A Goose, a Road Trip and an Important Lesson in Wildlife Rehabilitation
By Lauren Adams, Lead Wildlife Keeper Last weekend, I took a goose on a road trip. I know what you’re thinking. 1. What? 2. Why? Excellent questions. When I started work as the new Wildlife Keeper at VINs in December, the Canada Goose had already been there for 10 days. She had come in to our Center for Wild…
Art and Science: Eyes on the Natural World
By Jordan Daley Research and Education Coordinator My dad often took me hiking as a little girl. I’d fill my pockets with granite I found along the trail and tuck leaves and bird feathers in my hair. Over peanut butter sandwiches next to a lake or atop a mountain Dad would pluck each little treasure…
The Outside Story: Have You Seen A Mountain Lion?
by Madeline Bodin In the photo, the mountain lion lies on its side on the shoulder of a Connecticut parkway. Tail lights shine in the distance. A Connecticut state trooper snapped the photo after a motorist had struck and killed the animal on a June night in 2011. Wildlife biologists quickly confirmed this mountain lion…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
It Begins with a Barred Owl
by Calah BeckwithLead Wildlife KeeperIt wasn’t surprising that our first patient of 2015 was a Barred Owl. With 50 Barred Owls admitted as patients in 2014, the majority of which were received during the late fall and early winter months, we’ve become accustomed to providing care for these most common New England owls.It’s been a…
