Mansfield Birds Rebound Modestly in Week 5
Mist net captures on Mt. Mansfield rebounded modestly during week 5 of VCE’s 2019 banding season. While encouraging, overall numbers are still abnormally low. A scarcity of yearling birds suggests that recruitment has been low, possibly resulting from a poor 2018 breeding season.
Field Update: New nests, flooded nests, and healthy competition
It’s July, and loon nesting season is in full swing! Here’s an update from the lakes and ponds from VCE’s loon biologist, Eric Hanson.
June 2019 Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Ethan Borland for winning the June 2019 Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month. Ethan’s fantastic photo of a Big Brown Bat bearing down on a mayfly snack received…
Poison in the Pools: Mercury in Vernal Pool Amphibians
VCE has a long history of investigating mercury concentrations in wildlife—particularly in montane ecosystems and Caribbean birds. Now, our groundbreaking investigation of mercury levels in vernal pool foodwebs has been published in the journal Ecotoxicology. Read on to find out more!
Mansfield One-month Update—Where Are All the Birds??
One month in to VCE’s 28th field season on Mt. Mansfield, bird populations are as low as they’ve ever been. We’ve netted only 43% of the numbers we had at this date a year ago. What is going on??
VCE and Colleagues Quantify Effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on Puerto Rico’s Forest Birds
In September of 2017, hurricanes Irma and Maria delivered a devastating one-two punch to Puerto Rico, causing massive defoliation of the island’s forests. While the detrimental effects of these storms on human populations were well-documented, little was known about how the island’s bird populations were affected—until now.
A Field Guide to July 2019
As the dawn bird chorus now fades from northern forests, summer erupts in the sparkle and drama of insects. Here’s a short guide to some of July’s lesser known natural history.
Avian Surprises on the Mt. Mansfield Ridgeline
VCE’s third visit of 2019 to the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline brought fine weather and some unusual avian encounters, including our first-ever mist net capture of a Mourning Warbler. Overall, activity continues to be low, with numbers of captures <50% of what they were a year ago, but it's far too early to push the proverbial panic button and declare "silent spring"!
Outdoor Radio: Following Wood Turtles
In this episode of Outdoor Radio, Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra join Kiley Briggs and Melanie Lohrer from the Orianne Society, as they try to follow female Wood Turtles to their nesting sites so they can monitor their success.
300,000 Observations and Counting!
When Sean Beckett swung his net at a dragonfly yesterday in Peacham Bog, he made history. His observation was the 300,000th for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist.
VCE’s 28th Mansfield Season Begins on a Quiet, Chilly Note
VCE’s 28th field season studying the breeding birds on Mt. Mansfield ridgeline is off to a quiet and chilly start. Vocal activity has been subdued and mist net captures low, but inevitable avian surprises have kept banders’ spirits high.
VCE Paper Confirms Scarcity of Bicknell’s Thrush on Puerto Rico
A recent peer-reviewed paper by VCE confirms that Bicknell’s Thrush is a rare and local but regular winter resident in mid-high elevation forest of Puerto Rico. VCE’s findings also highlight the strategic importance of continuing to focus habitat conservation efforts on Hispaniola, which supports the lion’s share of this globally vulnerable species in winter.
