A mothing tent set -up

Once the sun is set, a whole new world awakens. While owls are hooting, thousands of insects start buzzing. Needing only a light and a sheet, “mothing” is the amazing experience of observing the hundreds of moths and other insects you can attract right in your backyard. No prior experience is needed to enjoy these nocturnal creatures. This summer is a perfect time to learn a new way to experience nature.

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend the late night Annual Moth Ball in Athol, Massachusetts. For more than twelve years, the Athol Bird and Nature Club has hosted this incredible mothing event at the home of the club’s president Dave Small and his wife Shelley. It brings together all types of naturalists, from biology students learning more about the world of insects, to those who have been identifying moths for more than 50 years, to young children seeing their very first Luna Moth. Everyone can marvel at the amazing shapes and colors of our New England moths.

adult fishfly

In their backyard, Dave and Shelley set up a mothing tent on the edge of the woods. The arrangement was a well organized but simple structure with a strung up sheet, a couple UV lights and a mercury vapor bulb. These bulbs are effective at attracting night time fliers, but you can be quite successful with just your porch light.

The evening started at 9:00pm, and as many folks filtered in and out for the following hours, so did the moths. The night started slowly; among the tiny micromoths we successfully attracted other types of insects. Right from the start, there were many caddisflies, and an impressive fishfly. After 2-3 years living as aquatic larvae, fishfly emerge as adults to use their new wings to find mates and are very attracted to lights.

Rosy Maple Moth

The Rosy Maple Moths arrived early on. Common in New England, their bright yellow and pink markings make them a favorite. The thousands of scales that cover the wings of moths and butterflies give them their color which also inspires their scientific name: Lepidoptera or “scale wing”.

Adult Luna Moth

Male Luna Moth, showing “feathery” antennae

The Luna Moths said hello soon after, flying confusedly and colliding into many people, even landing and resting for half an hour on someone’s pant leg or back. As seen on this individual, most male moths have large feathery antennae to detect the pheromones of females.

With their chunky bodies and interesting wings, sphinx moths are a definite highlight. This Virginia Creeper Sphinx stayed front and center for most of the night. Sphinx moths get their name from their defensive posture as caterpillars; they raise their thorax and tilt their heads resembling a sphinx statue.

Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth

Globally, scientists have identified 150 000 moth species, almost ten times more than butterflies. 2200 species of moths are found in Vermont and more are identified each year. One can never stop marvelling on the different sizes and shapes and colors these creatures can be.

If you are curious about how you can start doing this at home, visit our mothing station during our annual Incredible Insect Festival on Saturday, July 6th, 2019 and come join us for a late night exploring the world of moths and other night time fliers.

At VINS this July, you can attend our new late-night Mothing Adventures. The first event will be on the night of July 6th, after a day of exploring the Incredible Insect Festival. Folks of all ages are invited to join us from 9pm-11pm.

Our second event will be during National Moth Week, a global citizen science project that is identifying moths around the world to learn more about their distribution and natural history. Join us July 20th for another opportunity to observe these special creatures!

The post A Summer of Mothing appeared first on Nature Blog.

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 and birds are active. Suddenly, in a part of the free flowing river, three huge forms rose up. They threw themselves to the bank and rolled in the snow. They chased each other; they ran; they bounded and dove back into the water to repeat. I had just witnessed a rare sighting of North American River Otters at play.

North American River Otter (Wikimedia Commons)

With spring arriving river otters are taking to dens as birds to their nests. With the Ottauquechee River running alongside VINS’s property, the woods, fields and marsh lands will be filled with new life. Can I spot an otter pup? Perhaps–but very carefully!

River otters are plentiful in North America. They prefer non-polluted water and inhabit both marine and fresh water in streams, ponds, rivers, marshes and coastal-ways. Their food source is mostly fish, but they eat turtles, salamanders, and mollusks. At VINS, educators often find hatchling turtles on the property, and help transport them to the pond for a improved chance at life.

Otters are muscular, streamlined mammals with beautiful waterproof fur consisting of the rich brown pelage: the stiff, oily guard fur and the thick silvery underfur. Otters are sleek, powerful swimmers with webbed feet. They have the third, nictitating eye membrane, allowing them to see in murky waters. When otters want to chat, they usually sound like a low frequency chuckle.

These characteristics are important to know as I go “otter observing” in springtime.

It is the start of birthing season for river otters. The female will find a good den. She is creative and will use an old beaver lodge, hollow tree or she will dig one in the riverbank. Either way, she keeps it scrupulously clean. 2 to 3 pups are born from March through May. They nurse until about 7 weeks of age. I may first see them when they emerge from the den for solid food and then throughout the summer. So spring and summer will be great months to attempt the covert observation of otters!

