Bobolink One-Day Woodcarving Class

Simplified woodcarving of a bird, painted to match Bobolink plumage. Woodcarving is on a small base resting on a lace tablecloth. Carving and photo by Dave Tuttle, shown by permission.

Carve and paint a small Bobolink during this one-day carving class! Wood blank and paint provided.

David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers leads the workshop.

All levels welcome. Great for adults and teens. Younger kids need parental permission. Great skill-building for Scouts and 4-H.

Bring mask, tools, gloves, and lunch. (Contact us if you will need tools or gloves; Dave often brings some to sell.)

Register and pay in advance: $35 for Museum and GMWC members • $45 for everyone else.

Class size limited to 10. (Minimum 6 students needed to hold a session.)  If class fills, please join the waitlist. If enough people are on the waitlist, we try to arrange additional sessions.




Masks required when indoors.

Contact us if you would like to hear of additional upcoming classes.

Northern Shoveler: One-Day Woodcarving Class

What you need to get started carving: woodcarving tools (gauges and knife shown), protective glove, template or wood blank (bird-shaped blank pictured). And a water bottle, because it's important to stay hydrated.

Carve and paint a remarkable (yet small) Northern Shoveler during this one-day carving class! Wood blank and paint provided.

David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers leads the workshop.

All levels welcome. Great for adults and teens. Younger kids need parental permission. Great skill-building for Scouts and 4-H.

Bring mask, tools, gloves, and lunch. (Contact us if you will need tools or gloves; Dave often brings some to sell.)

Must register and pay in advance: $35 for Museum and GMWC members • $45 for everyone else. Museum and GMWC members may receive their member discount as a refund at the door.

Class size limited to 10. (Minimum 6 students needed to hold a session.)  If class fills, please join the waitlist. If enough people are on the waitlist, we try to arrange additional sessions.

Click or tap to sign up

Masks required when indoors.

Contact us if you would like to hear of additional upcoming classes.

A Swan of Manageable Size (August Woodcarving Seminar)

Bob Lindemann's scaled-down woodcarving of trumpeter swan, painted white with a black beak, on a wooden table

August 17 – 19, the Birds of Vermont Museum is hosting the Green Mountain Woodcarvers’ annual three-day seminar.  This year, they will carve a scaled-down Swan (based on the Trumpeter Swan).

The Swan can be carved in several styles, from “Antique” to fully detailed depending, on each carver’s abilities and choice.  If you are interested in taking the class, visit http://greenmountainwoodcarvers.org/class/class.html and follow the instructions there for more details and to register.

More about Trumpeter Swans:
ID – https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/
Vermont Sightings – https://ebird.org/vt/species/truswa/US-VT

and Tundra Swans (added because they can look very similar):
ID – https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tundra_Swan/
Vermont Sightings – https://ebird.org/vt/species/tunswa/US-VT

 

Northern Shoveler: One-Day Woodcarving Class [additional date]

a teacher demonstrates woodcarving to two people; only their hands and their small bird carvings are shown

Carve and paint a remarkable (yet small) Northern Shoveler during this one-day carving class! Wood blank and paint provided.

David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers leads the workshop.

All levels welcome. Great for adults and teens. Younger kids need parental permission. Great skill-building for Scouts and 4-H.

Bring mask, tools, gloves, and lunch. (Contact us if you will need tools or gloves; Dave often brings some to sell.)

Must register and pay in advance: $35 for Museum and GMWC members • $45 for everyone else. Museum and GMWC members may receive their member discount as a refund at the door.

Class size limited to 10. (Minimum 6 students needed to hold a session.)  If class fills, please join the waitlist.

Masks required when indoors.

Contact us if you would like to hear of additional upcoming classes.

 

Northern Shoveler: One-Day Woodcarving Class

What you need to get started carving: woodcarving tools (gauges and knife shown), protective glove, template or wood blank (bird-shaped blank pictured). And a water bottle, because it's important to stay hydrated.

Carve and paint a remarkable (yet small) Northern Shoveler during this one-day carving class! Wood blank and paint provided.

David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers leads the workshop.

All levels welcome. Great for adults and teens. Younger kids need parental permission. Great skill-building for Scouts and 4-H.

Bring mask, tools, gloves, and lunch. (Contact us if you will need tools or gloves; Dave often brings some to sell.)

Must register and pay in advance: $35 for Museum and GMWC members • $45 for everyone else. Museum and GMWC members may receive their member discount as a refund at the door.

Class size limited to 10. (Minimum 6 students needed to hold a session.)  If class fills, please join the waitlist. If enough people are on the waitlist, we try to arrange additional sessions.

Masks required when indoors.

Contact us if you would like to hear of additional upcoming classes.

 

Community Science 101 (online)

The Museum is Hotspot in ebird (a citizen - community science project with a global reach)

Beginner? Expert? Great!

