Posts by Kent McFarland 
A Field Guide to December 2018
Fear not, during these short days and long nights of December, there’s still plenty of life in the fading light. So here’s some wintry natural history to keep you going.
Join the 119th Annual Christmas Bird Count in Vermont
The 119th Christmas Bird Count will take place from December 14 through January 5. This is perhaps the longest running citizen science project in Vermont. Find a count near you this season!
October 2018 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Joanne Russo for winning the October 2018 Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month, a beautiful Eastern Milksnake.
Outdoor Radio: Taking Pictures of Roadkill Can Help Protect Wildlife
There’s a story behind roadkill and people like you can help tell it. Thousands of accidents every year are caused by collisions with wildlife. How can we manage roadways so…
Field Guide to October 2018
October is a month of change. The forested hills fade from green to a kaleidoscope of red and gold that dazzles the eyes. Here’s your field guide to some moments that you might not otherwise notice during these few precious weeks.
Big data for biodiversity: Vermont Atlas of Life helps GBIF.org surpass 1 billion species occurrences
In July the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) surpassed 1 billion species occurrence records with at least one record for over a million species. The milestone symbolizes a major collective achievement, one made possible through the work of the GBIF network, including the Vermont Atlas of Life (VAL) at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies which has contributed over 4 million records and counting!
September 2018 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Kyle Tansley for winning the September 2018 Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month. The images of a Peregrine Falcon carrying a recently killed Blue Jay was the most popular photo-observation….
Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist Surpasses Quarter Million Observations
Micki Colbeck snapped a photograph of a beautiful patch of Delicate Fern Moss and submitted it to the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist, becoming the 250,000 observation for the project.
Outdoor Radio: Dragonflies on the Move
Did you know that some dragonflies migrate? Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra are joined by dragonfly expert Bryan Pfeiffer in an effort to find and maybe catch a migrant dragonfly.
Field Guide to September 2018
It’s autumn and life all around us is on the move. Here is your field guide to some amazing migrations happening right around us, and a few other natural history tidbits for September.
August 2018 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Kyle Tansley for winning the August 2018 Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month. The images of a Pileated Woodpecker feeding recently fledged young was the most popular photo-observation.
Outdoor Radio: Endangered Freshwater Mussels
In this month’s episode of Outdoor Radio, biologists Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra join Mark Ferguson from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department along the river in downtown Winooski to search for freshwater mussels and learn about their natural history and conservation plight.
