community – Page 17 – Birds of Vermont Museum

September 2, 2016

Through the Window: August 2016

We were blessed with some unusual observations this month—we suspect these species are usually here in August, but we’re not always in the right place to observe them. Gotta get outdoors! In the meantime, enjoy this month’s list of what we’ve seen through (or near) our Viewing Window.

Blue Jay (and juveniles with bald heads ~8/8 – 8/18)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Tufted Titmouse
Mourning Dove
American Goldfinch
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Black-capped chickadee
Northern Cardinal (and juvenile with black beak 8/16)
American Crow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Purple Finch
Evening Grosbeak
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Common Grackle
Gray Catbird
House Finch
Cooper’s Hawk (8/17 by S. Dakers)
Song Sparrow (fledgling with a short tail 8/21)
Turkey Vulture
Broad Winged-hawk (heard 8/23)

No male hummingbirds on 8/31.
Bold indicates those we didn’t see last month.
For more precise records, you can also see eBird data for recent years at the Museum.

It’s always fun to distinguish the Clear-winged Sphinx Moth and the Ruby-throated Hummingbird as they both hover about the bee balm. And what a month for mammals! We’ve the usuals: Gray squirrels, Red squirrels, Eastern chipmunks.. ;.and we’ve also noticed Eastern cottontail rabbit, a bobcat, and a young porcupine! This last was spotted and photographed by some visitors on August 28 as it came across Bob’s Bridge and up the bath. (Bob’s Bridge is the lower bridge of the two near the Museum entrance; Gale’s Crossing is the new one.)

All observers can add their sightings to our whiteboard list! We’re here from 10am to 4pm daily, and earlier if there’s a bird walk. For those, check out our events page. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram too, for more comments, links, and observations!

The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.

August 30, 2016July 15, 2018

Artists Gathering & Reception for “In Layers: The Art of the Egg”

Visit art and artists at “In Layers” Reception: Sept 10, 3-6pm.

(“51 Birds” © C V Talmage, used by permission)

http://ow.ly/69JM303i0vt http://ow.ly/i/ma2R8

June 29, 2016

Early Birders’ Observations for June 26, 2016

Michelle Patenaude led the June 26th Early Birders Morning Walk as well. The walks this year have been so well-attended! It’s been wonderful to welcome birders, old and new, to the Museum.

Here’s the report:

Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
 Jun 26, 2016 7:05 AM - 9:25 AM
 Protocol: Traveling
 2.0 kilometer(s)
 Comments:     Early Birders Walk led by Michele Patenaude
 34 species
 
 Mallard  1
 Mourning Dove  2
 Barred Owl  1
 Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  7     observed adult at nest with young in it
 Downy Woodpecker  2
 Eastern Phoebe  2
 Great Crested Flycatcher  2
 Red-eyed Vireo  2
 Blue Jay  5
 Black-capped Chickadee  6
 White-breasted Nuthatch  5
 Winter Wren  1
 Hermit Thrush  2
 Wood Thrush  1
 American Robin  2
 Gray Catbird  1
 Ovenbird  11
 Black-and-white Warbler  1
 Common Yellowthroat  5
 Blackburnian Warbler  1
 Chestnut-sided Warbler  3
 Black-throated Blue Warbler  1
 Pine Warbler  1
 Black-throated Green Warbler  2
 Dark-eyed Junco  1
 White-throated Sparrow  1
 Song Sparrow  1
 Scarlet Tanager  1
 Northern Cardinal  1
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak  3
 Red-winged Blackbird  2
 Common Grackle  2
 American Goldfinch  2
 
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30398032
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Join usnext year, in May and June, for the next series of early morning walks. Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot. Of course, we hope to see you long before then! There’s so much more to see and do here at the Museum, after all.

June 24, 2016

The Bird Carver’s Daughter (Part 11: Battlefields)

Guest post by Kari Jo Spear, Photographer, Novelist, and Daughter of Bob Spear
This post appeared first in our Spring 2016 issue of Chip Notes.
Reprinted by permission. Links added by K Talmage, Museum blog editor.

If birds were my father’s first passion, the Civil War was his second. (Family, he pretty much took for granted.) He could fight every battle from memory, including all the skirmishes leading up to it as well as the aftermath, and discuss the finer points of each battle’s contribution to the overall picture and its enduring legacies. He focused on the Vermonters, especially his great-grand-father and hero, Alonzo Spear. Yet he always held Robert E. Lee in the highest regard. For a long time, I could never understand why my peace-loving, crowd-hating, and squeamish father had such a fascination for battlefields. When I asked him, all he would say was, “Well, they’re kind of interesting.”

