Field Report: New Birds Are Showing Up on Mount Mansfield’s Peak
Change is afoot on Mansfield. This summer, birds that usually breed at lower elevations like Black-throated Green Warblers and Magnolia Warblers have firmly staked their place at the peak itself.
How Three Generations of VCE Scientists Work With Changing Ecology Data
“Ecology is harder than rocket science. The more we’re able to do, the more we realize what we don’t know.”
They’re Alive! Banded Birds Flock to Mount Mansfield for Our 34th Season
For the last three years, this moment has defined the beginning of my summer. It’s our first evening on Mansfield, and the Bicknell’s Thrush are singing their evening chorus before settling in for the night as the sun sets on Lake Champlain.
Bicknell’s Thrushes Are Back on Mount Mansfield!
It’s become clear that survival was higher than expected last winter. Over 70% (14 of the 19) of the Race to the Atlantic lineup have either been detected via Motus or recaptured on Mount Mansfield so far this season.
Field Guide to June 2026
There is a lot for the keen listener to explore this month: the air is filled with the sounds of chirping, calling, and singing birds and buzzing insects.
How Your Winter Drinks Affect Our Wintering Songbirds
The vast majority of our New England songbird species spend most of their year in the tropics, overwintering in places where coffee and cocoa are grown.
Why We Can’t Call the Bicknell’s Thrush Race Yet: A Peek Into How Migration Monitoring Works
We’ve decided to wait until the Pea Island data are uploaded and processed, which hopefully will be sometime in the next two weeks.
A Quick Trip to Birding Paradise
The D.R.’s biodiversity features hundreds of endemic species—ones you’ll find nowhere else on the planet—among them orchids, iguanas, frogs, ferns, and (happily for us) 33 extraordinary bird species.
Why Bicknell’s Thrush?
How one elusive bird inspired generations of biologists—and helped create Vermont Center for Ecostudies.
Field Guide to October 2025
Nature is putting on its final, colorful autumn show. Leaves are turning and falling, bees are buzzing around the asters, and mushrooms are putting out their final fruit. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it!
Field Guide to September 2025
As the weather begins to shift, we turn our attention to southward migration. From Green Darner Dragonflies to Bicknell’s Thrush, VCE scientists are uncovering the mysteries of migrating species and using this knowledge to help conservation efforts.
Field Report: How the Birds Are Doing on Mount Mansfield This Summer
Our Slate-Colored Junco capture numbers are half of what they were last year, although all of our other target species are visiting our nets at roughly the same or higher rates as 2024.
