It Takes a Village to Heal an Owl

By Lauren Adams, Lead Wildlife KeeperAnd Jordan Daley, Science Outreach Coordinator On January 16th the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation admitted our 6th patient of 2016. BDOW 16-006 is a very lucky Barred Owl. Some kind individuals rescued her after a collision with a vehicle in Thetford, VT on the evening of January 15th. Ted…

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Minnesota, A Truly Great Gray Owl ~1993-2016

By Lauren Adams, Lead Wildlife Keeperand Jordan Daley, Science Outreach CoordinatorOn Monday, March 7,  we lost a very special member of our VINS family, our female Great Gray Owl, Minnesota. She was a magnificent bird, both a staff and visitor favorite, and she will be greatly missed. In November of 1993, she was admitted as a…

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A Snowy Owl at the Vice President’s House

By Jordan DaleyResearch and Education Coordinator Macsen Elkouh of Enfield, NH has been taking photos for a few years. He started posting his photos to National Geographic’s online photo community for children in August, when an aunt gave him a subscription to National Geographic Kids Magazine.  Above: Macsen Elkouh, 11 years old, lives in Enfield…

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The Adoption Option: What you should know before you do

By Jordan DaleyResearch and Education Coordinator When I was young my family adopted a polar bear family for Christmas. My youngest brother having recently been born, I eagerly awaited the day my polar bear would come home from the hospital. Clinging to a new stuffed white bear, gazing at the framed picture of two snowy…

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What the Cat Dragged In

by Becca NovelloIntern, Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation We keep a kitten rescue cam streaming in our break room just in case we ever need a pick-me-up. Here in the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation at VINS, we tend to get a somewhat bleak view of the natural world – if we do our job…

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Patient Profile: Eastern Phoebe

by Becca NovelloIntern, Center for Wild Bird RehabilitationSpecies: Eastern PhoebeAge: FledglingsCause for Admission: Abduction – Healthy birds removed from nest and parents These three Phoebes came to us on June 17th as fledglings, but their road to rehab actually began ten days before that. After finding their nest at a construction site, some members of…

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Dinosaurs in Your Backyard

by Annie Harmon Education Intern Have you heard the news?  Birds aren’t just birds anymore—they’re also dinosaurs! I’m not just saying this because I’m excited to see Jurassic World. This summer at the VINS Nature Center, we’re tracing the family tree of birds all the way back to prehistoric times. We’re gaining a deeper appreciation…

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Book Review: H is for Hawk

review by Gene Walz, guest writer H is for Hawkby Helen Macdonald Already a bestseller in England and winner of several prestigious book prizes, including book of the year, H Is for Hawk is Helen Macdonald’s mesmerizing memoir of how not to deal with grief. Faced with the sudden, devastating death of her father, Macdonald tries…

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