Mansfield Update: the Joys (and Pains) of Banding
VCE’s seventh banding session on Mansfield yielded our biggest total of the season (but still <50 birds), two very old Bicknell's Thrushes, and a female Sharp-shinned Hawk whose talons brought a grimace to Spencer Hardy's face.
VCE’s Jason Hill Receives High Honor as AOS Elective Member
VCE’s own Jason Hill recently received a high honor from the American Ornithological Society with his election as an Elective Member. Jason’s contributions to ornithology, both in his 5 years at VCE and beforehand, are nothing short of remarkable.
Mansfield Update: The Kids Are Coming
Week 6 of VCE’s 2019 banding season on Mansfield brought a second consecutive bump in mist net captures, and the first appearance of locally-hatched juveniles. Human youngsters also highlighted the week.
Celebrating Anne Aversa’s Life and Legacy
Anne Aversa, a longtime VCE friend and Strafford resident, passed away in the autumn of 2018. Included in her legacy of accomplishments are many citizen science contributions and a rich body of artwork. A new kiosk in Anne’s memory now graces the Strafford Town Forest entrance.
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"!
