Happy New Year (and Give It Up for a Gray Jay?)
From all of us at VCE, have a great 2015 with wildlife. We’re looking forward to another productive year uniting people and science for conservation.
Ice-bound Loons
With the early cold weather, some loons simply fail to leave in time and get stuck in ice on small ponds. Usually these loons are chicks of the year (juveniles) that have to figure out migration on their own. The parents likely left in October or early November.
Owl Eats Owl
I was on my way to an event at the school gym here in Strafford, Vermont the other evening when I was called over by a bunch of kids who said they found an owl that they thought was sick or hurt because it was perched on a picnic table and didn’t fly away when it was approached. What I found surprised me!
The Persistent Tragedy of Sierra de Bahoruco: The Case of Las Mercedes
For years we have been deeply worried about accelerated deforestation of Jaragua and Sierra de Bahoruco National Parks, core zones of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic.
Keep Endangered Flora Alive and Well
In Vermont we’re fortunate that critical habitat for rare species still exists. In fact, just recently, two of Vermont’s most endangered plants were rediscovered.
Outdoor Radio: Kinglets in the Cold
Weighing less than a nickel and not much larger than your thumb, golden-crowned kinglets are the smallest birds to winter in the New England woods. How does a bird this small stay alive during the long and cold winter night?
VCE’s Five Tips for Happy Holiday Conservation
‘Tis the season, when everywhere you turn, you’re inundated with holiday catalogs, electric reindeer, and online ads repeatedly showcasing those fluffy potholders shaped like lambs, with cute little faces and…
Miracles on Wings
They say that miracles only happen once, but for VCE biologists a miracle with wings has now hit their nets three times.
VCE Turns to Puerto Rico for Field Work
VCE next year embarks on a new investigation into potential wintering habitat for Bicknell’s Thrush in Puerto Rico.
A Field Guide to December 2014
Even on these cold, short days, most of us might not be too far from warblers and butterflies. In this VCE Field Guide to December, we report on how animals adapt for winter, and how a few might even leave behind some nice impressions.
Wing Prints
With all the early snow in the U.S. this winter, birds have been making impressions – literally. We’re seeing various wing prints in the snow. It makes us wonder about the reliability of identifying these prints.
The Pulse of Ten Thousand Wings
VCE Research Associated Bryan Pfeiffer is on the road with Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, and Ross’s Geese at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico. Bryan calls the refuge “profound.”
