where natural history meets art
Guest post from the Green Mountain Wood Carvers. Cross-posted from their July / August Newsletter
The Birds of Vermont Museum hosted the Green Mountain Wood Carvers’ May Carve-In. Once again, the day stated out a very nice spring day. Erin had the room all set up for us as the 9 carvers began to arrive. It was very good to see some of our newer members join us for a day of carving. Continue reading “May Carve-In Report”
The Museum will be closed on July 4th. Enjoy your day!
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.
Free, suggested donation : $5-$10
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call the museum at 802-434-2167 or sign up online at https://sevendaystickets.com/events/annual-butterfly-and-bug-walk-7-6-2024.
Max: 20 people
If it is raining on the day of the walk, please call the Museum (802 434-2167) to see if we have rescheduled; rain date is Sunday, July 7).
Terrific for anyone interested in Vermont’s six-legged creatures.
Check out the Vermont Entomological Society site https://www.vermontinsects.org/ — gorgeous photos and information about the Society.
We had a surprise visitor one day in May! This little fellow confused the Black-capped Chickadee by pulling fibers from a hanging plant basket that the chickadees often use (for the same purpose).
Many thanks to our intern Hans for the photo. Read on for a really incredible bird list this month!
Well, it’s true that some of these we didn’t see when looking out the window! It’s a loose unofficial record! We might have observed these birds while walking into or around the building, or heard them from the front door. Or, in the case of Wood Frogs*, heard through the windows and sometimes, possibly, through the wall.
March often feels like everything is hurtling towards change. Welcome to spring…even if if it often doesn’t feel like spring at all.
One of the neat things about February is that both Feederwatch and the Great Backyard Bird Count happen that month. People come into the museum to watch from our windows (it’s usually warmer than outside) and to learn about birds from the carvings. (The birds don’t fly away! So helpful!)
What would you like to learn next about birds?
Fun to see a Pine Siskin this month! And thirteen other species…fifteen if you look at all the observations records around the Museum (we’re such a hot spot!). Nice set of winter birds.
December was a bit wet this year. We were fine (still watching how the streams flow around and under our various bridges, of course). People seemed to be enjoying staying in Gale’s Retreat, and we certainly have enjoyed our walks in the woods to check on it before and after the guests.
One heavy wet snowfall took out more main branches from the crabapple tree. We’ll see how the Ruffed Grouse adapt to that.
November is often pretty quiet; we get wrapped up in the Race, with working indoors with our Annual Appeal, with staff getting some breaks for holidays. The birds don’t care!
It’s an amusing treat to watch the Ruffed Grouse reach for each small decorative crabapple fruit, dried and frozen though they may be.