One day, my father, Gale, and I visited the Hubbardton Battle Field, where Vermont’s only Revolutionary War battle had taken place. None of us had ever been there before. In the visitor center was a diorama depicting the various movements of the troops during the engagement. I remember standing there, feeling baffled. My father silently contemplated the scenario for a few moments and then launched into a full explanation. He waved his hands over the diorama like a conductor, commenting on the initial positions of both sides, the strategic fallbacks, the flanking attempts, and the outcome. (We lost. But we Vermonters achieved our goal of halting the British in their tracks long enough to allow the main American force to get away. See, I was listening.)

Unbeknownst to us, a member of the staff had been listening, too. “You must be a scholar of this aspect of the Revolution,” he said to my father.

My father shook his head. “Not really. But it’s kind of interesting.”

When we got outside, I said, “I thought you’d never been here before.”

“I haven’t. But these battles are really simple compared to the Civil War.” In other words, he’d figured the whole thing out in about a minute.

My father really was a scholar of the Civil War. I don’t think there is any book, article, or movie he hadn’t memorized. About the only reason he’d leave the museum for a vacation was to tour a battlefield. He visited all the major ones, figuring out exactly where Alonzo would have been standing. Poor Gale would often say with a sigh, “We’re off to fight the Civil War again.” So much for tropical vacations.

This year, one of the high school classes where I assist students did an in-depth study of the Civil War. We read, watched documentaries, and listened to speakers. During class reading time, I found myself researching the 2nd Vermont. When I watched the documentaries, I tried to figure out where my great-great grandfather had been standing. (Yes, he was in the thick of things at Gettysburg, one of the heroic Vermonters who had saved the day and perhaps even turned the tide of the war.) I kept reading more and more. It was addictive. And ancestral.

We spent a lot of time focusing on the military genius of Robert E. Lee. And finally, I began to understand why my father had been so fascinated. Like Lee, my father was a man who planned ahead in a logical way, who studied the lay of the land, who had an instinct for the weather, who knew how to use the sunlight to best advantage, and who had an intuitive sense of how much men and horses could take.

General Spear. It would have been … interesting.

One day, as I headed for my next class with my students, I hesitated for a moment. I almost thought I’d heard my father’s voice echoing down the halls. “Forward, march!”

Kari Jo Spear‘s young adult, urban fantasy novels, Under the Willow, and Silent One, are available at Phoenix Books (in Essex and Burlington, Vermont), and on-line at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Previous posts in this series:
Part 1: The Early Years
Part 2: The Pre-teen Years (or, Why I’m Not a Carver)
Part 3: Something’s Going On Here
Part 4: The Summer of Pies
Part 5: My Addiction
Part 6: Habitat Shots
Part 7: Growing Up
Part 8: My Dead Arm
Part 9: Remembrance: Tales of My Father
Part 10: Canoe Lessons

June 22, 2016

Early Birders’ Observations for June 19, 2016

Michelle Patenaude continues her volunteering, by leading the June 19th Early Birders Morning Walk also. Thank you, Michelle, for your consistent and so-welcome effort!

Here’s the report:

Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
 Jun 19, 2016 7:10 AM - 10:15 AM
 Protocol: Traveling
 1.5 mile(s)
 Comments:     Early Birders Walk led by Michele Patenaude.
 39 species
 
 Turkey Vulture  1
 Mourning Dove  1
 Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2     2 males displaying
 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
 Downy Woodpecker  3
 Hairy Woodpecker  1
 Pileated Woodpecker  3     observed adult female putting her head 
                            into a nesting hole, feeding 2 young
 Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
 Eastern Phoebe  2
 Great Crested Flycatcher  1
 Red-eyed Vireo  4
 Blue Jay  7
 Black-capped Chickadee  8
 Tufted Titmouse  3
 White-breasted Nuthatch  2
 Brown Creeper  1
 House Wren  1
 Winter Wren  4
 Hermit Thrush  2
 Wood Thrush  2
 American Robin  3
 Gray Catbird  2
 Cedar Waxwing  1
 Ovenbird  18
 Black-and-white Warbler  2
 Common Yellowthroat  2
 Blackburnian Warbler  2
 Chestnut-sided Warbler  4
 Black-throated Green Warbler  4
 Dark-eyed Junco  1
 Song Sparrow  1
 Scarlet Tanager  1     heard repeatedly, observed by entire group
 Northern Cardinal  1
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak  2
 Indigo Bunting  1
 Red-winged Blackbird  1
 Common Grackle  1
 Brown-headed Cowbird  1
 American Goldfinch  2
 
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30299602
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Join us for the next one or more, every Sunday through the end of June. Begin your day with friends, birds, and more. Walks are led by experienced birders familiar with Vermont birds—and we welcome additional possible leaders. Let us know if you’re interested in volunteering.

