Mansfield Update: Hatch-years Predominate
VCE’s penultimate summer banding session featured relatively few birds, some very warm and humid weather, a preponderance of youthful banders, and several family members.
2018 Peregrine Falcon Nesting Season Complete
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department recently announced that Peregrine Falcon nesting season has ended, so hikers and rock climbers can return to Vermont cliffs starting August 1, 2018.
Weathering Whitcomb for Mountain Birdwatch
Tara Rodkey, VCE’s 2018 Alexander Dickey Conservation Intern, shares her reflections on a particular Mountain Birdwatch site on a mid-summer’s day (and night).
Mansfield Update: Kids (Avian and Human) Steal the Show
VCE’s sixth banding session of 2018 on the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline featured several free-flying juvenile birds in our nets and some enthusiastically engaged youth in our work .
Give ‘Em Space: Observe Nesting Loons from a Distance
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is asking boaters and anglers to enjoy loons from a safe distance this summer.
VCE Vlog: Field Update from the Great North Woods
VCE Director of Science John Lloyd recently emerged from the Great North Woods long enough to seek out a WiFi signal to share this brief update from the field. All of us here at VCE were relieved to see that the mosquitoes had not yet carried him away.
Grassland Ambassadors: Laughing Brook Farm
The Bobolink’s bubbly song has filled the summer fields of Julia and Greg Smist’s 100-acre farm in Westminster, VT for at least 30 years. A decade or so after buying the farm, Julia noticed fewer Bobolinks in the fields. Her observations echo a grim region-wide statistic: Bobolinks have declined by 75% in the region over the past 50 years.
Lead Fishing Tackle Detrimental to NH Loon Population
A recent study of mortality in New Hampshire loons over 24 years reveals that ingestion of lead fishing gear (primarily jigs and sinkers) is the leading cause of death among adults. This troubling discovery helped spur a regulatory ban on sale and use of lead tackle, and lead-caused loon mortality rates have since declined statewide.
VCE Launches Field Season #27 on Mt. Mansfield
VCE’s inaugural 2018 field visit to Mt. Mansfield on May 30-31 yielded good weather, some surprise mist net captures, and an enthusiastic group of visitors, who were treated to a very obliging Bicknell’s Thrush in the hand.
Success: Crossing Boundaries for Conservation
VCE announces finalization of the Strategic Conservation Plan for Sierra de Bahoruco National Park in the Dominican Republic. The plan, which VCE helped to both fund and facilitate, aims to preserve the park’s unique forested habitats for the benefit of plants, wildlife, and humans alike.
VCE Birdathon Terns up a Last-minute Surprise
Boreal birds, balsam fir spires and peat bogs proved an irresistible lure to the Green Mountain Goatsuckers, drawing us back to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom for our 2018 Birdathon. From the Barton River wetlands to the larch and fir forests of Victory, we covered a lot of ground. Our species count topped out at 103, and the day’s most surprising bird was our very last tally.
VCE Partners with BirdsCaribbean for Post-hurricane Relief
VCE is partnering with BirdsCaribbean to raise funds for humans and wildlife affected by the succession of devastating hurricanes throughout the Caribbean this season. Please join us in helping get the region back on its feet!
