• Posts tagged with migration

    Field Guide to August 2022

    Field Guide to August 2022

    FEAR NOT— we’ve still got plenty of summer here in Vermont and points north. So in this edition of VCE’s monthly field guide to nature, we’ll celebrate a few summer-breeding species. But we’ll also alert you to animals on the move. Yeah, the “M-word.” So if you’re not quite ready for fall migration, well, sorry…too late.

    VCE's Bicknell's Thrush Work Recognized with Prestigious Award

    VCE’s Bicknell’s Thrush Work Recognized with Prestigious Award

    VCE’s 30+ years of Bicknell’s Thrush work was recently recognized by the Wilson Ornithological Society, which awarded us the prestigious Margaret Morse Nice Medal at its annual meeting in Santa Fe, NM. Nice’s pioneering studies of Song Sparrows in her Ohio backyard during the 1930s set the benchmark for “longitudinal” avian population research, an approach VCE has embodied through our hemispheric work on Bicknell’s Thrush.

    Evolution in Spatial Tracking of Bicknell's Thrush

    Evolution in Spatial Tracking of Bicknell’s Thrush

    In VCE’s 30+ years of Bicknell’s Thrush (BITH) research, we’ve used many different methods to unlock the species’ ecological secrets….

    Tags Keep Coming on Mansfield, and from Quebec

    Tags Keep Coming on Mansfield, and from Quebec

    VCE’s ground-breaking study of GPS-tagged Bicknell’s Thrush yielded more exciting results on 14-15 June, with the recovery of an additional 5 backpacks from Mt. Mansfield, and the addition of 3 tags retrieved in Quebec.

    Backpacking Thrushes Return to Mansfield

    Backpacking Thrushes Return to Mansfield

    VCE’s first Mansfield banding session of 2022 exceeded all expectations, as we recovered 5 of 36 GPS tags that we affixed to adult Bicknell’s Thrush last summer. Preliminary data from these birds–all males–show that 4 individuals overwintered in the Dominican Republic, 1 on Cuba, and that 3 birds undertook early spring movements of 25-185 km prior to northward migration.

    Field Guide to May 2022

    Field Guide to May 2022

    Trees are leafing out, and newly arrived migrant birds are dripping from branches. Insects are emerging and pollinating blossoming flowers. Discover all the sights May has to offer with our Field Guide.

    Field Guide to April 2022

    Field Guide to April 2022

    April brings a burst of life to the rugged Vermont landscape. From bees to crayfish, life is on the move. Here’s our guide to some of the joys of April.

    Field Guide to December 2021

    Field Guide to December 2021

    An icy chill is in the air and tree limbs are coated in a delicate, snowy blanket—winter will soon be here. Across the landscape, animals who do not spend the winter tucked away scurry and flap, leaving evidence of their small dramas in the powder. Whether you choose to explore frozen hillsides or remain closer to home, there’s much to discover in December.

    Vireos Steal Late Fall Birding Spotlight in Windsor County

    Vireos Steal Late Fall Birding Spotlight in Windsor County

    Vireos are rarely considered as show-stealers among fall migrant songbirds, but a trio of unexpected members of this family during late autumn 2021 kept Windsor County birders on their toes.

    A Tiny, Displaced Vireo Makes a First-ever Vermont Appearance

    A Tiny, Displaced Vireo Makes a First-ever Vermont Appearance

    Vermont’s first-ever Bell’s Vireo made an unexpected appearance in Woodstock during mid-October, initially fooling a couple of experienced birders, then remaining for 9 days to delight 30 or more enthusiasts, many of whom were thrilled to count it as a “lifer”.