Join the VINS Volunteer Transporter Rescue Network
by Caitlyn RobertAvian Rehabilitation Intern Do you want to help wildlife? Do you live in Vermont or close by in New Hampshire? Are you able to drive long distances? We need your help! Join our Volunteer Rescue Network and you can provide the lifesaving transportation injured birds need to reach medical care at VINS! Every…
Winter of the Pine Grosbeak
By Anna MorrisLead Environmental Educator For many of us at VINS, this winter has been remarkable. In addition to the cold, snow, and ice, the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation has seen record-breaking numbers of patients. But one of the most interesting things about those patients was who they turned out to be. Last winter…
Meet Windham!
by Bren Lundborg Wildlife Rehabilitator Windham, a female Cooper’s hawk, was brought to the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation in early February of 2017. She was still in her juvenile plumage and having a rough first winter. Cooper’s hawks often injure themselves due to their aggressive hunting style (one study found over 20% had old…
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…
In Memory of Louis, the Great Gray Owl
by Lauren AdamsLead Wildlife Keeper Louis, 1992-2018. Photo by Grae O’Toole. Saturday, December 8th marked the end of an era at VINS. We lost a very special member of the VINS family, Louis, our Great Gray Owl. Louis was a favorite of visitors to VINS for many years. He lived a long life, and passed…
What is a Flat Fly? Curiosity and Research at the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation
By Anna Morris Lead Environmental Educator A flat fly (Christian Hugues) The birds that arrive for care at VINS’s Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation have had a rough time out in the wild. Not only may they be injured from car accidents, window strikes, or cat bites, but they often have acquired parasites. Some of…
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…
Helping Wildlife in Spring
by Lauren AdamsLead Wildlife KeeperSpring is a magical time in Vermont. From endless piles of snow and bleak, gray skies, we are starting to see signs of life. Bluebirds are gathering nesting materials, pairs of Canada geese are returning to freshly thawed ponds, and bears have emerged from their winter slumbers. Springtime is a big…
Tiny Patient: Rehabilitating an Eastern Screech Owl
by Anna Autilio, Environmental Educator and Grae O’Toole, Wildlife Keeper The screech owl could barely open his eyes at first. Early in the new year, a tiny treasure arrived at the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation—a beautiful Eastern Screech Owl in need of some serious care. The bird was found in Orwell, VT, over 65…
Celebrate the Migratory Bird Treaty Act! #YearoftheBird
by Anna Autilio Lead Environmental Educator 2018 is the Year of the Bird, and the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. What is the MBTA and why is it still relevant? When walking through the woods, it’s not uncommon to find a gorgeous feather lying on the ground. The iridescent plume seems like…
