the Big Sit 2023!

A Stanley brand 25' metal measuring tape; a pair of black binoculars; a bag of Birds and Beans coffee (scarlet tanager dark roast). All three item are line d up on a wooden railing, with green foliage behind them.

The most relaxed birding around. And around and around …

How many birds (and birdwatchers) can we identify from a 17-foot diameter circle between sunrise and sunset? Can we beat last year’s record? We’ve seen birds big and small, in night and day: from Kinglets to Great Blue Herons, Barred Owls to Turkey Vultures.

This is a great long-running community science project. Pledges and donations welcome:

We are observing from Dawn to Dusk. The Museum is open from 10am – 4pm.

Call or email to ask about joining the observation team.

For much more info, see https://www.thebigsit.org/ .

Check out the reports from previous years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (overall), 2021 (ours), 2022 (overall), 2022 (ours)

several birders standing during a Big Sit event

Let your imagination take flight: art workshop with Rachel Mirus

Illustration of Blue Jay in flight on a green and yellow leafy-textured background.

Join artist Rachel Mirus and let your imagination take flight with bird-inspired creative drawing.

Observing nature has inspired many artistic flights of imagination. In this class, we will look closely at feathers, one of the hallmark traits of birds, and spend time observing birds.

Along the way we will cover field sketching and easy ways to add color to drawings, working primarily in graphite, color pencil, and brush pen.

From this observational foundation we will consider how scientific or fantasy illustrators reinvent vanished animals like feathered dinosaurs or create images of mythical animals like the phoenix.

Class will culminate in project time for students to experiment with their own creative ideas. Come learn ways your appreciation of nature can fuel your imagination!

All materials provided, but participants are encouraged to bring any natural objects they wish to draw or share. You are welcome to bring any materials you prefer. Rachel also provides materials, but sometimes people have preferences and she support students using what they are comfortable with.

Bring a friend! You are welcome to enjoy your lunch here at the museum after the workshop.

Sliding scale fee • Register here or call (802) 434-2167 to pay at the door.




Minimum: 4 participants
Maximum: 15 participants
Ages 13 and up

Rachel Mirus: A light-skinned woman with straight, long brown and red hair, smiles in three-quarter view at camera. She is visible from shoulders up. She is outdoors with golden autumn foliage in background and a blue mountain ridge behind. Image shown with permission.

Drawing for Mindfulness: art workshop with Rachel Mirus

pencil drawing of wood frog (facing to the left, mostly in profile), by Rachel Mirus. Shown by permission.

Join artist Rachel Mirus in practicing observational drawing techniques that can quiet the mind and encourage being wholly present in nature.

In this short workshop, we’ll practice drawing techniques inside with a variety of materials for every ability level. Weather permitting, we’ll move outside for a nature walk and en plein air drawing. (If not, the museum’s bird-in-habitat exhibits are available.)

All materials provided, but participants are encouraged to bring any natural objects they wish to draw or share. You are welcome to bring any materials you prefer. Rachel also provides materials, but sometimes people have preferences and she support students using what they are comfortable with.

Bring a friend! You are welcome to enjoy your lunch here at the museum after the workshop.

Sliding scale fee




Or call (802) 434-2167 to pay at the door.

Minimum: 4 participants
Maximum: 15 participants
Ages 13 and up

 

Pencil drawing of dove in flight by Rachel MIrus. Used by permission. Rachel Mirus: A light-skinned woman with straight, long brown and red hair, smiles in three-quarter view at camera. She is visible from shoulders up. She is outdoors with golden autumn foliage in background and a blue mountain ridge behind. Image shown with permission.

Nestlings Explore Winter: to sleep or not to sleep

Child playing in deep snow. Child is wearing green hat,blue hooded parka, black snow pants, but because is prine, kid is partially hidden by snow.

Who hibernates and who’s just taking a nap?

Some animals sleep through the winter, and some are awake and active. Why and how do Vermont animals take on winter challenges?

Designed for kids ages 4 – 8, siblings welcome.
$5 (adult chaperones free)
Dress for outdoors



Use the button above to register online or call 802 434-2167 to sign up.

Nestlings Explore Winter: bird survival

Black-capped chickadee eating a sunflower seed. Chickadee perches on a pile of hulled sunflower seeds in winter; a few snowflakes show on the bird's black feathers.

Learn the secrets of winter bird survival. Could you do it?

We’ll imagine ourselves as birds in Vermont in winter. How do we find wamth, food, and shelter to survive the cold? Let’s mimic birds’ strategies for success!