Otter tracks (Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife)

I first look for signs of their habitation. Otters spend much of their day marking their territory and grooming.  I can, therefore, observe along the banks of rivers and streams for their prints in the mud and soft earth. Look for their oily scat which mostly consists of fish scales and sharp, tiny bones. Their prints are about 3 inches across with 5 toes atop a heeled pad. Also look for any paths approximately 7 inches across in either mud or leftover snow and slide marks in the banks. With their high metabolism, otters hunt frequently–mostly at night, but also in the hours of dawn and dusk. Hopefully, I’ve scouted a feeding, play or nesting site.

Otter scat (Karen Richardson)

Then, I will go to a high, covered spot amidst shrub or trees where it will be difficult to hear or smell me, like before. While otters have a very keen sense of smell and hearing, they are nearsighted and will not see me if I am extremely quiet. I will never approach an otter too closely, however, as a female with pups can be quite unpredictable. I have to wait patiently. With binoculars and silent stealth, I may just encounter another of these splendid creatures.  To see an otter play in the wild without fear is a chance, elusive meeting. To spot a pup would be a wonderment.

This Spring, join me hidden and silent, by the banks of a river, for just that chance.

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Dewey. Photo by Emily Johnson.

This winter has brought some interesting wildlife to VINS. Boreal migrants like Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls have come into the rehab center with broken wings or head trauma. A Pileated Woodpecker came to the suet at our bird feeders. Even subnivean or “under-snow-dwelling” mammals like ermine have poked their white furred heads up from the snow to peer at the goings-on. The most frequent visitor by far has been our wild Barred Owl. In the tradition of how we name our captive education birds, we named our wild resident Dewey after Dewey’s Pond located at the edge of the VINS campus. We are not sure if Dewey is male or female, though I suspect male because he has boisterously hooted back and forth with our 27-year-old retired female Barred Owl, Milton.

Dewey is a typical Vermont Barred Owl, light grey with chocolate brown stripes across his plumage and startlingly large eyes. We first noticed him occupying the tree branches near our campus bird feeders, much to the chagrin of our chickadees and red squirrels. He usually sits drowsy and basking in the morning sunbeams, his eyes squinted shut in the warmth. More often than not, anxious songbirds or peeved corvids berate him from the surrounding boughs. Slowly you’ll see him turn his head, as if ever so slightly interested in the chaos, but ultimately deciding that effort of flying away isn’t worth giving up the sunshine.

Lately, we have all noticed our “lazy” Barred getting bolder in his choice of perches. He seems to have no qualms about sitting comfortably above pathways trafficked by humans. At first it was a spectacle; Dewey would appear at our Owl Prowl events perched casually on top of the Songbird Exhibit or lurking in the forest on the second day of Owl Festival. Then he started coming a little too close for comfort. Recently, he’s been cozying up on the railing of the wooden bridge on the path to the administration building or on the roof of the new bird enclosure building. There was a time where I walked out of the bird enclosures to see him napping in the lower branches of a hemlock, 15 feet away from a path frequented by educators transporting our raptors.

This has been a tough winter for non-migratory predators. Usually, winter weather hardly ruffles the feathers of Barred Owls. They are well equipped to hunt hidden rodents in the network of icy tunnels which make up the subnivean zone. Using their acute ears, they can hear the pitter-patter of mouse paws under two feet of snow. They triangulate the source of the sound as they swoop down on silent wings, adjusting their trajectory to match the pace of their prey and breaking through snow crusts with their talons. However, this winter has pushed some owls, like Dewey, to their limits. The weather patterns of bitter cold temperatures, interspersed with the occasional warm day and a ton of precipitation, has caused snow to pile up and crust over; layers of ice and snow stacked on top of the earth like a crumb cake. With each new layer comes a thicker barrier between owls and their sustenance.

Dewey’s excellent camouflage. Photo by Linda Conrad.

That is why Dewey has been edging closer and closer to the bird feeders and live animal exhibits. Other Barred Owls are behaving in similar ways. We’ve been getting a whole slew of inquiries regarding fearless owls perched on backyard feeders, places where food is more accessible for a “sit and wait” predator. This may also provide an explanation for Dewey’s seemingly lackadaisical demeanor. It could be lethargy coupled with a push to conserve as much energy as possible. Going multiple days without a successful hunt causes Barred Owls to make tough decisions: expanding their hunting hours to include the day shift or suffering through the mobbing of smaller birds.

But don’t go feeling sorry for our wild resident just yet! On March 3rd, against the odds of the prolonging harsh winter, Dewey caught himself a vole. The evidence was imprinted in that most recent snowfall. Just outside of the new bird enclosures, at the bottom of the sloping hill was an almost comical outline of wings and tail feathers, a bit of blood splotched in the deep hole of snow where he punched through the ice crust. Turns out that there was a method to his madness after all!

