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February 2025 Photo-observation of the Month

March 13, 2025  |  Rachel McKimmy

Congratulations to iNaturalist user @cgbb2004 for winning the February 2025 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Their photo of a Short-tailed Weasel with snowy-white fur…

Field Guide to March 2025

March 12, 2025  |  Vermont Center for Ecostudies

March has arrived in classic New England spring fashion this year. With rapid shifts between blistering cold and warm rainy days, this month is reminiscent of its’ eponymous Roman god, Mars. Being named after the god of war, March is a month of battles between warm and cold, between winter’s refusal to leave and spring’s insistence on coming.

Follow this contest as it unfolds to an inevitable conclusion with these signs of spring.

Lamoille Birders Win 14th Annual Vermont eBird County Quest

March 7, 2025  |  Kent McFarland

Vermont’s robust birding community took part in the 14th Vermont eBird County Quest in 2024. The annual year-long contest pits county versus county, birder against birder, all engaged in a friendly rivalry for top birding honors. The main idea behind the County Quest is simply to get people out birding, promote camaraderie, and better document bird life across the state using eBird Vermont. Lamoille County captured the gold medal for this first time in 2024.

February 2025 Field Guide

February 28, 2025  |  Vermont Center for Ecostudies

This month, wildlife and the rest of us here in New England will cross a threshold – arbitrary yet not insignificant: 10 hours of daylight. So here’s a Field Guide to February to help get your hopes up, no matter what that Groundhog predicts.

January 2025 Photo-observation of the Month

February 28, 2025  |  Rachel McKimmy

Congratulations to iNaturalist user @rebelgirl73 for winning the January 2025 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Her photo of a Barred Owl perched on a street sign received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.

Vermont State Butterfly Proposed for Threatened Species Listing

February 27, 2025  |  Emily Anderson

For many Vermonters, Monarchs are a much-anticipated sign that summer is truly here. However, experts have long been growing concerned over declines in migratory Monarch populations. In December 2024, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officially proposed to list the species as Threatened.

‘Tis the Season for Loon Rescues—On Ice!

January 29, 2025  |  Eric Hanson

In December, a loon chick was spotted in the open water of Berlin Pond, surrounded by ice. It had likely failed to migrate earlier due to an abundance of food on the 200 acre pond, and now it was trapped.

December 2024 Photo-observation of the Month

January 27, 2025  |  Rachel McKimmy

Congratulations to iNaturalist user darontansley for winning the November 2024 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Their photo of a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) with leucism perched upon a tree branch received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.

Field Guide to January 2025

January 8, 2025  |  Vermont Center for Ecostudies

Although the days are slowly growing longer, life in the Northeast now finds itself in the coldest depths of winter. January is about survival. Wildlife that doesn’t migrate adapts instead in order to make it to spring.

VCE’s Champions of Long-term Monitoring Count Up the Benefits to Conservation

December 20, 2024  |  Alexandra Johnson

How does monitoring contribute to conservation? We asked a few of VCE’s leading proponents of regular surveys, and they explained how long-term datasets contribute to every stage of the conservation process.

Field Guide to December 2024

December 19, 2024  |  Vermont Center for Ecostudies

As we move into this chilly month, you may find yourself wondering how wildlife adapts and survives each winter. Cozy up with our Field Guide to December and a warm cup of tea to learn how species face the cold-weather challenges ahead, and what they leave behind in the warmer months for you to find.

November 2024 Photo-observation of the Month

December 17, 2024  |  Rachel McKimmy

Congratulations to iNaturalist user darontansley for winning the November 2024 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Their photo of a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) with leucism perched upon a tree branch received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.