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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
Craig Provost: A Birding Quest for the Ages
In June 2020, lifelong birder Craig Provost achieved an extraordinary milestone that precious few Vermont birders will ever realize, becoming just the second person in history to document 150 species in all of Vermont’s 14 counties, each within a single calendar year!
