Posts by jbird24
The Sharpest of Hawks
What’s small, fast, and hovers around bird feeders? Surprisingly, it’s not always a blue jay or a finch! Sharp-shinned hawks are the smallest accipiters, a genus of hawks composed of birds of prey that are closely genetically related to one another. Accipiters have short, broad wings and a long narrow tail for fast maneuverability in…
Read MoreUh-oh, MODO!
This little MODO (mourning dove) was brought to the VINS Wildlife Services department earlier this week. He was found roadside in Warren, VT, likely hit by a car. Mourning doves are special birds. Their big brown eye pull you right in; their soothing summer coo will lull you. But don’t be fooled by these plump…
Read MoreThe Buzzard Blues
One of the blessings of being an educational bird at VINS is free and instant healthcare from the staff. Sure, it must be great to have a cozy, predator-proof enclosure and daily hunt-free meals, but the medical attention from the rehabilitation staff — who are on-site 7 days a week, 365 days a year —…
Read MoreLook For It Now: Wildflowers Seeding Out
This time of year, the late-summer wildflowers you savored in August and September are seeding out. Some become almost unrecognizable this time of year, having turned the autumnal tones of yellow and brown and replacing showy flower heads with seed pods of all shapes and sizes. You’re probably familiar with common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca): a…
Read MoreGoodbye, Hello! Snapping Turtles on the Move
Every year in June, female snapping turtles crawl out of the Ottauquechee River and Dewey Mill’s Pond and find sandy soil on VINS’ property to make their nests. The female digs a burrow and lays 25-80 eggs in each nest, then covers the nest with more sandy soil to allow the eggs to incubate. Incubation…
Read MoreIrene’s Second Guest at VINS
In addition to the northern gannet mentioned in an earlier blog, VINS received a Wilson’s storm petrel the day after Tropical Storm Irene blew through Vermont. The Wilson’s storm petrel was dead on arrival, but is the only one of its species ever recorded in Vermont. Like the gannet, petrels are pelagic and this particular…
Read MoreBirds of a Feather, Stickin’ Together!
Eight cedar waxwing fledglings — all originally from separate nests — made their way into the big wide world last Saturday. The birds each came in for treatment after becoming orphaned, injured, or both. The VINS Wildlife Services staff cared for these songbirds, healed their injuries, raised them, and got them ready for life in…
Read MoreLook For It Now: White Baneberry
Ever been rambling through the woods alone and get a spooky feeling you’re not alone? That somebody is watching you? Ever turn around and see hundreds of dolls’ eyes staring back at you? Sounds totally creepy, right? Well, don’t think it can’t happen to you! White baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) is now in its full berry…
Read MoreIrene Brings Unexpected Guests to VINS
By Elise Newman Wildlife Services Intern Flooding and heavy rains were not the only things blown in by Tropical Storm Irene. The day after Irene swept through Vermont, VINS received two pelagic birds -– birds who spend most of their lives on the open ocean and only come ashore to breed once a year. For…
Read MoreYoung Owl a Baby No More
You might remember that earlier this summer we had the opportunity to test out one of our eastern screech owl’s mothering skills. We put our female screech (who normally lives in one of our exhibits) in an enclosure with an orphaned baby screech to see if she’d foster the owlet, and foster she did: she…
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