You don’t have to be an expert to be part of scientific research. Learn to observe and report on animals and plants you see, hear, or photograph. From eBird to the Zooniverse, discover research projects that fit your interests, and see how your data can be used to benefit ongoing scientific research, including the effects of climate change.

To sign up and receive the Zoom link, please email librarian@thetfordlibrary.org  for this online program.

Citizen science or community science is real scientific research conducted by amateur (or nonprofessional) scientists. There are a huge number of ways to get involved: tracking migratory birds, participating in a bioblitz, studying animal behavior, counting pollinators or plant species, etc.

This program is best suited for adults and teens. It is offered through the Thetford Libraries.

For more info on Citizen Science and Citizen Science Month you can also visit https://scistarter.org/citizensciencemonth-about

Presented by Erin Talmage, Executive Director of the Birds of Vermont Museum.  Erin earned her MS in Wildlife Biology from UVM with a focus on ornithology. She serves on two Vermont Scientific Advisory Groups, Birds and Reptiles-and-Amphibians. When not at the Museum, she can often be found looking for salamanders for the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, collecting data for iNaturalist and eBird, or volunteering with the Four Winds Nature Institute and Vermont Master Naturalists.

Cedar Waxwing: One-Day Carving Class [Sunday option]

What you need to get started carving: woodcarving tools (gauges and knife shown), protective glove, template or wood blank (bird-shaped blank pictured). And a water bottle, because it's important to stay hydrated.

Note: this class was originally scheduled for March 6th but has been moved to March 20.

Carve and paint a delightful cedar waxwing during this one-day carving class! Wood blank and paint provided.

David Tuttle of the Green Mountain Woodcarvers leads the workshop. Saturday sold out, so we thank him for responding to people’s interest by offering this second option!

All levels welcome. Great for adults and teens. Younger kids need parental permission. Great skill-building for Scouts and 4-H.

Bring mask, tools, gloves, and lunch. (Contact us if you will need tools or gloves; Dave often brings some to sell.)

Must register and pay in advance: $35 for Museum and GMWC members • $45 for everyone else. Museum and GMWC members may receive their member discount as a refund at the door.

Class size limited to 10. If class fills, please join the waitlist. If enough people are on the waitlist, we can try to arrange additional sessions.




Woodcarving of cedar waxing in profile (facing to the left)
Woodcarving of cedar waxing by David Tuttle

Masks required when indoors.

Contact us if you would like to hear of additional upcoming classes.

Pop-Up Soap Carving

Child (hands and part of torso) carving a white bar soap using a craft-stick tool.

Stop by and try your hand at soap carving! Super easy to get started!

Instructions, tools and materials provided.  Suitable for any age.
Masks recommended (keeps soap out of your nose, too).
All ages • Great for kids on their early dismissal days

Stop by at 1:00pm or at 1:45pm

Pre-registration is optional but very helpful!




Included with Museum admission; donations welcome.

Ask a Naturalist: Ticks, Mosquitos, and Blackflies

A map of Vermont with red dots showing locations of mosquito traps in 2019 in the state.

Local naturalists answer your questions about some small, annoying, yet important invertebrates of Vermont! 

The April session of Ask-a-Naturalist, from Audubon Vermont, Birds of Vermont Museum, and Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas gives you the chance to learn new and fascinating things about some small creatures we normally just brush off.

Do you know how many different kinds of mosquitoes we have in Vermont? And that some don’t bother humans at all? How about ticks, and when to worry about which diseases? Have you seen “Blackflies: defenders of Vermont” on a T-shirt, and wondered what roles blackflies play in our ecosystems? Join this session and find out more!

This is an online free event. Please register with Audubon Vermont at https://act.audubon.org/a/ask-a-naturalistmosquitoesticksflies


Bring us your questions and curiosity!

We love hosting free programs, and are able to do so because of generous donors. If you can, please donate to one our organizations:

Thank you, and see you soon!

Ask a Naturalist: Owls

Local naturalists answer your questions about owls in Vermont (and possibly beyond)! 

Whooo’s interested in owls? Lots of us! Listen to and ask questions about these astonishing predators. Birders and ornithologists from Audubon Vermont, Birds of Vermont Museum, and Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas answer your questions.

This is an online free event. Please register with Audubon Vermont at https://vt.audubon.org/events/ask-naturalist-all-about-owls or call  (802 434-3068) or the Museum (802 434-2167) to get the info you need to sign in.

While we can talk generally amongst ourselves about what is exciting outside during our long winters, this program will work best if you bring a question or two (tuning in to listen is also ok)! Questions about owl senses, feathers, adaptations, habitat, prey and more are all welcome.

We love hosting free programs, and are able to do so thanks to generous donors like you! Please consider a donation to one of our organizations: