by Grae O'Toole Lead Wildlife Keeper Northern Saw-whet Owl It has certainly been a busy year! Many may remember that our intake total was a record-breaking 652 patients in 2018. But move over, 2018--the VINS Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation received 705 total patients in 2019. I attribute our increased numbers primarily to the winter and early spring.  Winter songbirds like the Pine ..read more

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/analysis-do-bird-feeders-help-or-hurt-birds/ by Bren Lundborg Wildlife Keeper Bird feeding is a popular and enjoyable winter pastime for many people, bringing birds in close for easy viewing. While it is widely practiced and can even help biologists monitor populations through programs such as Project FeederWatch (https://feederwatch.org/), there are some ..read more

by Jim Armbruster Environmental Educator Female Monarch butterfly You may have noticed that this year was a big year for monarchs. At VINS, we were right in the middle of what is being called a "banner year" for these butterflies. Now that fall is in full swing, many of them are on their way south for the winter. Hopefully the large numbers of butterflies in the north will equal big numbers ..read more

by Anna Morris Lead Environmental Educator American Robin eggs! I am often floored by how quickly the seasons go by, from our brief spring in Vermont, to the flurry of autumn colors. But what I find even more impressive is the speed of the full nesting cycle of our native songbirds. Despite this season’s length—our first Eastern Bluebirds were checking out the meadow boxes on March 2nd, and ..read more

by Anna Caputo AmeriCorps Member A diversity of lichen in Brownsville, VT Carl Linnaeus. The Linnaeus. The guy who documented and classified a sizable chunk of Earth’s known species, the father of taxonomy, the guy you learned about in high school biology and immediately forgot, insulted one of my favorite taxonomic groups. I don’t know what the eighteenth century botanist had against ..read more

by Caitlyn Robert Environmental Educator A mothing tent set -up Once the sun is set, a whole new world awakens. While owls are hooting, thousands of insects start buzzing. Needing only a light and a sheet, “mothing” is the amazing experience of observing the hundreds of moths and other insects you can attract right in your backyard. No prior experience is needed to enjoy these nocturnal ..read more

by Anna Morris Lead Environmental Educator It’s been a hectic spring at VINS. The Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation’s ongoing renovations meant we have had to move some of our education birds from their accustomed aviaries to other enclosures temporarily. Change can be stressful, so we were closely monitoring the behavior of our oldest, most “entrenched” resident, a 38-year-old Turkey ..read more

by Grae O’Toole Lead Wildlife Keeper Erie (Hawk Creek Wildlife Center) VINS is excited to announce our newest raptor ambassador, “Erie,” a female Northern Harrier! Erie can be found on exhibit with our male harrier, “Freedom”.  They are quite the pair and provide a great opportunity to see how strikingly different male and female harriers are from one another, as one of the few raptors with ..read more

by Anna Morris Lead Environmental Educator Common Feeder Birds (Project FeederWatch) Another season of the citizen science program, Project FeederWatch is behind us, and it was a very big winter! Now in its 32nd year, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s winter bird-watching project aims to connect people with the wildlife in their backyards, and with the world of scientific research. This is ..read more

by Karen Ruth Richardson VINS Volunteer One morning, a January dawn, I walked the VINS trails before my volunteer shift. I turned on a trail which ran alongside the icy river. I heard a crack in the ice. I crouched down and held still. This was the crepuscular time of day (at dawn) when many mammals and birds are active. Suddenly, in a part of the free flowing river, three huge forms rose up ..read more