Through the Window: September 2023

Life-like Pine Warbler woodcarving by Bob Spear
Pine Warbler, carved by Bob Spear

It’s the last month for the Hummingbirds (for the year). Nevertheless, they delighted those who sat at the Viewing Window this month, as the “Hummers” continued to defend “their” feeders!

Not only that, but we saw some unusual-for-the-feeder-area birds as well. Read on to find out what species they were…

September Bird List

Continue reading “Through the Window: September 2023”

October events

White-breasted Nuthatch © copyright Zac Cota-Weaver and used by permission.

person lacing up sneakers on the spear trailSo what’s coming up in the last month of our “open” season? Exercise your sense of art, your legs, your mind with our Spark! show. birds identification opportunities, and our annual race!

We’re open Wednesday – Sunday, 10-4, until Halloween. We’re open by appointment other days and after. The trails are open sunrise to sunset, every day. Libraries have passes, and admission is always free for members (https://birdsofvermont.org/membership/).

=== OCTOBER EVENTS ===

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December Bird Monitoring Walk

Photo of Northern Cardinal (male)

Join our monthly monitoring walk to record birds on the Museum property. Learn something new, share what you know, or both!

All birders (current, experienced, newbie and would-be!) welcome! Most fun for adults, older children.

Please bring your own binoculars, dress for weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent and a water bottle. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 12 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $10




Outdoors

Photo of Northern Cardinal.

November Bird Monitoring Walk

Ruffed Grouse in fall Crabapple tree

Join our monthly monitoring walk to record birds on the Museum property. Learn something new, share what you know, or both!

All birders (current, experienced, newbie and would-be!) welcome! Most fun for adults, older children.

Please bring your own binoculars, dress for weather. We recommend bringing tick repellent and a water bottle. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 12 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $10





Outdoors

Photo of Ruffed Grouse in Crabapple. Photographed at the Museum by Museum staff.

September events

Unidentified hawk overhead against a brilliantly blue sky. Photo copyright Erin Talmage and used by permission.

Head and neck of Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), a wood carving by Bob Spear (rest of body not visible in photo)The school year has started, but that isn’t slowing us down up on Sherman Hollow Road. Check out the fall programs at the Birds of Vermont Museum, sign up for one if you like, or just drop by. We’re open Wednesday – Sunday, 10-4, until Halloween. We’re open by appointment other days and after. The trails are open sunrise to sunset, every day. Libraries have passes, and admission is always free for members (https://birdsofvermont.org/membership/).

We look forward to seeing you!

=== SEPTEMBER EVENTS ===

Continue reading “September events”

Vermont Beetles

Two-spotted Lady Beetle —a small red beetle with two black spots on each wing covering—on a plant stem, facing the viewer. Photo by Julia Pupko and used with permission.

Beetles (Order: Coleoptera) are a fascinating yet vastly understudied taxonomic group. In Vermont alone, there are over 1,000 different species! Some groups provide important roles as pollinators, biological controls, decomposers, and more. Other beetles, such as the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) threaten the health of our ecosystems.

Join us to learn about the ecology and identification of different groups of beetles found in Vermont.




In this two hour workshop, we will spend about 45 minutes focusing on a few families, genera, and species of note. For the remaining hour and 15 minutes, we will go outside and search for beetles around the Birds of Vermont museum, identifying as we go.

About Julia Pupko (they/them):

Julia is the former coordinator of the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas through the Vermont Atlas of Life at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies. Currently, Julia works for Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation at the Forest Biology Lab, with a special interest on the intersection between forest health and entomology.

Additionally, Julia volunteers in a number of roles for Sosyete pou Rebwaze Duchity Haiti (SRDH) – a community-based reforestation and agroforestry organization operating in Duchity, Haiti. In their spare time, Julia enjoys painting, spending time with their birds, hiking, and (of course) searching for insects.

Images provided by Julie Pupko of Vermont Center for Ecostudies.

October Bird Monitoring Walk

White-breasted Nuthatch © copyright Zac Cota-Weaver and used by permission.

All birders (current, experienced, newbie and would-be!) are welcome! Join our monthly monitoring walk outdoors on the Museum’s trails in forest and meadow.

Most fun for adults, older children. Please bring your own binoculars, and dress for the weather. Tick repellent and water bottles are recommended.

Max: 12 people

Suggested donation $10 – $15
Registration required.




Outdoors

Photo of White-breasted Nuthatch © Zac Cota-Weaver and used by permission.

Through the Window: July 2023

The museum was fortunate to have been missed by the flooding this year. The brook below the museum rose, and there’s signs of erosion on trails, but we escaped the damage that our fellow Vermonters are working through. We hope you also have been free from floods, and if not, that you have the help and support you need.

We can offer a refuge if you need to come and take a break: visit, sit, watch birds, walk trails… We thank the Vermont Community Foundation for their support of non-profits, flood survivors, and more.

Male cerulean warbler feeding female. Cerulean Warblers carved by Bob Spear at the Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, Vermont. Photograph copyright Caleb Kenna and used by permission.
Male Cerulean Warbler’s offering of food being accepted by female. Birds carved by Bob Spear at the Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, Vermont. Photograph copyright Caleb Kenna and used by permission.

July Bird List

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