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.
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.
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.
How to Become an Ecologist
One day, I sent my mom a photo of me holding a freshly banded bird. She texted back: “That’s the face of someone who’s found what they love to do.” I hadn’t realized it until then, but she was right. Somewhere during this summer, I’d stopped feeling like an imposter and began to feel like a real ecologist.
Why Bicknell’s Thrush?
How one elusive bird inspired generations of biologists—and helped create Vermont Center for Ecostudies.
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.
Why Are Evening Grosbeak Numbers Rising in the Northeast and Declining Everywhere Else?
Evening Grosbeaks have declined by about 90% in the last 50 years in most of the country. But in the Northeast, the population has been increasing. We hosted a team of researchers to tag these birds and find out why.
VCE’s Champions of Long-term Monitoring Count Up the Benefits to Conservation
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.
2024 Field Season in Review
Wow, what a field season! Do we feel like that every year at VCE? Truthfully, yes, but this year is one for the books.
2024 Updates from Mount Mansfield and Mount Washington
The summer of 2024 marked VCE’s 33rd season working atop Mount Mansfield, and its first summer season banding Bicknell’s Thrush on Mount Washington since 2011.
