Through the Window: December 2022

Lifelike wood carving of a Black-capped chickadee, perched on the side of a rough-barked stump. Carved by Bob Spear.
Black-capped Chickadee, carved and painted by Bob Spear.

It’s the end of 2022, and a pretty good year it’s been. We hope the same is true for you.

Thank you for following us, supporting us, and being part of the museum community.

Enjoy the brief list of this month’s birds, consider donating to our annual appeal, and keep on birding!

Happy New Year!

December Bird List

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Through the Window: November 2022

Downy Woodpecker and Blue Jay on a rectangular suet feeder. Photo appears to be a digiscoped image through a binocular lens.
Digiscoping a Downy Woodpecker and Blue Jay sharing a suet feeder. Photo by E. Talmage, and used with permission.

Welcome to the first month of our by-appointment season! It’s sometimes extra quiet around here as we work to catch up on reports, projects, and prepare for our annual appeal. 

And Feederwatch began! We have some volunteers who are wonderfully dedicated to helping the Museum participate in this community science program, so thank you Michele, Megan and Debbie!

November Bird List

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Through the Window: October 2022

Red-bellied woodpecker, carved by Bob Spear
Red-bellied woodpecker, carved by Bob Spear

October is glorious! We started the month with the Dead Creek Wildlife festival, continued birding during the Big Sit!,  admired pollinators on fall flowers like asters, explored and documented plants for the phenology project, and welcomed campers visiting through the Harvest Host program. We spent some time working on the Retreat, which we hope to open to overnighters sometime in the next year.

Of course, we have to sit down by the Viewing Window and just watch birds  to recover from all of this.

October Bird List

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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.

Annual Butterfly and Bug Walk

Young Entomologist

Experience Vermont’s butterflies and other insects up close!

Join Vermont Entomological Society naturalists and entomologists for an exploratory stroll on the Birds of Vermont Museum grounds.

Bring binoculars, magnifying glasses, and an insect net if you have one. Pack a lunch if you would like to picnic after the walk. Do bring your water bottle and dress for outdoors.

Registration link coming soon.

Max: 15 people • waitlist available
Masks required when indoors.
(We will update this listing with any changed COVID-19 precautions  as we get closer to the date.)

If it is raining on the day of the walk, please call the Museum (802 434-2167) to see if we have rescheduled; probable rain date Sunday, July 10).

Terrific for anyone interested in Vermont’s six-legged creatures.

Free! (Donations welcome)

Check out the Vermont Entomological Society site https://www.vermontinsects.org/ — gorgeous photos and information about the Society.