in winter

Male Common Redpoll perched on a spruce branch; other branches have snow on them.

Black-capped chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee perched on a pile of (and eating) hulled sunflower seeds in winter.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (a small olive warbler with red crown and black-and white on wings) on a bare twig. Text in the image reads "How many birds can you find? 27th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count February 16-19, 2024 birdcount.org Ruby-crowned Kinglet Photo: Mason Maron / Macauley Library"

Friday – Monday, February 16-19, 2024 • All Over the World

With a friend or one 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 16-19, 2024.

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 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: https://www.birdcount.org/

Snowy Owl, woodcarving by Bob Spear

Snowy Owl woodcarving by Bob Spear. Shown in the Winter Diorama.

Snow Bunting, woodcarving by Bob Spear

Snow Bunting, carved by Bob Spear, 1999.

Ruffed Grouse in snowy crab apple tree

Ruffed grouse in snow. Photo taken by E. Talmage, 2009 and used with permission

Wild Turkey tracks

Wild Turkey tracks in snow, with a ruler to the left, for scale

Black-capped chickadee

Black-capped chickadee on needle-less evergreen branches in winter

Common Redpoll on spruce

Tufted Titmouse, woodcarving by Bob Spear

A Tufted Timouse, carved from wood and painted, is perched on a short bare branch and appear to look past the photographer's right shoulder.

Dark-eye Junco on snowy railing

Dark-eyed Junco in winter, standing on a snow-covered wooden railing. Huntington, Vermont, Photo by E. Talmage,2007 and used with permission.

Dark-eyed Junco, woodcarving by Bob Spear

Winter diorama at the Birds of Vermont Museum

The winter diorama at the Museum contains several species of owls and other birds. These species are more commonly seen in winter in Vermont.

Black-capped Chickadee

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

Black-capped Chickadee and Dark-eyed Junco

Common Redpoll on spruce in winter

Male Common Redpoll perched on a spruce branch; other branches have snow on them.

Black-capped chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee perched on a pile of (and eating) hulled sunflower seeds in winter.

January 5, 2024January 2, 2024

Through the Window: December 2023

Wood carving of a Northern Cardinal by Bob Spear. The bird is perched on a bare, slightly branched log. Its body faces the viewer, but it is looking to the viewer's right. The carving is outside (for the photograph), and bare fall trees and leaf-covered ground can be seen in the background. — Northern Cardinal (male); wood carving by Bob Spear

December was a bit wet this year. We were fine (still watching how the streams flow around and under our various bridges, of course). People seemed to be enjoying staying in Gale’s Retreat, and we certainly have enjoyed our walks in the woods to check on it before and after the guests.

One heavy wet snowfall took out more main branches from the crabapple tree. We’ll see how the Ruffed Grouse adapt to that.

December Bird List

Continue reading “Through the Window: December 2023”

January Bird Monitoring Walk

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, older children.

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

We are trying a new way to register with a local provider; registration links should open in a new tab/window.

Outdoors

If the walk fills, we’ll have a waitlist; we also offer these bird monitoring walks the last Saturday of every month.

Photo of Black-capped Chickadee and Junco in winter. Photographed at the Museum by Museum staff.

December 8, 2023December 7, 2023

Through the Window: November 2023

Ruffed Grouse in leafless crabapple tree.

November is often pretty quiet; we get wrapped up in the Race, with working indoors with our Annual Appeal, with staff getting some breaks for holidays. The birds don’t care!

It’s an amusing treat to watch the Ruffed Grouse reach for each small decorative crabapple fruit, dried and frozen though they may be.

November Bird List

Continue reading “Through the Window: November 2023”

November 3, 2023November 7, 2023

Through the Window: October 2023

A man in a red and gray rain coat records bird observations on a large whiteboard in the fall. The viewing window is only part of the October picture. We also had the Big Sit! Such a great day to be birding … chilly, rainy, but with friends.

October Bird Lists

Continue reading “Through the Window: October 2023”

October 6, 2023October 15, 2023

Through the Window: September 2023

Life-like Pine Warbler woodcarving by Bob Spear — Pine Warbler, carved by Bob Spear

It’s the last month for the Hummingbirds (for the year). Nevertheless, they delighted those who sat at the Viewing Window this month, as the “Hummers” continued to defend “their” feeders!

Not only that, but we saw some unusual-for-the-feeder-area birds as well. Read on to find out what species they were…

September Bird List

Continue reading “Through the Window: September 2023”

December Bird Monitoring Walk

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. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 12 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $10

Outdoors

Photo of Northern Cardinal.

November Bird Monitoring Walk

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. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 12 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $10

Outdoors

Photo of Ruffed Grouse in Crabapple. Photographed at the Museum by Museum staff.

September 1, 2023September 7, 2023

Through the Window: August 2023

Male and female Rose-breasted grosbeaks seen from below in a dense green foliage. It’s so delightful to be outside and have birds in the trees around you. As you know, though, some days we’re busy with our wonderful visitors. So we observe from inside, through our viewing window. And create these lists!

August Bird List

Continue reading “Through the Window: August 2023”