Field Report: Final 2014 Bird Banding on Mt. Mansfield
September 19, 2014VCE wrapped up its 2014 mountain bird field season with an overnight visit to our Mt. Mansfield ridgeline study site on Tuesday. Arriving at the upper toll road parking lot ~5 pm, we were greeted by chilly, damp conditions, but also by calling Bicknell’s Thrushes (BITH), which annually undergo a resurgence of vocal activity in mid-September. Read the blog »
Banding Birds on Mt. Mansfield
July 29, 2014Birds that live in our mountain top ecosystems are at risk...and the problem extends far beyond Vermont. Tiny songbirds like the Bicknell's thrush make the journey from Mt Mansfield to places like Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Watch the video on WCAX »
Dominican Conservationists Gain a New Perspective
July 03, 2014Few can lay claim to a close-and-personal encounter with a Bicknell’s Thrush on either its mountainous northern breeding grounds or its Caribbean winter haunts. Fewer still have met up with this rare and reclusive migratory songbird in both regions. A group of 11 Dominican conservationists did just that last week, joining VCE staff on the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline for an experience that left an indelible impression on all. Read the blog »
Bicknell's Thrush Defies the Odds
June 12, 2014After 23 years of studying Bicknell’s Thrush, the improbable has become routine. We're still shaking our heads over the latest unlikely twist: two days ago on Mt. Mansfield, we mist netted a male thrush with a faded, dull band that had clearly logged a few miles. Read the blog »
Blackpoll Backpacker
June 07, 2014VCE’s first 2014 foray to our long-term study site on the Mt. Mansfield ridgeline made some history. This marks our 23rd consecutive year of monitoring the breeding birds there. We were all eager, and a bit anxious, to know whether any of the 19 Blackpoll Warblers fitted with light-level geolocators last summer had returned, and would yield the precious information contained in their miniature backpacks. Read the blog »
VCE and Birds Brave the Elements on Final 2013 Mansfield Foray
September 24, 2013After nearly two months away from our favorite mountain haunt, VCE staff could hardly resist a final Mt. Mansfield “fix”. A mid-September overnight foray to our long-term ridgeline study plot has become an annual rite of passage, intentionally timed to coincide with the autumnal resurgence of Bicknell’s Thrush activity. Some years, we've had remarkably productive mist-netting, and it’s always a delight to be back up there. Read the blog »
