Bye-bye Barred!
A juvenile barred owl was released from rehabilitation October 3 as part of Raptor Appreciation Day at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Wildlife Services Intern Jessica Katz had the honors of sending this young raptor back into the woods. The owl, found orphaned as a baby, was part of a trio of young barreds…
Grease & Pigeons Don’t Mix
If you’ve ever lived in the city, you’ve probably been lucky enough to hear the purr of a pigeon from the ledge outside your apartment window. Their gentle coo is a welcome treat amid the cacophony of traffic and sirens. Of course, there are some who have been known to call pigeons “flying rats,” but…
Up, up, and away…
A great blue heron, pictured above, was released recently by the VINS Wildlife Services department. The heron was transported to VINS August 7 when a member of the public saw the bird looking weak. Indeed, after examination, the heron was found to be emaciated and lethargic. Read more about this bird’s stay in our rehabilitation…
Countdown to Migration
If you’re a broad-winged hawk, it’s time to skedaddle. September through about the first week in October is migration time for these small buteos. Traveling in huge flocks called kettles, broad-wings leave their breeding grounds in North America and head on down to northern South America. Pictured above is a broad-winged hawk perching in his…
Confiscated Crow
I love crows. I love them so much that I’ve nearly driven off the road trying to catch a glimpse of them as they fly overhead while I’m driving. I love all birds, but crows — and their corvid cousin, the raven — are at the top of the list for me. I can’t quite…
Botulism: Nothing to Quack About
At the end of summer, things can get a little run down… a little past prime. The goldenrod is browning; leaves have long since lost their spring green; and there are brown stalks where day lilies once bloomed. For one juvenile mallard duck, an end-of-summer occurrence brought him to VINS Wildlife Services with a case…
A Tall Drink of Water
In early August, VINS Wildlife Services department received a call about a great blue heron seen standing in the driveway of a home. The bird appeared weak, the caller said. VINS staff instructed the person on how to capture the heron (tip: always wear eye protection when dealing with a heron!), and the bird was…
This Is the Good Stuff
Two red-tailed hawks who came into VINS Wildlife Services department as fledglings were released August 10. A longtime supporter of VINS had the honor of having both raptors released on his property in Bradford, VT. I myself had the honor of releasing the birds from their rehabilitation setting and into the wild. This is the…
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Incubator Potatoes
VINS Wildlife Services has gotten its second wave of babies. Bird moms and dads are busy with their second clutches of babies, and that means we’re busy taking care of those that have become injured or orphaned. (Above: Two young robins asleep in the baby bird incubator; one dangling his head over the edge of…
What’s Cookin’ at VINS? Rachael Ray!
Food Network star Rachael Ray made a stop at VINS July 22. While Ray wasn’t at our Quechee location to cook up a meal, she got things cookin’ with the release of five yellow-bellied sapsuckers who were patients in the VINS Wildlife Services rehabilitation department. The sapsucker release was part of a tour Ray and…