The post Dewey: The Wild Resident Barred Owl of VINS appeared first on Nature Blog.

In the midst of an early March snowstorm, we received yet another bird that many of you have probably been seeing in high numbers: a Barred Owl. While they are normally a common patient of ours, this winter we have been receiving greater numbers than usual coming in for treatment (as I write this, we have 15 in care).

A Barred Owl just arrived for treatment at VINS.

This particular owl showed up with what was becoming an increasingly common condition : it was emaciated, weak and had lost around a third of its body weight. We did a quick exam, found it was dehydrated and hypothermic, and placed it in an enclosure to warm before starting fluid and nutritional support. As I saw the owl’s rescuer out to their car, another person pulled up, with another owl, and another emaciation case.

There are probably multiple factors to explain the number of struggling Barred Owls that have been seen near roads, houses, and bird feeders, but a big one is the weather. The deep snow, in combination with periods of warm and cold weather, have led to hard layers of packed snow and ice that the owls cannot punch through to catch their rodent prey. Many of the struggling owls are first year birds, for whom winter is always a tough time, but have even more difficulties when the weather is uncooperative. This has led many to move closer to human habitats in search of more plentiful rodents near buildings or bird feeders.

When seeing these owls hunting around your home in broad daylight, stalking your feeders where they never have before, it is tempting for many to offer them food to help them along. Although I know this may be a tough statement to accept, it is never a good idea to feed wild owls.

There are a number of reasons for this. Barred Owls have evolved to hunt and survive for the winter, and though it seems like many are faring poorly, there are many more who are doing alright. Deep wooded territories that humans rarely see can be held by successful Barred Owls, who are doing very well for themselves.

This patient has graduated to solid food after days of intensive care.

In addition, owls, especially young owls, tend to habituate quickly to human presence and feeding. This may lead to birds causing issues with pets and livestock. Though it is unlikely they will actually go after your cat or poultry, we do receive many calls from people concerned about owls stalking their chickens and ducks. A more common problem with habituation is that these owls are more likely to hunt near roads. Vehicle collisions are another one of the most common injuries that we see in Barred Owl patients, who present with fractures, head trauma and eye damage.

If you find an owl that cannot fly, it is even more important that you don’t feed it. Feeding an emaciated owl too much solid food before it is properly warmed and hydrated can kill it. In fact, it can take 7-10 days of supportive care before an emaciated bird is even able to safely consume a fully solid diet. For context, imagine the shape a healthy 150 pound person would be in if they suddenly lost 50 pounds.

The little things we anticipate showing up in spring!

Upon finding an injured or weak owl (or any bird), calling a wildlife rehabilitator for advice is the best option. VINS wildlife rehabilitators can be reached during our open hours at 802-359-5001 x212. If no one is available to talk, gently coaxing the bird into a box or pet carrier with a towel or broom, or using the towel to wrap them up and place them in a box or carrier is the next best thing. Even when very weak, they will use their talons to defend themselves, so we recommend wearing thick gloves. We also cannot stress enough the importance of keeping yourself safe, particularly if you find a bird near a busy roadway.  Until you are able to get in contact with a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, keep the bird in a warm, dark place without food or water and minimize interaction with people or pets.

In the meantime, spring is approaching, soon the snow will melt, and before long the next generation of Barred Owls will be learning the ways of the forest. If you find an owl you think needs help, don’t feed it; please reach out and ask for our advice. We are here to help!

Please consider donating to help us take care of these owls. Thank you!

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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 the northeast experienced an irruption—a term biologists use to describe a sudden change in the population density of an animal—of Snowy Owls. Large numbers of these normally arctic tundra-dwelling raptors found themselves moving south through the United States, looking for open territories and good hunting grounds for small rodents and birds. This winter we are once again experiencing an irruption, but this time of boreal songbirds.

Adult Male, wikimedia commons

Boreal songbirds are birds that breed in, migrate through, or otherwise rely on North America’s boreal forest habitat, according to the Boreal Songbird Initiative. This unique habitat, consisting of mostly spruce, pine, and larch trees, covers 1.5 billion acres of land in Canada and Alaska. The boreal forest not only provides a safe haven for more than 300 bird species and large mammals like caribou and wolves, but the trees sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, slowing the effects of climate change.

Evening Grosbeaks, Bohemian Waxwings, Common Redpolls, and Pine Grosbeaks are among the boreal songbird species that bird-watchers all over Vermont have been seeing in unusually high numbers this winter. Professional “finch forecaster” Ron Pittaway of the Ontario Field Ornithologists documents the abundance of boreal bird food crops like conifer seeds and berry-bushes each winter, and predicted that these four species would be abundantly seen due to the low amount of their normal food resources in the summer of 2018.