Finish the walk with bird-friendly coffee at the viewing window inside the Museum.

Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.

Best for adults and older children • Free, donations welcome.
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call 802 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org

June 15, 2016

Early Birders’ Observations for June 12, 2016

Michelle Patenaude led the June 12th Early Birders Morning Walk also. The walk so so popular today that they split into tow groups, and reunited later at the viewing window for coffee, conversation, and more birdwatching.

Here’s the report:

Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
 Jun 12, 2016 7:05 AM - 9:05 AM
 Protocol: Traveling
 3.0 kilometer(s)
 Comments:     Early Birders Walk led by Michele Patenaude
 31 species
 
 Wood Duck  1     Flying over
 Mourning Dove  1
 Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2
 Downy Woodpecker  1
 Hairy Woodpecker  1
 Great Crested Flycatcher  2
 Red-eyed Vireo  3
 Blue Jay  3
 American Crow  1
 Common Raven  1
 Black-capped Chickadee  4
 Tufted Titmouse  3
 White-breasted Nuthatch  1
 Winter Wren  2
 Veery  1
 Hermit Thrush  1
 American Robin  1
 Cedar Waxwing  2
 Ovenbird  14
 Black-and-white Warbler  2
 Common Yellowthroat  2
 Blackburnian Warbler  1
 Chestnut-sided Warbler  1
 Blackpoll Warbler  1
 Black-throated Blue Warbler  2
 Black-throated Green Warbler  4
 Song Sparrow  1
 Scarlet Tanager  1
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak  2
 Common Grackle  3
 American Goldfinch  3
 
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30189837
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Finish the walk with bird-friendly coffee at the viewing window inside the Museum.

Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.

Best for adults and older children • Free, donations welcome.
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call 802 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org

June 8, 2016

Early Birders’ Observations for June 5, 2016

Michelle Patenaude led the June 5 Early Birders Morning Walk. The walk so so popular today that they split into tow groups, and reunited later at the viewing window for coffee, conversation, and more birdwatching.

Here’s the report:

Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
 Jun 5, 2016 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
 Protocol: Traveling
 0.5 kilometer(s)
 Comments:     Early Birders Walk led by Michele Patenaude- split into two groups who walked different directions but covered part of the same area.
 30 species

 Turkey Vulture  2
 Mourning Dove  1
 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
 Downy Woodpecker  1
 Hairy Woodpecker  1
 Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
 Eastern Phoebe  1
 Great Crested Flycatcher  2
 Red-eyed Vireo  1
 Blue Jay  1
 American Crow  1
 Black-capped Chickadee  3
 Tufted Titmouse  1
 White-breasted Nuthatch  2
 Veery  2
 Hermit Thrush  1
 American Robin  2
 Cedar Waxwing  2
 Ovenbird  1
 Louisiana Waterthrush  1
 Nashville Warbler  1
 Common Yellowthroat  3
 Chestnut-sided Warbler  2
 Black-throated Blue Warbler  1
 Song Sparrow  2
 Scarlet Tanager  2
 Northern Cardinal  1
 Indigo Bunting  2
 Common Grackle  2
 Baltimore Oriole  1

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S30084511
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Finish the walk with bird-friendly coffee at the viewing window inside the Museum.

Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.

Best for adults and older children • Free, donations welcome.
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call 802 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org

June 1, 2016

Early Birders’ Observations for May 29, 2016

Erin Talmage, the Museum’s Executive Director, lead the May 29th Early Birders Morning Walk. Thank you!

Here’s the report:

Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
 May 29, 2016 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
 Protocol: Traveling
 2.0 kilometer(s)
 Comments:     Early Birders Walk led by Erin Talmage
 26 species

 Mourning Dove  2
 Hairy Woodpecker  1
 Pileated Woodpecker  1
 Blue-headed Vireo  2
 Red-eyed Vireo  6
 Blue Jay  3
 Black-capped Chickadee  2
 Tufted Titmouse  1
 Brown Creeper  2
 Veery  1
 Hermit Thrush  2
 American Robin  1
 Gray Catbird  2
 Ovenbird  8
 Louisiana Waterthrush  2
 Black-and-white Warbler  1
 Common Yellowthroat  3
 American Redstart  1
 Blackburnian Warbler  2
 Chestnut-sided Warbler  1
 Black-throated Blue Warbler  2
 Black-throated Green Warbler  2
 Song Sparrow  1
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak  2
 Brown-headed Cowbird  1
 American Goldfinch  1

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29967223
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Join us for the next one or more, every Sunday through the end of June. Enjoy the start of the day with us, birds, and other woodland inhabitants. Walks are led by experienced birders familiar with Vermont birds—and we welcome additional possible leaders. Let us know if you’re interested in volunteering.

