Join Museum Director Erin Talmage to learn about Vermont’s Winter Birds: birds, birding, and conservation.
Vermont in winter is cold, muddy, slushy, icy, snowy. But there are still birds! Which ones? How come? What do they eat? How do they shelter from the weather? And how can you get involved?
Join Museum Director Erin Talmage to learn about Vermont’s Winter Birds: birds, birding, and conservation.
Vermont in winter is cold, muddy, slushy, icy, snowy. But there are still birds! Which ones? How come? What do they eat? How do they shelter from the weather? And how can you get involved?
The Salisbury Conservation Commission is sponsoring this talk by the Birds of Vermont Museum. The event is free and open to the public.
Presentation begins at 7 PM in the Salisbury Meeting House (Congregational Church) in the center of Salisbury (853 Maple Street).
The Salisbury Conservation Commission is sponsoring a series of talks–come to this or all of them!
Giving Tuesday comes after Cyber Monday which comes after Black Friday….
It’s a good day to share with your favorite nonprofit! Whether you support birds, community, conservation, education, arts, science, or all of the above, we are grateful for the ways we share.
How to give? It’s easy! Send a check to the museum or use our online form. Choose a one-time or a repeating donation—whatever works for you!
Watch for, protect, record birds during both migration seasons!
The map above shows the movement of birds in this date last year from BirdCast.info. The United States is depicted in white outlines on black, while a heat map ranging from purple to pink to orange to yellow shows the intensity of bird migration (mostly in the eastern US). Arrows show the directions the birds are moving. (Dokter, A. M. 2023 of live migration map image. BirdCast, live migration map; 2023-10-12. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/migration-forecast-maps. Accessed 2024-09-05.)
In Vermont, birds are moving!
Screenshot of BirdCast Migration Dashboard for 12 October 2023, Vermont. Data show estimates of birds that crossed Vermont, when they crossed, flight information, comparison with other nights, and likely species. Find this current data at https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-VT
While the official day of celebration for World Migratory Bird Day is on the second Saturday in May each year, the [Smithsonian] recognizes that migratory birds stop in various places along their journey. This means that the celebration can be flexible, depending on the location. In addition, Environment for the Americas encourages people to also catch the migratory birds on their way south in the autumn, celebrating another time on the second Saturday in October.
For International Coffee Day, make a commitment to buying and drinking bird-friendly coffee. Why? For the birds, of course! The Magnolia Warbler (photo of one carved by Bob Spear is above) is one of several warbler species that migrates to coffee-growing areas.
Enjoy reading (or re-reading) some of these links to find out more.
This pair of Scarlet Tanagers were created by Bob Spear in 1985 and took him 67 hours. Scarlet Tanagers migrate to coffee-growing regions and can be affected by coffee-growing practices.
The first Saturday of September is also a day to celebrate Hummingbirds! For us, this is the month we say “good-bye ’til next year!” We usually see our last ones (Ruby-throated) in early to mid-September.
Because of climate changes and the impact on their habitat, many species of hummingbirds are currently on the list of vulnerable or endangered species through the IUCN Red List. National Hummingbird Day is here to remind us to appreciate and honor these tiny little creatures.
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! And what about vultures in other art?
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!
The first Saturday in September each year is International Vulture Awareness Day. But we can learn about and honor them more often than that!
Do you do individual things to lower your impact? Do you get together with others to create and press for conservation policy, legislation, and mass action?
Take today to honor our efforts so far, learn about another way to conserve nature, and talk to friends about what we’ll do next!
It’s a good world, and we like being here with birds and more. Let’s take good care of it.
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.
