Help Us Look for Loons
You can help us help loons this year. And one way is to help us assess the breeding status of loons on some lakes and ponds this spring that are not often visited by volunteers. Learn more…
Grassland Birds Bring Home the Data
One year ago, some grassland birds became aerial backpackers. Their tiny backpacks acquired and logged GPS locations that have tracked their movements during the past year. Now, the birds have returned to their breeding grounds where it all started and the location data from the entire year were beamed up to Argos satellites and delivered to our laptops at VCE.
Bird-watching Opportunities Abound on Vermont’s Wildlife Management Areas
With spring finally here, bird watchers are dusting off their binoculars and heading out looking for birds as they migrate into Vermont from points south. And some of the Vermont’s best bird-watching opportunities are on the state’s 90 wildlife management areas, or WMAs.
Saving a Rare Songbird – Hemispheric Conservation Action Plan for Bicknell’s Thrush Updated
The revised Conservation Action Plan for Bicknell’s Thrush provides the updated consensus of the International Bicknell’s Thrush Conservation Group (IBTCG), an alliance of scientists, conservationists, and governments, about the primary threats facing Bicknell’s Thrush and the actions that may help mitigate those threats across the hemisphere.
Monitoring Spring Phenology on Mount Mansfield
With deep snowpack on Mt. Mansfield remaining, yesterday we installed equipment that will monitor bird activity and the arrival of spring in the fir forest on the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline. Learn more about our phenology study…
Outdoor Radio: The American Woodcock
The arrival of the American Woodcock is one of the exciting signs of spring in Vermont. Biologist Kent McFarland joined “The Mad Birders” on their annual Woodcock Walk in Moretown. Listen to the show.
VCE Launches Damselfly and Dragonfly Atlas
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) today launched an online atlas of damselflies and dragonflies, allowing anyone to report, track, study, discover or simply enjoy the charismatic insects.
VCE’s Cuba Expedition a Resounding Success
VCE’s inaugural field trip to Cuba may not have yielded many Bicknell’s Thrush (2, to be exact), but it laid a strong foundation for our future work on this captivating island. We forged a promising partnership with our sister institute BIOECO, made many great friends, learned the ropes of conducting field there, and, yes, managed to see half of Cuba’s 26 endemics.
New VCE Study Reveals Decline in Vermont Forest Birds
VCE’s 25-year study of Vermont’s forest birds, including woodpeckers, warblers and other iconic species, has documented a 14.2 percent overall population decline during the period, raising concerns about birds and forests alike.
Spring 2017 Field Notes
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
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
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.
