Heavy Lifting for the Loons
The first loon update is here and with it come tales of great strength. From flipping rafts to hauling signs, the loon conservation team has been hard at work preparing for this year’s nesting pairs.
A Veteran Bicknell’s Thrush Helps Launch New VCE Study
VCE’s second 2021 banding session on Mt. Mansfield netted a record-tying veteran 11 year-old Bicknell’s Thrush, who now wears a tiny GPS tag that will help elucidate late winter, pre-migratory movements on the species’ Caribbean wintering grounds.
Blackpolls Abound as VCE Launches Year #30 on Mansfield
VCE’s first 2021 foray to Mt. Mansfield marks our 30th year of monitoring the ridgeline’s montane forest breeding birds. Banding highlights included a bounty of Blackpoll Warblers, 7 Bicknell’s Thrushes (5 from previous years), and our first-ever Veery capture.
Field Guide to June 2021
Most of our avian migrants have returned, and the flush of spring ephemeral wildflowers is beginning to fade. However, new life abounds in June! Find out more in this month’s Field Guide.
May 2021 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Susan Elliott for winning the May 2021 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on…
“Big Day” Birding
Read the captivating account of a life-changing “Big Day” experience by VCE staff biologist and accomplished birder, Nathaniel Sharp. You can experience a “Big Day” with VCE – join us for Backyard Bird Quest 2021 on May 22nd!
Join Our West Virginia White Watch (April 1-June 6)
Spring is changing. The snow is melting earlier, wildflowers are blooming sooner, and trees are leafing out faster. How are West Virginia White butterflies faring? Join the West Virginia White Watch!
VCE Presentations from the 2021 Northeast Natural History Conference
VCE staff members presented at the virtual 2021 Northeast Natural History Conference in April. Their presentations were pre-recorded and are now available to you to enjoy!
Tribute to Steve Parren — a Conservation Champion and VCE Friend
Steve Parren, longtime cornerstone of non-game wildlife conservation efforts at the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, will soon retire. VCE salutes this conservation champion and reflects on his remarkable legacy.
Powerlines and pollinators: undervalued and underappreciated
Just as hayfields are essential habitat for grassland birds like Bobolinks, consensus is building that the scrubby open habitat maintained under utility rights-of-way (ROW) plays an important role in the conservation of a diverse suite of wildlife. We’re looking to connect with landowners in north-central Vermont with ROWs on their property about conducting weekly surveys for pollinators this summer.
April 2021 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Erin Talmage for winning the April 2021 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on…
Field Guide to May 2021
Bees buzzing, birds migrating, lady beetles emerging from hibernation, and so much more! Celebrate the spectacle of spring phenology in this Field Guide to May.
Vermont Town Birding Challenge
Vermont’s 251 towns offer up a vast array of habitats and birdlife. Recently, Vermont birder Bob Heitzman accomplished his goal of birding in each of Vermont’s 251 towns, a monumental achievement! Learn how focusing your birding efforts at the town level can be rewarding in so many different ways.
Field Guide to April 2021
Migrating birds, blooming flowers, and (of course) mud season. April in Vermont is upon us, and spring is here! Find out what’s happening outside in your Field Guide to April.
March 2021 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Charlotte Bill for winning the March 2021 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on…
When Porcupines Dance
This past winter, Steve Faccio employed game cams to video-record activity at two different porcupine dens to see how frequently, if at all, fishers (and other predators) visited the dens. Read on to find out what he learned and watch the action unfold!
Mammal Big Year: Winter Update
Mammals are on the move, and Pete Kerby-Miller is tracking them. Find out what they found in this Mammal Big Year Winter Update!
A Giant Leap Northward for a Butterfly
Our study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution this week shows an unusually rapid northward range shift by the Eastern Giant Swallowtail.
Field Guide to March 2021
In early March, snowbanks and frosty mornings remind us it’s still winter–but by month’s end longer days and warmer winds prevail. On March 20, the vernal equinox marks the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Here are some signs of spring to look for in the natural world to tide you over until warmer weather truly arrives.
February 2021 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Susan Elliott for winning the February 2021 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on…
Loon Rescue in January on Maidstone Lake
On January 28, Eric Hanson received an email about a loon in distress on snow- and ice-covered Maidstone Lake in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Read on for details about this loon rescue, written by VCE volunteers.
January 2021 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Bryan Pfeiffer for winning the January 2021 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life…
Field Guide to February 2021
Even though there’s lots more winter ahead, February heralds hints of spring around the corner. From Star-nosed Moles to returning Red-winged Blackbirds, this month’s field guide to wildlife around you is sure to keep your spirits high, no matter what that sleepy woodchuck predicted.
A (Mammal) Big Year
Pete Kerby-Miller, VCE’s Mountain Ecology Technician, is attempting to photograph every mammal species known to Vermont in 2021. The gauntlet has been thrown down!
2020: an Unforgettable Year for Birding in Norwich
Birders in Norwich pulled out all the stops during 2020, documenting 190 species in a year that is unlikely to ever be rivaled. Yet, the 2021 challenge flag is down with a call for 195 species, 2,500 eBird checklists, and at least 5 new species. Join the Norwich 2021 Bird Quest!
Vermont Birders Rally During 10th Annual eBird County Quest
From the first day of 2020 when eBirders reported an incredible 81 bird species, to the discovery of a Crested Caracara in Woodstock, Vermont birders scoured fields and fens, mountains and meadows, lakes and lawns to find as many bird species as possible during the 10th annual Vermont eBird County Quest. In the process, they also collected invaluable data for science and conservation.
Naturalists Help the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist Build Biodiversity Big Data in 2020
From the first observation of 2020, a Gray Fox still celebrating the New Year at 4:30 AM, to Great Mullein leaves poking out of the snow shared at twilight on the last day of the year, naturalists added nearly 175,000 biodiversity records to our rapidly growing database of life in Vermont. Read on for highlights from an amazing year!
December 2020 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Daron Tansley for winning the December 2020 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on…
Embracing the Community: It’s time to take the “citizen” out of citizen science
VCE takes another step toward our commitment to making our organization more inclusive and welcoming.
Field Guide to January 2021
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.
