where natural history meets art
It’s a quiet week in – oh, wait. Right. We went walking! Also not-walking. Both activities let us record birds.
Thank you, Executive Director Erin Talmage, for leading this month’s walk. Happy New Year! Continue reading “Species List: December 2016 Bird Monitoring”
Michelle Patenaude led the June 26th Early Birders Morning Walk as well. The walks this year have been so well-attended! It’s been wonderful to welcome birders, old and new, to the Museum.
Here’s the report:
Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US Jun 26, 2016 7:05 AM - 9:25 AM Protocol: Traveling 2.0 kilometer(s) Comments: Early Birders Walk led by Michele Patenaude 34 species Mallard 1 Mourning Dove 2 Barred Owl 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 7 observed adult at nest with young in it Downy Woodpecker 2 Eastern Phoebe 2 Great Crested Flycatcher 2 Red-eyed Vireo 2 Blue Jay 5 Black-capped Chickadee 6 White-breasted Nuthatch 5 Winter Wren 1 Hermit Thrush 2 Wood Thrush 1 American Robin 2 Gray Catbird 1 Ovenbird 11 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Common Yellowthroat 5 Blackburnian Warbler 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 3 Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 Pine Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 2 Dark-eyed Junco 1 White-throated Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 1 Scarlet Tanager 1 Northern Cardinal 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3 Red-winged Blackbird 2 Common Grackle 2 American Goldfinch 2 View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30398032 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Join usnext year, in May and June, for the next series of early morning walks. Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot. Of course, we hope to see you long before then! There’s so much more to see and do here at the Museum, after all.
Michelle Patenaude continues her volunteering, by leading the June 19th Early Birders Morning Walk also. Thank you, Michelle, for your consistent and so-welcome effort!
Here’s the report:
Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US
Jun 19, 2016 7:10 AM - 10:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: Early Birders Walk led by Michele Patenaude.
39 species
Turkey Vulture 1
Mourning Dove 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 2 males displaying
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 3 observed adult female putting her head
into a nesting hole, feeding 2 young
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 7
Black-capped Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 1
House Wren 1
Winter Wren 4
Hermit Thrush 2
Wood Thrush 2
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 2
Cedar Waxwing 1
Ovenbird 18
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 2
Blackburnian Warbler 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 4
Black-throated Green Warbler 4
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Song Sparrow 1
Scarlet Tanager 1 heard repeatedly, observed by entire group
Northern Cardinal 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Common Grackle 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
American Goldfinch 2
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30299602
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Join us for the next one or more, every Sunday through the end of June. Begin your day with friends, birds, and more. Walks are led by experienced birders familiar with Vermont birds—and we welcome additional possible leaders. Let us know if you’re interested in volunteering.
Finish the walk with bird-friendly coffee at the viewing window inside the Museum.
Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.
Best for adults and older children • Free, donations welcome.
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call 802 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org
Michelle Patenaude led the June 12th Early Birders Morning Walk also. The walk so so popular today that they split into tow groups, and reunited later at the viewing window for coffee, conversation, and more birdwatching.
Here’s the report:
Birds of Vermont Museum, Chittenden, Vermont, US Jun 12, 2016 7:05 AM - 9:05 AM Protocol: Traveling 3.0 kilometer(s) Comments: Early Birders Walk led by Michele Patenaude 31 species Wood Duck 1 Flying over Mourning Dove 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2 Downy Woodpecker 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 2 Red-eyed Vireo 3 Blue Jay 3 American Crow 1 Common Raven 1 Black-capped Chickadee 4 Tufted Titmouse 3 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Winter Wren 2 Veery 1 Hermit Thrush 1 American Robin 1 Cedar Waxwing 2 Ovenbird 14 Black-and-white Warbler 2 Common Yellowthroat 2 Blackburnian Warbler 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 Blackpoll Warbler 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler 2 Black-throated Green Warbler 4 Song Sparrow 1 Scarlet Tanager 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2 Common Grackle 3 American Goldfinch 3 View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30189837 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Join us for the next one or more, every Sunday through the end of June. Begin your day with friends, birds, and more. Walks are led by experienced birders familiar with Vermont birds—and we welcome additional possible leaders. Let us know if you’re interested in volunteering.
Finish the walk with bird-friendly coffee at the viewing window inside the Museum.
Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. Park at 900 Sherman Hollow Road, in the Museum parking lot.
Best for adults and older children • Free, donations welcome.
