NestWatch Season Wrap-Up 2019
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.
Spring Brings River Otter Pups
by Karen Ruth RichardsonVINS 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…
2018 in Wild Bird Rehabilitation
By Lauren Adams Lead Wildlife Keeper 2018 was a big year at VINS for a lot of reasons. Here in the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation, you may not have been able to tell from the outside, but we had a LOT going on inside our little building. Around the middle of the summer, it…
NestWatch 2018 Report
by Anna AutilioLead, Environmental Educator Nestling Eastern Bluebirds Another season of nesting birds at the VINS Nature Center is behind us, and the world is full of young fledglings learning to make their way in the wide open world. It was quite a busy summer here, between the rush of baby birds needing care at…
NestWatch 2017: Summer Update
by Anna Autilio Lead Environmental Educator NestWatch training at VINS (Nathan Thoele) A young visitor noticed me sticking a long, bent pole up into the rafters of the Nature Nook last month. “What are you doing? What’s up there?” “I don’t know yet—do you want to help me find out?” I asked. Pointing her towards…
The Red-tailed Hawk with Bald Eagle Parents
by Anna Autilio Environmental Educator Amidst the news stories this week is the curious tale of a nestling Red-tailed Hawk in British Columbia, Canada. Why is this little bird, of the most common hawk species in North America, the subject of headlines across Canada and the United States? Nestling Red-tailed Hawk (front, left) with Bald…
Remarkable Robins
by Calah Beckwith Lead Wildlife Keeper The nest….in good condition forfor such a long journey. What are the chances? I find myself saying this many times each week, and I’m constantly amazed at the strength and will to survive that our wild patients exhibit. Of all the birds who find themselves in harms way, it’s…
Baby Birds Have Arrived!
by Calah Beckwith, Lead Wildlife Keeper It was a little late in coming this year, but baby bird season is upon us! We are busy feeding many of these little guys every thirty minutes, but I wanted to take a moment to share some photos of the current crew. Two of the first babies to…
Baby Bird Blues
by Calah BeckwithLead Wildlife Keeper Each spring, we anxiously await the arrival of our first baby birds. Caring for baby birds is very difficult, delicate work, and it requires a lot of time and experience; but baby birds are also some of the most rewarding patients in avian rehab. There is nothing more fulfilling than…
Why So Blue?
by Sara Eisenhauer Wildlife Services Manager On June 18th, VINS’ Wildlife Services Department received its first baby Blue Jay of the season. Blue Jays have always been one of my favorite birds, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard of its arrival. However, this little jay wasn’t feeling so excited – it had…