He appears to have been exactly right. At the VINS Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation, we have seen 7 Pine Grosbeaks as patients since the beginning of December 2018. (In 2017 and 2016, we saw none at all). Pine Grosbeaks are large, frugivorous (“fruit-eating”) finches, a food source which is highly variable year-to-year, and so occasionally drives them to seek out more resources further south than their normal range. Their 10 inch length and 2-3 ounce bulk may not seem “large”, but you might spot Pine Grosbeaks foraging in large flocks in the winter for nuts and seeds as well. Their scientific name, Pinicola enucleator, means “pine tree dweller, who removes the kernel”, as from seeds.

Adult Female, wikimedia commons

Of our 7 Pine Grosbeak patients this winter, nearly all came in with head trauma, which was likely sustained from colliding with windows. These northern birds have little experience with human settlements, and clear glass confuses them, causing injury. There are many ways to minimize window collisions by birds, and save lives. Putting up ultraviolet reflective stickers or protective screens will help birds recognize an unsafe place to fly.

Our patients in December came from towns farther north in Vermont, and those recent comers have been from right at our latitude, so it has been interesting to track the southward movements of this species in our own state. Three of our Pine Grosbeak patients were able to be released back into the wild, and one young male has joined our resident songbirds on exhibit at the VINS Nature Center.

Stop by VINS soon and meet our newest songbird educator, Hanover. Hanover the Pine Grosbeak came into our care on January 17th, 2019 with a fracture to his left radius/ulna (forearm bones) near the wrist. Though he was in a body wrap for a week to try to heal the fracture properly, it was deemed too severe for release as he is unable to get enough lift for flight even after 3 weeks of healing—bird bones heal a lot faster than humans, and so by this point we know that Hanover’s injury is permanent. He sits near the top of the enclosure, and we’re sure he’s eager meet his new fans!

The post Winter of the Pine Grosbeak appeared first on Nature Blog.

A male Monarch butterfly on our datasheet.

Have you ever watched a monarch butterfly struggling to fly on a breezy day and thought to yourself, “I wonder how they get where they want to go?” It might surprise you to know that in fact these butterflies can control their flights and can travel up to 3,000 miles.

That’s right, the butterfly you see dancing on the wind in your yard might someday migrate south and purposefully end up in Mexico. But it depends on when and where they hatched. Eastern monarch butterflies that emerge from their chrysalis in early summer live for two to five weeks. Their main goal in that time is to reproduce and create the next generation. Butterflies that emerge in late summer and early fall live eight or nine months and have another important task. They will need to complete a difficult journey south to reach their overwintering grounds in places like Mexico.  How monarchs make this incredible journey and how successive generations can navigate to the same locations each year is still not known to scientists. 

Tagging the monarch is a delicate process.

This year at VINS we are taking part in the magnificent monarch migration. During the end of August and the first weeks of September we are participating in a citizen science project to catch and tag monarch butterflies before they leave on their winter vacation. The hope is that butterflies tagged on our campus will be recovered at the end of their trip in Mexico. 

Each butterfly gets a sticker with a unique identification number, placed on its wing so as not to impact flight. If the butterfly is recovered at any point on its migration the number can be reported to the study. This information can then be used by scientists to figure out how monarchs can accomplish this amazing feat. Tracking butterflies is vitally important to learn about migration patterns and to determine what sites along the route are critical for the survival of the species.

The tag will stay with the monarch through its migration.

In this first year of tagging we have already placed stickers on 25 monarchs with the hope of adding more before the season ends. We are looking to certify our meadow habitat as a Monarch Way-station, designating it as critical habitat for monarchs. We hope to expand the project in coming years to include more help from the public and more butterflies tagged. 

So if you happen to see VINS educators leaping around our meadow with nets, know that we are not just having fun chasing butterflies during work hours, but are helping to protect the incredible species that is the monarch butterfly. And yes it is also very fun to chase butterflies. 

For more info on how you can help the monarchs contact Jim Armbruster at jarmbruster@vinsweb.org or check out monarchwatch.org.

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Think native flowers aren’t as colorful and pretty as exotics? Think again. Here are just 5 (and it was hard to choose!) of the most beautiful native Vermont flowers to grace your garden with this spring:

White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)

The post The Beauty of Native Wildflowers appeared first on Nature Blog.

Red-humped Oakworm Moth by Kyle Jones.

Isabella Tiger Moth by Erika Mitchell.

Hickory Tussock Moth by Susan Elliott

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail by Grae O’Toole.

Monarch by Judy Welna

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