Seasonal Changes in Evidence on Mt. Mansfield
VCE’s latest field visit to Mt. Mansfield yielded signs that seasonal changes are in store, as free-flying juveniles, molting adults and non-local dispersers are beginning to supplant the resident breeders in our mist nets.
Mt. Mansfield Yields Avian Surprises
VCE’s seventh weekly visit to our long-term study site on the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline yielded a few avian surprises, including the only Indigo Bunting recorded in 25 years of field work.
Mansfield Update: Hardy Survivors and a Site-faithful Sharpie
After forced cancellation of a planned field trip to Mt. Mansfield in early June, when wind chills on the ridgeline plummeted to 14 degrees F, VCE returned on June 15-16. The avian chorus was subdued, but the hardiness of resident birds was evident. A male Sharp-shinned Hawk banded in 2013 was a surprise returnee in our nets.
Puerto Rico Scorecard: Endemics 17, Bicknell’s Thrush 7
VCE’s second winter of Bicknell’s Thrush surveys across Puerto Rico has so far confirmed 7 birds, all in high-elevation forests of Cordillera Central. While the island may not qualify as an epicenter of the species’ overwintering distribution, it is important and reassuring to know they are regular, if rare.
Miracles on Wings
They say that miracles only happen once, but for VCE biologists a miracle with wings has now hit their nets three times.
Bird Studies on Mt. Mansfield: 23 Years and Counting
Always a bittersweet summer milestone, VCE’s wrap-up visit to the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline in late July featured a quiet avian chorus but an abundance of juvenile birds in our mist nets….
Brute Force Biology Prevails on Mt. Mansfield
Steve Faccio and I were back on VCE’s Mt. Mansfield ridgeline study site earlier this week. It’s always hard to believe at this time of year, but in early July,…
Dominican Conservationists Gain a New Perspective
Few can lay claim to a close-and-personal encounter with a Bicknell’s Thrush on either its mountainous northern breeding grounds or its Caribbean winter haunts. Fewer still have met up…
New Threats to Bicknell’s Thrush
A NEWS RELEASE from VCE – March 18, 2014 NORWICH, VT – A rare songbird that breeds in the U.S. and Canada faces profound threats from illegal farming on its…
Sierra de Bahoruco: a Crisis in the Making
Sierra de Bahoruco is widely considered to be the Dominican Republic’s crown jewel of protected areas. Harboring an extraordinary array of flora and fauna, with high levels of endemism, Sierra…
Languages, by Tina Scharf
After some calculations, I realize that I must go to my Mountain Bird Watch survey site this very night – there are no other options given the weather and my…
Mountain Birdwatch Season Opening- Magalloway Mountain (3 June 2013)
The Mountain Birdwatch season opened on June 1, and I confess, I’ve been counting down the days for weeks. Months, maybe. MBW consists of 130 high-elevation survey routes in the…