Finish the walk with bird-friendly coffee at the viewing window inside the Museum.

Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.

Best for adults and older children • Free, donations welcome.
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call 802 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org

May 25, 2016

Early Birders’ Observations for May 22, 2016

The May 22 Early Birders Morning Walk was led by our own Mae Mayville, member of the Board, excellent baker, and terrific eBirder. Thank you!

Here’s the report:

 Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
 May 22, 2016 7:00 AM - 9:05 AM
 Protocol: Traveling
 1.0 kilometer(s)
 Comments:     Early Birders Walk led by Mae Mayville
 35 species
 
 Ruffed Grouse  1     Heard
 Wild Turkey  1
 Mourning Dove  3
 Barred Owl  1     Heard
 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  6     1 near the museum, 2 near the pond, 3 in the woods.
 Downy Woodpecker  1
 Hairy Woodpecker  1
 Eastern Phoebe  2
 Blue-headed Vireo  3     Observed 2 foraging near ground
 Red-eyed Vireo  3
 Blue Jay  6
 American Crow  3
 Common Raven  1
 Black-capped Chickadee  8
 White-breasted Nuthatch  2
 Veery  2
 Hermit Thrush  1
 Wood Thrush  1
 American Robin  2
 Gray Catbird  3
 European Starling  2
 Ovenbird  8
 Common Yellowthroat  4
 Magnolia Warbler  1     Observed by entire group
 Chestnut-sided Warbler  2
 Black-throated Blue Warbler  2
 Black-throated Green Warbler  1     Observed foraging on ground near stream
 Dark-eyed Junco  1
 White-throated Sparrow  1
 Song Sparrow  1
 Scarlet Tanager  1
 Northern Cardinal  2
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak  2
 Common Grackle  1
 American Goldfinch  2
 
 View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29832773
 
 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Finish the walk with bird-friendly coffee at the viewing window inside the Museum.

Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.

Best for adults and older children • Free, donations welcome.
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call 802 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org

May 18, 2016

Early Birders’ Observations for May 15, 2016

The Early Birders Morning Walk results are in two parts today, first from the walk and then from viewing from indoors. Thank you so much to Shirley John and Mae Mayville, for leading today!

Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
 May 15, 2016 7:10 AM - 9:55 AM
 Protocol: Traveling
 1.5 kilometer(s)
 Comments:     Early Birders Walk led by Shirley Johnson and Mae Mayville
 31 species

 Red-tailed Hawk  1
 Mourning Dove  3
 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  7     2 near parking lot; 
                                 2 as we entered the woods;  
                                 1 along woods trail;  
                                 2 interacting on edge of woods on other side of the pond
 Downy Woodpecker  2
 Eastern Phoebe  2
 Blue-headed Vireo  1
 Red-eyed Vireo  2
 Blue Jay  10
 American Crow  2
 Black-capped Chickadee  8
 Tufted Titmouse  2
 Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
 White-breasted Nuthatch  1
 Veery  1     Heard
 Hermit Thrush  1     Long looks; seen by everyone in the group; singing
 Wood Thrush  1     Long looks; seen by everyone in the group.
 American Robin  5
 Gray Catbird  1
 European Starling  1
 Ovenbird  4
 Louisiana Waterthrush  1     Heard at treehouse
 Common Yellowthroat  2
 Northern Parula  1
 Chestnut-sided Warbler  2
 Pine Warbler  3
 Black-throated Green Warbler  1     Heard
 Song Sparrow  1
 Northern Cardinal  1
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak  5
 Baltimore Oriole  1     Observed by entire group
 American Goldfinch  3

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29673886
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
 May 15, 2016 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
 Protocol: Stationary
 Comments:     Observed at Viewing Window after the Early Birders Walk
 14 species

 Mourning Dove  3
 Downy Woodpecker  2
 Hairy Woodpecker  2
 Blue Jay  6
 Black-capped Chickadee  3
 Tufted Titmouse  2
 European Starling  1 
 Song Sparrow  1
 Rose-breasted Grosbeak  7
 Red-winged Blackbird  2
 Common Grackle  3
 Brown-headed Cowbird  3
 Purple Finch  2
 American Goldfinch  3

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29676426
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Join us for one or more of of our next walks, Sundays in May and June. Welcome the day with birders, birds, and other woodland inhabitants. Walks are led by experienced birders familiar with Vermont birds—and we welcome additional possible leaders. Let us know if you’re interested in volunteering.

Finish the walk with bird-friendly coffee at the viewing window inside the Museum.

Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.

Best for adults and older children • Free, donations welcome.
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call 802 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org