outdoors – Birds of Vermont Museum

December Bird Monitoring Walk

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. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 10 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $5 – $10
Registration required.

Outdoors

Photo of Northern Cardinal.

November Bird Monitoring Walk

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. Face masks required inside the museum.

Max: 10 people • waitlist available
Free, suggested donation $5 – $10
Registration required.

Outdoors

Photo of Ruffed Grouse in Crabapple. Photographed at the Museum by Museum staff.

November 13, 2022November 15, 2022

Results for Race Around Birds 2022

Congratulations to all the walkers, runners, and supporters of the 2022 Race Around Birds.

A sign points left to Spear trail while a runner is blurred going to the right.Green foliages is behind sign and runner; wood chips and fallen leaves cover the trail in the foreground. This year again we offered both “virtual (self-timed)” racing option and “in-person race day” option. People could run or walk, as they chose.

We had 31 people register, 8 of whom chose the “self-timed” option (not all of them submitted their times to us; that’s fine too). Based on what we saw from the museum, more than 8 people ran in the two weeks open for that option.

We did combine the results in the table below. Let me just say that we staff are totally impressed with every runner and walker. All of you inspire us with your determination! Continue reading “Results for Race Around Birds 2022”

October Bird Monitoring Walk

White-breasted Nuthatch © copyright Zac Cota-Weaver 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. Face masks required inside the museum and recommended when within 6′ of each other.

Max: 10 people • waitlist available if walk fills
Free, suggested donation $5 – $10
Registration required.

Outdoors

Photo of White-breasted Nuthatch © Zac Cota-Weaver and used by permission.

Race Around Birds 2022

hill in fall colors with more trees in foreground

The Birds of Vermont Museum is hosting the third annual Race Around Birds trail run! There are two options for runners (and walkers), and you can even do both:

Race Day run: Saturday, November 5th, at 10a.m. This is a typical trail run, and approximately 5k. We can welcome up to 50 runners. (Please carpool)

On-Your-Own (Virtual) Race: choose a day between October 22 and November 4th, and record your time on the paper forms (available at the Museum’s front door).

Race results will be posted in our blog.

To Register

While registering is free, we encourage donations to support the museum, as well as cover the cost of trail work, post-race snacks and water, and possible swag. You may register for Race Day (group race), Virtual (self-timed) race, or both.

Course Description

This is a trail race with some steep uphill climbs. Some segments are more like single-track mountain trails. This is a HARD course.

The course is approximately 3.6-miles. The course winds around and crosses itself. The course is essentially a loop on each side of the road. Think of it as a figure 8 (although the loop on the north side of the creek is more convoluted than a simple loop).

The course is well-marked and you will return to the Museum in the middle of each lap. There are no supplies and no first aid stations on the course. Bathrooms and water are available only if the Museum is open (Wednesdays through Sundays, 10am – 4pm, in October only).

The race course map is updated from last year; Pop’s (red) trail is a little different and this year we are only running the single lap option.

How It Works

You may run or walk the course.

On the November 5th Race Day, racers will start at 10 a.m.

For the On-Your-Own (Virtual) Race, runners and walkers may come to the Museum at any time from daylight to dusk from October 22 to November 4. No dogs and no nights. You may run (or walk) the course multiple times on different days, in order to improve your times. You may run in groups of up to three or four, but the trail is generally single-file.

For the virtual option, you will keep track of your own start and finish times. Time-keeping forms will be in a marked box to the left of the Museum’s front door. Fill out a form for each day you race. Then, when you’re ready to run, take a map (if you need it), get to the start line (the west end of the parking lot by the parking sign), mark your starting time, and GO! Afterward, fill in your finish time (you’ll finish on the other side of the road) and drop it in the box.

If you are running on Race Day, please carpool. We have limited parking.

But wait, there’s more!

If you share photos or comments online, we encourage you to use these hashtags:
#RaceAroundBirds #RaceAroundBirds2022 #birdsofvermontmuseum #runningisforthebirds #trailrace #virtualrace #huntingtonvt #trailrunning #trailrunner

Send questions to trailrunning@birdsofvermont.org!

Printable race packets (trail map, course notes, entry form, waiver) will be available as PDFs soon. (See below)

Just the course map: Race Around Birds 2022: course map (shows route)
A detailed trail map which doesn’t show the race route: Trails at the Birds of Vermont Museum (map)

Last year’s results are at https://birdsofvermont.org/2021/11/14/results-for-race-around-birds-2021/

the Big Sit!

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.

Final month of “Fine Feathers: at play with structure and function”

Feather embroidered with many colors, textures, and flowers, on a neutral background fabric. Art © copyright Rebecca Padula, shown here by permission.

What happens when you mix art, playfulness, and insights from birds? Creativity influenced by feather color and pattern, frills and function! From bower birds to city pigeons, feathers come in thousands of sizes and colors, fantastic shapes, in different seasons, and for many reasons. Artists, photographers and poets illustrate, incorporate, and delight in the many kinds, colors, and shapes of feathers.

Discover (or re-discover) beautiful works of art during the final month of the “Fine Feathers” show.

Included with Museum admission, donations welcome.

Image: “Petals in the Wind” by Rebecca Padula. Shown by permission.

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

Meander for Mushrooms with Meg Madden, Myco-influencer

Orange-topped mushroom with light orange "cloud-like" bulges on the dome-shaped cap.

Ever wondered about the mysterious mushrooms that share the forest with us? Are you fungi-curious? Do you see interesting mushrooms in your travels and wish you knew more about these fascinating organisms?

On this walk we will explore the woods and learn about the mushrooms we find along the way including what they are, how to identify them, and the essential roles that these fungi play in forest ecology. We will also discuss the importance of community science and learn tips and tricks for taking mushroom photos.

Wear comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and bring your questions and curiosity! A smartphone equipped with the iNaturalist app is a plus, but not required.

Meg Madden leads an exploration on the Museum’s trails: to seek, to find, and to understand the fungi that live in and on our corner of the wood-wide web.

Note: this is NOT a foraging program.

Limit: 15 • please register in advance

Cost: $15

About Meg Madden

Fungi educator, author, and professional photographer, Meg Madden can often be found in the forests of her childhood practicing what she calls “mushroom yoga” — laying on the ground, standing on her head, or balancing precariously on a log — to capture the perfect snail’s-eye view of her favorite photo subject: Fungi! Her colorful, highly detailed mushroom portraits offer an intimate look into the often-overlooked world of these extraordinary organisms.

Inspired by the belief that people are more likely to take care of something they love, she finds great joy in facilitating fun and meaningful connections between humans and nature. Meg shares her knowledge and contagious passion for the fantastic world of fungi through visually engaging presentations, mushroom walks, and via her Instagram gallery @megmaddendesign. An advocate for fungal diversity and community science, Meg teaches iNaturalist classes, organizes educational workshops and Bioblitzes, and is compiling an Atlas Of Fungi for the state of Vermont.

www.instagram.com/megmaddendesign/
linktr.ee/MegMadden

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