conservation – Birds of Vermont Museum

Museum Open for Great Backyard Bird Count

Visit us February 18th, 2023, 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 10-3 on Saturday for the GBBC
Members admission: Free!

About the GBBC:

Friday – Monday, February 17-20, 2023 • 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

Dark-eyed Junco (a small gray and white songbird) on a bare twig. Text in the image reads "How many birds can you find? 26th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count February 17-20, 2023 birdcount.org Dark-eyed Junco photo courtesy of the Macauley Library"

Friday – Monday, February 17-20, 2023 • 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 17-20, 2023.

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, 2023January 8, 2023

Call to Artists: Spark!

Spark! fueling a love of birds

Many birders—and artists—have a “spark” moment that fueled a lifelong love of birds and birding and took them in unexpected directions. What’s your spark story? How did you start combining birds, birding, art, and science in your art? Does it show in your work? Continue reading “Call to Artists: Spark!”

Final month of “Fine Feathers: at play with structure and function”

Feather embroidered with many colors, textures, and flowers, on a neutral background fabric. Art © copyright Rebecca Padula, shown here by permission.

What happens when you mix art, playfulness, and insights from birds? Creativity influenced by feather color and pattern, frills and function! From bower birds to city pigeons, feathers come in thousands of sizes and colors, fantastic shapes, in different seasons, and for many reasons. Artists, photographers and poets illustrate, incorporate, and delight in the many kinds, colors, and shapes of feathers.

Discover (or re-discover) beautiful works of art during the final month of the “Fine Feathers” show.

Included with Museum admission, donations welcome.

Image: “Petals in the Wind” by Rebecca Padula. Shown by permission.

International Vulture Awareness Day

Head and neck of Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), a wood carving by Bob Spear (rest of body not visible in photo)

The first Saturday in September each year is International Vulture Awareness Day.

Vultures are an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats in many areas that they occur. Populations of many species are under pressure and some species are facing extinction. Learn what you can do to protect vultures…and why that’s a really good idea!

Stop by the Museum (we’re open 10am – 4pm) to discover how many vulture species live in Vermont (and where). Can you find all of our vulture carvings? Are we missing any? Check out one of our larger carvings and imagine where would we have had to put it if Bob Spear had carved it with its wings outspread.

Not in Vermont? Drop by the Vulture Day website at https://www.VultureDay.org to stretch your curiosity with resources , games, education activities, and more. Celebrate IVAD locally!

Celebrate Vultures all around the world!

Annual Butterfly and Bug Walk

Experience Vermont’s butterflies and other insects up close!

Join Vermont Entomological Society naturalists and entomologists for an exploratory stroll on the Birds of Vermont Museum grounds.

Bring binoculars, magnifying glasses, and an insect net if you have one. Pack a lunch if you would like to picnic after the walk. Do bring your water bottle and dress for outdoors.

Registration link coming soon.

Max: 15 people • waitlist available
Masks required when indoors.
(We will update this listing with any changed COVID-19 precautions as we get closer to the date.)

If it is raining on the day of the walk, please call the Museum (802 434-2167) to see if we have rescheduled; probable rain date Sunday, July 10).

Terrific for anyone interested in Vermont’s six-legged creatures.

Free! (Donations welcome)

Check out the Vermont Entomological Society site https://www.vermontinsects.org/ — gorgeous photos and information about the Society.

June 12, 2022September 4, 2022

Fine Feathers, at play with structure and function | 2022 community art show

collage of polaroid photos of submissions to Fine Feathers art show

Our 2022 art show, Fine Feathers, features over 70 works, chosen from over 250 submissions from artists, photographers, and poets. Each piece is inspired by birds and their feathers. The creators are influenced by feather colors, shapes, patterns, and functions. Through illustration, painting, textile, collage, photography, sculpture, and the written word, these creative expressions are as varied as the feathered creatures they depict. Continue reading “Fine Feathers, at play with structure and function | 2022 community art show”

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: Amphibians

Red eft (tiny orange salamander) climbing over a single brown pine needle on a forest floor.

Local naturalists answer your questions about amphibians in Vermont!

The March 2022 session of Ask-a-Naturalist, from Audubon Vermont, Birds of Vermont Museum, and Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas brings naturalists from our organizations to talk directly to you about what is happening outside.

This episode we are excited to share all sort of observations and questions and even answers about some of our favorite animals: salamanders, frogs, and toads.

This is an online free event. Please register with Audubon Vermont (802 434-3068) or the Museum (802 434-2167) to get the info you need to sign in.

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:
Birds of Vermont Museum
Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas
Audubon Vermont

Thank you, and see you soon!

p.s. this event was originally scheduled for March 10th but has been moved to March 16th.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Friday – Monday, February 18-21, 2022 • 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 more details from https://www.birdcount.org/participate/ :

Step 1 – Decide where you will watch birds.

Step 2 – Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 18-21, 2022.

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: http://gbbc.birdcount.org/