where natural history meets art
February can be a mellow short month, sometimes! We are counting birds, working on grants, making wee owls, and generally getting behind the scenes tasks done. We are open by appointment mostly, but just drop in on Valentines Day (no appointment needed). We have volunteer opportunities too!
Pick up your art, drop in for the Great Backyard Bird Count, and learn about animals in winter.
The Museum is open by appointment November through April. The trails are open sunrise to sunset, every day. Libraries have passes, and admission is always free for members (https://birdsofvermont.org/membership/).
We were open last Saturday to celebrate and support the Great Backyard Bird Count. Naturally, we counted birds—and a few others—as well. We recorded our results at eBird, and below. Notice there are two days! If you have questions about the Great Backyard Bird Count, eBird, or citizen science, ask us!
Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US Feb 13, 2016 9:15 AM - 11:15 AM Protocol: Stationary Comments: Museum was open for the GBBC and visitors and Museum staff observed and recorded. 12 species Ruffed Grouse 1 May have been noticed later in day Downy Woodpecker 2 Hairy Woodpecker 2 Blue Jay 13 Black-capped Chickadee 28 Tufted Titmouse 4 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Dark-eyed Junco 14 Northern Cardinal 2 Purple Finch 4 American Goldfinch 15 View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S27909893 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US Feb 14, 2016 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM Protocol: Stationary Comments: Museum staff recording during lunch break 5 species Hairy Woodpecker 2 Blue Jay 5 Black-capped Chickadee 6 Dark-eyed Junco 5 Northern Cardinal 1 View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S27909940 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
How did your counts go?
Come on by to learn about and celebrate the Great Backyard Bird Count!
Observe and record birds in our “backyard” and learn more about the Great Backyard Bird Count. We’ll share our experience in this long-running citizen science project, help you identify birds, pick the right feeders for your home, and more. The Museum exhibits and trails will be open; warm drinks and snacks for sale as well.
Saturday, February 15, 10am – 3pm
Don’t need to register; we are open.
Regular admission (free for Museum members always and for Green Mountain Audubon members today)
We were open last Saturday to celebrate and support the Great Backyard Bird Count. Naturally, we counted birds—and a few others—as well. Our results from that open time follow, and we will have our full count results posted to eBird as well.
Observed on February 19th, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
| Blue Jay | 9 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 2 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 4 |
| Northern Cardinal (female) | 1 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 2 |
| Mourning Dove | 6 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 4 |
| White-Breasted Nuthatch | 1 |
| European Starling | 1 |
| American Crow | 1 |
We also observed an Eastern Cottontail and 3 Red Squirrels.
How did your counts go?
Interested in yet another good reason to go birding? How about the Great Backyard Bird Count? It’s another Citizen Science project we do here, and it’s always open to more participants.
We’ll be open on February 13, Saturday, from 9-4. Come by to learn more about it, to count birds, or just visit.
Here’s a brief introduction from the Cornell Lab or Ornithology’s e-newsletter:
The next Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Friday, February 12 through Monday, February 15, 2010. The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are calling on everyone to “Count for Fun, Count for the Future!” During last year’s count, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent’s largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded. …[T]he success of the count depends on people tallying birds from as many locations as possible across the continent.
Spread the word …through our volunteer ambassador program. Volunteer ambassadors do a variety of things, including hanging up GBBC fliers, giving presentations in their community, and even talking to their local media. For more ideas on how to promote the GBBC, fill out the online ambassador sign-up form and specify the kinds of activities you’d like to do.
More info from the National Audubon Society: http://www.audubon.org/gbbc/
or from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/