Posts by jbird24
Goodbye, Downy!
The young downy woodpecker admitted as a patient to the Wildlife Services department after being struck by a car was released back into the wild July 2. Watch a video of the woodpecker’s release back into the wild! Still a fledgling when she first came in, we had to hand-feed her every hour. In time,…
Read MoreLook For It Now: Plantain
Stung by a bee and want to get the stinger out? Why, you need only wander into your yard and pick some leaves off a plantain plant. Chop them up (or chew them up… but don’t swallow them!), and apply directly to the sting site. Plantain will do the work of extracting the stinger. It…
Read MoreRaven Trifecta
The three orphaned nestling ravens we took into our care back in April are now living life as nature intended: in the wild. The VINS Wildlife Services department successfully raised the three youngsters from nestling to fledgling, and the trio was released into the wild last week. In the photos below, VINS Wildlife Keeper Sara…
Read MoreLook For It Now: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Couples
In the natural world, there are some odd-looking couples. Male and female rose-breasted grosbeaks are just such a pair. The two look nothing alike! The male has the tell-tale bright, rosy-red breast, white belly and white patches on black wings. The female, however, looks a lot like an over-sized sparrow. In the photo, you can…
Read MoreLocal Oil Spill
A local ring-billed gull can likely empathize with the oil-drenched birds rescued from the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of BP’s huge spill. But this gull was rescued from a much smaller slick. Watch a video of this gull receiving a bath. A restaurant’s cooking oil was left out behind the establishment and attracted…
Read MoreLook For It Now: Maiden Pink
Eye-catching in color, the delicate Maiden Pink (Dianthus deltoides) can be found growing in fields and by roadways. It blooms from May to July, and grows from about 1/2-foot to 16-inches high. Don’t be fooled by Deptford Pink, which also blooms in Vermont. Maiden Pink can be distinguished from Deptford by its broader petals with…
Read MoreFor moles, a life of toil in the soil
By Bill Amos for Northern Woodlands’ “The Outside Story“Illustration by Adelaide Tyrol Two months ago a predictable eruption began on the lawn surrounding our house. Rough clumps of rich, dark subsoil appeared upon the still barren ground.“Those **@#$&%** moles again,” my thoughts went. But moles do no lasting harm to a lawn despite making an…
Read MoreKnockin’ Away
What would the woods be without woodpeckers? Terribly boring! Woodpeckers — with their high-pitched cackles and persistent knocking on trees, homes and metal frames — keep the forests and neighborhoods rockin’. See a video of the woodpecker here! We recently received a fledgling downy woodpecker — about 4 weeks old — into our care. The…
Read MoreDoes It Get Any Cuter?
The answer is no. It does not get any cuter than a ruffed grouse chick. This time of year — if you’re lucky — you may see a female ruffed grouse with her chicks in tow. Spotting a ruffed grouse chick or two tip-toeing with mom through the woods of Vermont is a sight for…
Read MoreTracking ‘First Flowers’
By Rick LaDueProgram Manager, VINS-Manchester In early April, the Manchester branch of the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) began a citizen science exploration of the spring wildflowers at the Equinox Preserve. The Preserve covers hundreds of acres on the slopes of Mount Equinox in Manchester. Each Tuesday and Friday, a VINS naturalist — along…
Read More