A Field Guide to February 2017
This month, wildlife and the rest of us here in New England will cross a threshold – arbitrary yet not insignificant: 10 hours of daylight. You can sense it when you head out in the morning: woodpeckers are starting to drum. Even though we’ve got lots more winter, we’ve also have change. So here’s a Field Guide to February to help get your hopes up, no matter what that groundhog predicted.
January 2017 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Charlotte Bill for winning the January 2017 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. Bald Eagle populations have been slowly rising for decades in the Northeast and winter provides a great opportunity to see these majestic birds.
The Galapagos Gang: An Unusual Bobolink Stopover
What on earth are Bobolinks doing in the Galapagos Islands each autumn? In a somewhat risky mission to find out more, VCE and other biologists ventured to the island of San Cristóbal in an attempt to intercept migrating Bobolinks to find out more. Learn more about what they found on these isolated islands.
Farewell and Thanks to a Tireless Caribbean Conservationist
After 5+ years as VCE’s Caribbean Bird Conservation Coordinator, Juan Carlos Martinez-Sanchez is moving on to new adventures. All of us at VCE wish him well and offer him our profound thanks for a job extraordinarily well done. The personal energy and commitment that Juan Carlos poured into every aspect of his work were nothing short of remarkable.
Outdoor Radio: Crows Come Home to Roost
With the sun dropping below the hills the chase was on. We followed them as best we could, zig-zagging through traffic and city streets, as they streamed from the pre-roost towards their final destination. With the light fading fast, we found them. Thousands of crows, with more arriving by the second, gathered in the trees.
The 2016 Vermont eBird County Quest Awards
From a Great Horned Owl on Snake Mountain on January 1st, to Long-tailed Ducks at the South Hero Causeway on December 31st, Vermont birders attempted to discover as many species as possible during the 6th annual Vermont eBird County Quest in 2016.
Once Common in Vermont, Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Now Federally Endangered
Just 20 years ago, the rusty patched bumble bee was a common sight, so ordinary that it went almost unnoticed…
The Mount Mansfield Phenology Project
The Mansfield Phenology Project is a new effort by VCE to track variation in the phenology of a mountain ecosystem and to understand how changes in the timing of key biological events affects the plants and animals that call this place home. Watch a short video and learn more.
A Field Guide to January 2017
Although the days are slowly growing longer, life in the Northeast now finds itself in the coldest depths of winter. January is about survival. Wildlife that doesn’t migrate adapts instead in order to make it to spring. Here’s a few tidbits of natural history happening outdoors this month around you.
A Climate Ride Benefits VCE Interns
In September Akshata Nayak embarked on the longest bicycle trip of her life. Until that day, her riding had been limited to an afternoon on a bike path or a ride around her hometown. But she heard about an organization called Climate Ride and inspiration struck.
Public Meeting to be Held on Conserved Lands in Northeast Kingdom
The meeting will discuss the proposed long-range management plan for Victory Basin Wildlife Management Area, Victory State Forest, and Darling State Park on Tuesday, January 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Burke Mountain Room at Lyndon State College.
iNaturalist Vermont Becomes Biodiversity Big Data in 2016
With over 122,000 observations of nearly 5,000 species contributed by 1,321 citizen scientists, in just four years iNaturalist Vermont, a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life, has become a big data biodiversity source in the Green Mountain State.
Bird Watchers Post Big Data to Vermont eBird in 2016
This year marks the 14 year anniversary of Vermont eBird, the first state portal for eBird. In just a decade-and-a-half, the bird checklists that bird watchers have shared have helped make Vermont eBird, a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life, the largest citizen science biodiversity project in the state and around the world.
December 2016 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Dean and Susan Greenberg for winning the December 2016 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. Their image of a Bobcat (Lynx rufus) looking…
Happy New Year and Thank You
Threatened species update
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species includes 742 new species of birds. One of these newly recognized species is the Western Chat-tanager, an Hispaniolan endemic that we’ve been studying for many years.
Volunteers Help Loons to Another Record Breeding Season in 2016
It was a banner year for Common Loons breeding in Vermont. Volunteers helped us monitor 93 nesting pairs around the state, a record number since monitoring began four decades ago.
Field Guide to December 2016
Fear not, during these short days and long nights of December, we’re still finding plenty of life. Once we pass the winter solstice, more light will begin to creep back into our lives. Until then, here’s some wintry natural history to keep you going.
November 2016 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Ron Payne for winning the November 2016 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. His image of an American Beaver’s incredible woodworking skills was the most popular photo-observation as measured by clicked ‘favs’.
Spiders in Winter
Spiders are “poikilothermic,” meaning their body temperatures vary significantly, more or less tracking that of their environment. The chief challenge of winter for spiders in the temperate zone, then, is dealing with the cold.
Outdoor Radio: Deer and Data
Biologists Sara Zahendra and Kent McFarland visited a deer reporting station in Barre during Youth Hunting Weekend. They talked…
Two Mountain Birdwatchers Receive the 2016 Julie Nicholson Citizen Scientist Award
This year’s citizen science awardees, Mike Zimmerman and Steve Chorvas, have climbed peak after peak, year after year, helping to conserve montane birds.
Kent McFarland Receives 2016 Sally Laughlin Award
At VCE’s annual holiday celebration on December 6, our very own Kent McFarland received the first-ever Sally Laughlin Award for the Conservation of Endangered and Threatened Species. ANR Secretary Deb Markowitz presented the award, and Sally Laughlin – who inspired it – was there to share the special moment.
A Red-throated Loon Drops in for Thanksgiving
Last night, this exquisite bird was found in the middle of the road along Route 15 in Walden Vermont
Vermont Butterfliers Tally Big Numbers in 2016
Naturalists love a challenge. For years, birders have ardently (sometimes obsessively) racked up species via county or state lists, year…
A Learning Experience
Amber Wolf (left) was our inaugural Alexander Dickey Conservation Intern. Her enthusiastic spirit embodied Alex’s deep-rooted interests and abiding respect for the natural world.
Measuring the Loss of a Thrush’s Forest
Scientists at VCE are using a world database of forest change to examine conditions of the forests on Hispaniola that provide habitat for Bicknell’s Thrush, and the results are alarming. Nearly 240 square miles of potential habitat has been lost between 2000 and 2014.
VCE Tracks Upland Sandpiper Across 10 Countries During Fall Migration
The results of our grassland bird research partnership with the Department of Defense Legacy Program have been eye-opening. This past…
Field Guide to November 2016
We call November “Stick Season” here in New England, when the woods are gray and cold and the leaves have mostly fallen. But it’s anything but lifeless. Bird migration continues. The year’s last butterflies flutter on a stray warm day. Learn more about November life in this edition of our monthly Field Guide.
Volunteer Spotlight: Allon Wildgust–Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
Sometimes volunteers do more than what is expected of them for a given project. Allon Wildgust is a case in…
