Through the Window: June 2022

Woodcarving of red-eyed vireo, life size in profile, posed standing in ferns with autumn-tined leaves as a blurry background
Red-eyed Vireo from the Teaching Warblers collection. Carved by Bob Spear in 1988. Photographed by Erin Talmage.

It’s been a pleasant early summer month at the Birds of Vermont Museum. We’re continuing our Early Birder Morning Walks on Sundays, and had a new walk offered: “Tree IDs for Birders”. We even had a booksigning and a carving class!

Even though we’ve cut back on our feeding, we have still been able to enjoy spotting birds through our windows (and doors) at the Museum.

June Bird List

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September Bird Monitoring Walk

Sparrow spp. © 2019 E. Talmage and used by permission

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.

Max: 10 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $5 – $10
Click or tap to register.



Outdoors

Photo: Sparrow spp. © 2019 E. Talmage and used by permission.

August Bird Monitoring Walk

Yellow Warbler ©copyright Bob Johnson and used by permission

*** NOTE: the August Monitoring Walk has been moved to September 3rd (the first Saturday in September). We apologize for any inconvenience. ***

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.

Max: 10 people • waitlist available
Click or tap to register:

Outdoors

Photo: Photo of Yellow Warbler ©copyright Bob Johnson and used by permission.

July Bird Monitoring Walk

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

Birders—current, experienced, newbie and would-be—welcome! Attend our monthly monitoring walk outdoors on the Museum’s trails in forest and meadow.

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

Please click or tap the button to register in advance.


Max: 10 people • waitlist available

Free, suggested donation $5 – $10

If the walk fills, but there’s enough interest, we may be able to schedule more walks. Please email museum@birdsofvermont.org, or call (802) 434-2167 to discuss this.

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

Through the Window: May 2022

American Redstart female stands on a green terry-cloth towel, looking slightly toward the camera. Photo by Erin Talmage for the Birds of Vermont Museum.Still limiting feeding, although this month we saw so many birds that one might hardly have thought we were doing this! (Also, see below for why.)

We also noticed that at certain times of the day, the light hit the front door just right (or perhaps, just wrongly) to apparently encourage bird collisions. We have fixed this! (More on this below, too.)

Also this month (and next): Early Birder Morning Walks! Check out the results when the walk leaders post them to eBird.

May Bird List

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June Bird Monitoring Walk

Looking down on one (blue) Red-winged Blackbird egg in nest, with cattail stems surrounding and supporting nest. (copyright E. Talmage and used by permission)

All birders (current, experienced, newbie and would-be!) welcome! Attend 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, dress for weather. Face masks required when we are within 6 feet of each other. We go out the last Saturday of every month.

Tap or click to register

Free (suggested donation $5)
Max: 5 people

(Walks start at 7:30 am April – August; 8am September – March)

Photo: Single Red-winged Blackbird egg. Photo © copyright E. Talmage and used by permission.

Early Birders Morning Walk

Eastern Phoebe (small gray and white songbird), holding nesting material while perched on thin twig. Photo copyright 2020 Morgan Barnes and used with permission.

Spring mornings are terrific for birding. Join us for a walk led by birder Jacob Crawford.

Who’s singing, calling, nesting, or flying around the Birds of Vermont Museum? Discover birds on an early morning ramble in the Museum’s forest and meadows. Walks are led by experienced birders familiar with Vermont birds.

Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Early mornings are often damp with dew and boots are definitely in order. Don’t forget bug spray/tick repellent!

Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.

Free (suggested donation: $5)
Pre-registration is required: click/tap the button below and select your preferred date. (If you want to sign up for more than one walk, you’ll need to do this for each date.)


Or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/early-birder-morning-walks-may-registration-265315705417.

Max: 10 people • waitlist available if walk fills

Masks required if inside the Museum. (We will update this listing with any changed COVID-19 precautions as we get closer to the date.)

5 people (seen from back) birding with binoculars in a ferny clearing in a spring forest

The photo of the Eastern Phoebe holding nesting material is copyright © 2020 Morgan Barnes and used with permission.

Through the Window: April 2022

Eastern Phoebe on a bare branch
Eastern Phoebe on a bare branch
Eastern Phoebe. Photo by E. Talmage and used by permission.

Despite changing from regular feeding to a restricted type and amount (see below for why), we still enjoying observing birds through our window. Something about just sitting, watching, maybe taking notes or doing Feederwatch…  this helped us get through a wicked bad mud season and a few April snowfalls. 

And as we post this, we’re well into another migration season! Check out BirdCast for nighttime forecasts of what’s moving where.

April Bird List

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Through the Window: March 2022

Fox Sparrow (woodcarving by Bob Spear)
Fox Sparrow, carved by Bob Spear.

March usually see us getting excited about what’s left to do before our drop-in season (May – October) and which migrants are passing by on their way further north (looking at you Fox Sparrow. Also mud. Sherman Hollow Road at the end of March this year was …. remarkable. Yet passable, unlike some other roads around the state. So we could keep feeding the birds.

By the way, Vermont Fish & Wildlife recommends taking in your bird feeders on April 1st, to avoid habituating bears to our spaces. Our feeders are 8′ off the ground on a steel pole set in concrete; it’s both bear resistant and not too much of a temptation. Bears learn quickly what’s out of reach and not worth the effort.

Birds at the Vernal Equinox (and then some)

Continue reading “Through the Window: March 2022”