Pre-registration is helpful but not required. Call 802 434-2167 or email museum@birdsofvermont.org
A nice month for accidental sightings of the larger birds as we come into or out of work. Snow depth is paltry (and for some us, that’s depressing, infuriating, or just plain inhospitably dangerous, if, say, you are a grouse). We have both the up-on-a-post feeders and ground feeding areas, one of which is just outside the office windows. It’s such a treat to look over and catch sight of a junco or a chickadee right there, not four feet away.
Bold indicates those we didn’t see last month.
We also observed Red Squirrels, and Gray Squirrels. Wow are those Gray Squirrels numerous. We’ve consistently been seeing 6-12 or them, and at least 13 on January 17!
You too can watch from our window! Drop in for the Great Backyard Bird Count on February 13, or call, tweet, phone (802) 434-2167, or email museum@birdsofvermont.org to schedule your visit for another day!
The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.
A little drama, as we waited for snow to finally appear:
Bold indicates those we didn’t see last month.
We also observed Red Squirrels, and Gray Squirrels—generally about 3-5 of the Red ones and about 6 or so of the Gray. Some small malls were caught on our nightcam, but we couldn’t identify them positively—the resolution was a little low. We suspect they were Eastern Cottontails, based on size, behavior, and overall hazy shape.
You too can watch from our window! Call, tweet, phone (802) 434-2167, or email museum@birdsofvermont.org to schedule your visit.
The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.
It’s getting quieter around here… but is that due to the owl?
Bold indicates those we didn’t see last month.
We also observed Eastern Chipmunks, Red Squirrels, and Gray Squirrels. Didn’t spot the the Raccoons on our nighttime cam. We did hear far-off coyotes while feeding birds or listening to some webcam videos.
Want to watch from our window? Schedule a visit! Call, tweet, phone (802) 434-2167, or email museum@birdsofvermont.org. (Other windows let you observe what’s happening around the new boxes on the hedge or admire the growth of cover crops along the restabilized stream bed (part of the stream restoration and bridge phase of #BridgesToBirds).
The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.
Wow, in this last month of our open-daily season, we recorded some unusual birds! Are they here for the winter? Just passing through? And for some of the common ones, where were they last month?
Bold indicates those we didn’t see last month.
We also observed Eastern Chipmunks, Red Squirrels, and Gray Squirrels, as well several visits from Raccoons on our nighttime cam.
* Aside: We’re going to do some extensive trimming and pruning on the cedar hedge. It was deeply damaged by ice and snow earlier this year, and we’re removing much of the dead wood. Other changes include roost, wintering, and nest boxes (for birds and insect pollinators) and new plantings in the spring as well. Thanks to Volunteer EP for his help with this!
Come see for yourself! Call, tweet, email or schedule a visit by phone: (802) 434-2167 or museum@birdsofvermont.org. From museum exhibits to relaxing in our accessible treehouse to observing the long-awaited progress on the stream restoration and bridge phase of #BridgesToBirds, there’s always some wild thing to learn from or about.
The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.
Fall approached…and arrived. And off went some birds. Thanks to the critter cam we heard some birds that we couldn’t see. Looking forward to the big list coming up for the Big Sit! in just over a week.
Bold indicates those we didn’t see last month.
We saw a few green frogs in our tiny little pond by the feeder. We also delighted in seeing a White-tailed Deer eating some crab apples near the treehouse, as well as Red Squirrels, a Gray Squirrel, and Eastern Chipmunks under the feeders. Nocturnal ones included raccoons, mice, and again a cat (watching that night-time video is what let us notice the Barred Owl).
Come see for yourself! We’re open every day from 10am until 4pm, through October 31. From museum exhibits to relaxing in our accessible treehouse to observing the long-awaited progress on the stream restoration and bridge phase of #BridgesToBirds. There’s always some wild thing to learn from or about. Call, tweet, email or drop by: (802) 434-2167 or museum@birdsofvermont.org.
The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.
We had a critter cam, sensitive to motion, installed this month. It’s been such a treat to see some of the larger birds at times when we are not at the Museum! It’s also possible that more species were seen—especially by visitors—but not recorded on the noteboard.
Bold indicates those we didn’t see last month.
Diurnal mammals included Woodchuck, Red Squirrels, Gray Squirrels, and Eastern Chipmunks. Nocturnal ones included raccoons, mice, and once a cat.
We caught a strange glimpse of a katydid too, looking surprisingly like a mythical creature…
Come see for yourself! We’re open every day from 10am until 4pm, through October 31. From museum exhibits to relaxing in our accessible treehouse to a short stroll to the bond: catch some glimpses of maturing fledglings, juveniles and adults as they prepare to migrate or find fall and winter roosting sites. There’s always some wild thing to learn from or about. Come by or get in touch: (802) 434-2167 or museum@birdsofvermont.org.
The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.