Winter Storm: Snowy Owl
by Anna Autilio Lead, Environmental Educator VINS Ambassador “Snowy” – Allegra Boverman Winter has barely begun, and it is already shaping up to be another Snowy Owl irruption year! These stunning, mysterious arctic visitors will find themselves looking farther than usual for a wide, expanse of hunting ground to pass the winter, delighting those of…
The Fab Four: Meet Our New Birds!
by Anna Autilio Lead, Environmental Educator This summer, VINS was fortunate to welcome a whopping four new birds to the education team. We are excited to introduce you to them, and look forward to your meeting them eye-to-eye as raptor ambassadors! Miami, the Eastern Screech Owl When next you come to VINS, keep your eyes…
VINS Volunteer Transporter Training
by Lauren Adams Lead Wildlife Keeper Love animals? Live in Vermont or New Hampshire? Have a car? Have some flexibility in your schedule? We need you! Help VINS rescue and rehabilitate injured wild birds by being a volunteer transporter! Every year, VINS rescues and rehabilitates around 500 wild birds from all over the state of…
What’s That Caterpillar?
By Anna Autilio Lead, Environmental Educator If you’ve been seeing as many caterpillars lately as we have, you’re probably curious about who they are and what they’re up to. Below you’ll find a peek into the life history of five common caterpillars seen around the VINS campus this September. How many of these have you…
How Do You Talk With Owls: Flustered
by aJbishopCWBR Volunteer I have the keys to their enclosures. The raptors. I open them, one at a time, and do service for owls and hawks and eagles and falcons. I rake and clean and water while they, wild talon shod birds, study my every move. As I work, I can’t help but ask: how…
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…
A Change of Feathers: The Molt
By Anna Autilio Lead Environmental Educator Feathers are one of the defining characteristics of birds. They produce the brilliant red of the Northern Cardinal, and the shocking blue of an Indigo Bunting. Though one purpose of feathers is to be flashy and attractive, especially to a potential mate, feathers have a host of other functions.…
The Yearly Cycle: Vernal Pools
by Anna AutilioEnvironmental Educator Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) One of the most beautiful natural illustrations of the cycle of the year is found in the vernal pool. Often called “ephemeral”, these pools provide crucial, temporary homes for some distinct wild plant and animal species. Filling in the spring and drying in the summer, they track…
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…
Project FeederWatch: Winter 2016-2017 at VINS
by Anna Autilio Environmental Educator The beginning of spring marked the last days of this season of Project FeederWatch, a citizen science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, aimed at documenting the abundance and distribution of wintering birds in North America. This year, VINS officially participated in this important project, which will be…
