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.

Through the Window: May 2019

[Great Crested Flycatcher on office window netting. May 2019]
Great Crested Flycatcher on office window netting, May 2019
We started off our opening month with fantastic birds and birders and bird walks.! Even some surprising observations, like this one:

It seems to be nesting nearby, as it has returned to the window several times—for nesting material? Territory? Foraging? We don’t know yet…

As for other May birds, seen by more people through the bigger window: read on!

 

Continue reading “Through the Window: May 2019”