Nature Blog

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…

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Roughed-up Ruffed Grouse

by VINS Staff Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus Have you ever wondered where birds sleep? Birds sleep, or roost, in any number of places – in trees and cavities, on the ground; some even roost under the snow. The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), a common New England ground-feeding bird related to the chicken and turkey, has…

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Catch You Later, Grouse!

The ruffed grouse who came into our care last month with a large wound beneath his wing and head trauma made a full recovery here at VINS. We returned this woodland bird (often mistakenly called a “partridge”) to the great outdoors last week after a month of expert care here at VINS. See a video…

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A Grouse in ‘Ruff’ Shape

When this ruffed grouse first came in to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, he was in pretty rough shape. He was found on the side of the road where he was likely struck by a car, and transported to the Wildlife Services department here at VINS for care. See a video of this grouse’s…

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Does 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…

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A Ruff Break

If you often take walks through the woods of Vermont, you’ve likely heard the heart-stopping blast-off of a ruffed grouse taking flight from the forest floor. These well-camouflaged birds seem to lie in wait until you are a few feet from them before they suddenly take off, flapping their wings with a thumping ferocity that…

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