Designed for kids ages 4 – 8, siblings welcome.
$5 (adult chaperones free)
Dress for outdoors



Use the button above or call 802 434-2167 to sign up!

Drawing for Mindfulness: art workshop with Rachel Mirus

pencil drawing of wood frog (facing to the left, mostly in profile), by Rachel Mirus. Shown by permission.

Join artist Rachel Mirus in practicing observational drawing techniques that can quiet the mind and encourage being wholly present in nature.

In this short workshop, we’ll practice drawing techniques inside with a variety of materials for every ability level. Weather permitting, we’ll move outside for a nature walk and en plein air drawing. (If not, the museum’s bird-in-habitat exhibits are available.)

All materials provided, but participants are encouraged to bring any natural objects they wish to draw or share. You are welcome to bring any materials you prefer. Rachel also provides materials, but sometimes people have preferences and she support students using what they are comfortable with.

Minimum: 4 participants
Maximum: 15 participants
Ages 6 and up
Bring a friend! You are welcome to enjoy your lunch here at the museum after the workshop.

Sliding scale fee



Or call (802) 434-2167 to pay at the door.

You may also like the Nature Selfies workshop on November 12.

Pencil drawing of dove in flight by Rachel MIrus. Used by permission. Rachel Mirus: A light-skinned woman with straight, long brown and red hair, smiles in three-quarter view at camera. She is visible from shoulders up. She is outdoors with golden autumn foliage in background and a blue mountain ridge behind. Image shown with permission.

POSTPONED — Nature Selfies: art workshop with Rachel Mirus

a mixed media selfie art piece by Rachel Mirus incorporating nature materials and sketched objects. Used with permission.

Explore your connectedness to the Vermont landscape with artist Rachel Mirus. She takes us from thinking about our relationship to Vermont nature to being inspired by the ecologically-inspired work of Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

We will make a whimsical self-portrait illustrating our unique relationships.

We’ll start with a nature walk to stimulate the imagination and move inside for art-making with a variety of materials for every ability level. You are welcome to bring any materials you prefer. Rachel also provides materials, but sometimes people have preferences and she support students using what they are comfortable with.

Minimum: 4 participants
Maximum: 15 participants

Ages 6 and up • Great for families!

Dress to be outside, then inside. You are welcome to bring and enjoy your lunch here at the museum after the workshop.

Sliding scale fee



Or call (802) 434-2167 to pay at the door.

You may also like the Drawing for Mindfulness class on November 19.

Rachel Mirus: A light-skinned woman with straight, long brown and red hair, smiles in three-quarter view at camera. She is visible from shoulders up. She is outdoors with golden autumn foliage in background and a blue mountain ridge behind. Image shown with permission.

the Big Sit!

A Stanley brand 25' metal measuring tape; a pair of black binoculars; a bag of Birds and Beans coffee (scarlet tanager dark roast). All three item are line d up on a wooden railing, with green foliage behind them.

The most relaxed birding around. And around and around …

How many birds (and birdwatchers) can we identify from a 17-foot diameter circle between sunrise and sunset? Can we beat last year’s record? We’ve seen birds big and small, in night and day: from Kinglets to Great Blue Herons, Barred Owls to Turkey Vultures.

This is a great long-running community science project. Pledges and donations welcome:

We are observing from Dawn to Dusk. The Museum is open from 10am – 4pm. Masks required when inside the Museum.

Call or email to ask about joining the observation team.

For much more info, see https://www.thebigsit.org/ .

Check out the reports from previous years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (overall), 2021 (ours)

several birders standing during a Big Sit event
What is it? Birders focus during the Big Sit.

Nestlings Find Nature

A young child in an orange shirt reaches out to touch the foot of a raptor

Explore nature with Allison! What is a bird? How do feathers work? What else is flying in our gardens? What do flowers look like up close?

These and other questions lead our exploration of nature around the Museum. Each week is different!

Designed for kids ages 4 – 8, siblings welcome.

Please sign up in advance with a click or tap:

Or call 802 434-2167.

Nestlings Find Nature

a young child looks through a stereoscope.

Explore nature with Allison! What is a bird? How do feathers work? What else is flying in our gardens? What do flowers look like up close? How about an egg?

These and other questions lead our exploration of nature around the Museum. Each week is different!

Designed for kids ages 4 – 8, siblings welcome.

Please sign up in advance with a click or tap:

Or call 802 434-2167 to register.