The Road (that Used to Be) Less Traveled: Off-trail Hiking, The Catskills and Montane Birds
Historically, bushwhackers had to be highly skilled at backcountry orienteering to summit trailless peaks. In the age of the internet however, the hurdles to bushwhacking are considerably lower, and there are many websites with accessible step-by-step route instructions for anyone with a smartphone to use. This is all too obvious in the nearby Catskill Mountains.
Egg Dumping: A Firsthand Account
Egg dumping can be a common occurrence among cavity-nesting waterfowl like Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and Common Mergansers. This happens when a female of one species (often a first-year breeder) lays her eggs in a neighbor’s nest (usually of the same species).
Ten Years of Bumble Bees
The summer after I graduated high school, I found a dream job. Kent Mcfarland had just launched the Vermont Bumble Bee Atlas and needed help tracking down Bumble Bees throughout the state.
The Caretakers: Reflections from 40 Years of Loon Volunteers
Loon conservation in Vermont is as much a story of people as it is of birds. From the most disheartening days of the state’s loon census in the 1980s through the incredible recovery we’re witnessing today, VCE volunteers on the Vermont Loon Conservation Project have been the beating heart of the stewardship effort.
Baby Birds and Bicknell’s Backpacks
This week marked the beginning of a very exciting time of the summer–when we start catching fledgling baby birds!
Field Guide to July 2023
The avian breeding season is winding down. Even a few southbound shorebirds will trickle through the region this month on their “fall” migration. But as the dawn bird chorus fades from northern woodlands, fields and wetlands erupt in the sparkle and drama of summer insects. Here’s a short guide to some of the other glitter now on the wing.
June 2023 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Craig Hunt for winning the June 2023 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His photo of a rare Prothonotary Warbler perched on his truck’s windshield received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
Mansfield Continues to Provide New Experiences, New Surprises, and New Research!
This week Mansfield provided beautiful weather and cooperative birds for week four. A crew of myself, Chris Rimmer, Melory Brandao, Kevin Tolan, Nathaniel Sharp, and Chris Hansen trekked up the mountain for two days. We were joined by new VCE intern Natalie DeVito, who is joining us for the summer between her semesters at Brown University.
New Report Uses Big Data to Establish Vermont Biodiversity Baseline
By 2100, Vermont is estimated to experience a net loss of 386 species (or 6%), under the current carbon emission scenario. This comes among several key findings outlined in a new report from VCE. It marks the 10th Anniversary of the Vermont Atlas of Life, an ambitious project that harnesses the power of community science and professional biologists to discover, document, and map Vermont’s biodiversity.
Field Guide to June 2023
Here in Vermont, we dream of June during the darkest days of January. Verdant wooded hillsides glowing brightly under a robin egg sky. Warm afternoon breezes rolling through the valleys as we lounge by the clear waters of a cold river. The chorus of birds waking us each morning. June is a dream here. Its days last forever.
Mansfield’s Ridgeline Lures VCE Back for Season #32
One could argue that after 31 years of studying Mt. Mansfield’s ridgeline breeding birds, the time has come to seek new horizons. Well, sorry, that’s just not the VCE way. We launched season #32 on May 31, taking advantage of unseasonably summerlike weather to capture a total of 58 birds.
May 2023 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Bernie Paquette (aka bugeyedbernie) for winning the May 2023 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His photo of an unusual insect pair received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
After Two Decades of Searching, Biologist Discovers Rare Butterfly in Vermont
A rare and elusive butterfly has been discovered for the first time in Vermont, flying this spring at one of the state’s protected natural areas. Bog elfin, patterned in brown and rust, and no bigger than a penny, had eluded detection in the state until one flew past a Vermont field biologist who had been searching for it for two decades.
Global Launch of eButterfly
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies, Espace pour la vie in Montréal, and the University of Ottawa are proud to announce…
Field Guide to May 2023
The month of May is a show-off. Grass glows green under the deep blue sky. Woodland wildflowers jump out of the ground. Trees flower, and leaves burst from long-dormant buds. Birds arrive on southern night winds and liven the dawn with their chorus. May shouts of life and rejuvenation. Here’s your monthly guide to some of this month’s delights.
April 2023 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to iNaturalist user linxlookin for winning the April 2023 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Their photo of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, a Vermont rarity, received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
Gardening for Bees
A guide this spring, for the do’s and don’ts of backyard gardening if you want to attract native bees.
Field Guide to April 2023
In April, the northern forest is laid bare with cold desire, and our long-dormant senses awaken. Here’s our guide to some of the joys this month brings.
March 2023 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Craig Hunt for winning the March 2023 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His photo of copulating Red-shouldered Hawks received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
Join the Second Vermont Butterfly Atlas
Vermonters now have another excuse to get outside on sunny days: to join a statewide survey of the most angelic insects—butterflies. VCE is recruiting volunteers to help search fields and fens, mountains and meadows, and even their own backyards to help document the status of Vermont’s butterflies.
February 2023 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Craig Hunt for winning the February 2023 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His snowy Barred Owl portrait received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
Field Guide to March 2023
On Wednesday, March 20th, at 5:24 PM EST, spring arrives in the north. The spring equinox marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator – an imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s equator – from south to north. It is also at spring equinox that people worldwide can see the sun rise exactly due east and set exactly due west. While the sun may be predictable, March weather is not. In fact, March is appropriately named for the Roman god of war, Mars. March is a month of battles between warm and cold, between winter’s refusal to leave and spring’s insistence on coming. So, here are some signs of spring to look out for in this Field Guide to March.
Further Adventures in the D.R.: On the Trailless Trail of the Bicknell’s Thrush
Part two of our DR trip brought us north to Reserva Privada Zorzal. This one-of-its-kind preserve hosts an entirely different assemblage of species and provided our crew with opportunities to attach a few more GPS tags.
Vermont Birders Rally During 12th Annual eBird County Quest
With another banner birding year in the books, it’s time to look back on all that Vermont birders have accomplished in 2022. From the Northeast Kingdom to the Massachusetts border, from the Connecticut River valley to the Champlain valley, Vermont’s vast birding community once again took part in the Vermont eBird County Quest. In its 12th year, this event continued to bolster Vermont’s enormous database of bird sightings all in the spirit of friendly competition.
Field Report: Playing “Tag” with Bicknell’s Thrush in the Dominican Republic
A VCE team recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to tag overwintering Bicknell’s Thrushes in the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, with colleagues from Grupo Jaragua. Executive Director Susan Hindinger recounts the experience, which was her first trip to the Dominican Republic and Director-emeritus Chris Rimmer’s 50th+/-.
Field Guide to February 2023
This month, wildlife and the rest of us here in New England will cross an arbitrary, not insignificant threshold: 10 hours of daylight. Even though we’ve got lots more winter, at least the sound of spring is in the air. So here’s a Field Guide to February to help get your hopes up, no matter what that sleepy woodchuck predicted.
January 2023 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Joshua Lincoln for winning the January 2023 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His image of a Ruffed Grouse taking advantage of a mid-winter food source received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
Reflections From COP15
In December, VCE sent a small delegation of staff to COP15. As small fish in an enormous pond, our primary objectives were to make a few connections, watch some presentations, and perhaps be flies on the wall during party negotiations.
December 2022 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Cynthia Crawford for winning the December 2022 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Her photo of an American Stoat received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.
Field Guide to January 2023
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 to make it to spring. Here are a few tidbits of natural history happening outdoors this month around you.
