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 iNaturalist. Erin’s image of a North American Medicinal Leech feeding…
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.
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.
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.
