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Spring 2017 Field Notes

April 6, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

VCE’s biannual Field Notes is out and it is full of amazing photos and fascinating stories. Click on the image in the post and download your copy today!

March 2017 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-Observation of the Month

March 31, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

Congratulations to Louis Megyesi for winning the March 2017 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. The closeup of a Northern Shrike as it recovered from a window strike was the most popular photo-observation as measured by clicked ‘favs’.

A Field Guide to April 2017

March 30, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

April leaves none of our senses void. The smell of earth, the sound of birds, the sight of wildflowers. Here’s our guide to some of the joys of April.

Cuba Next on VCE’s Horizon

March 26, 2017  |  Chris Rimmer

Cuba is on VCE’s horizon, as Chris Rimmer and John Lloyd venture this week to the island’s eastern tip, in search of overwintering Bicknell’s Thrush. Backpacking to cloud forests of Sierra Maestra, where Fidel Castro famously hid out in the 1950s, and then venturing east to the serpentine forests of Humboldt National Park, they expect to find some thrushes, and a good number of Cuba’s 26 endemic birds.

Outdoor Radio: Peering Into A Porcupine Den

March 21, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

VCE biologists Kent McFarland, Sara Zahendra and Steve Faccio ventured into the woods on a blustery day to see a porcupine den that was big enough for a human to fit in – but not someplace you’d want to venture!

A Field Guide to March

March 15, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

March is a month of battles between warm and cold, between winter’s refusal to leave and spring’s insistence on coming. So, heralding the sun’s arrival, here’s a Field Guide to March.

February 2017 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-Observation of the Month

March 10, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

Congratulations to JoAnne Russo for winning the February 2017 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. Her image of a Red Fox starring the camera down on a winter day was the most popular photo-observation as measured by clicked ‘favs’.

New Publication Available: Guidelines for Managing Bicknell’s Thrush Habitat in the United States

March 3, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

A new resource for planning the management and conservation of Bicknell’s Thrush habitat in the United States is now available at the International Bicknell’s Thrush Conservation Group web site.

Outdoor Radio: The Elusive Lynx

March 1, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra traveled by snowmobile into the wilderness of the Northeast Kingdom with biologists from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department in hopes of spotting a Canada lynx or lynx tracks.

Stand Up for Science!

February 13, 2017  |  Vermont Center for Ecostudies

All of us, scientists and non-scientists alike, who believe in rationality, who believe that science can and should contribute to good decision-making and public policy, need to stand up and make our voices heard.

A Field Guide to February 2017

February 2, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

This month, wildlife and the rest of us here in New England will cross a threshold – arbitrary yet not insignificant: 10 hours of daylight. You can sense it when you head out in the morning: woodpeckers are starting to drum. Even though we’ve got lots more winter, we’ve also have change. So here’s a Field Guide to February to help get your hopes up, no matter what that groundhog predicted.

January 2017 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month

February 2, 2017  |  Kent McFarland

Congratulations to Charlotte Bill for winning the January 2017 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. Bald Eagle populations have been slowly rising for decades in the Northeast and winter provides a great opportunity to see these majestic birds.