Nevermore: Returning a Raven to the Wild
by Jordan DaleyScience Outreach CoordinatorHalloween is not my favorite holiday. Shadows obscuring a midnight sky, dry leaves rattling against my window, scary stories, haunting and ghosts; none of these are among my favorite things. I like to spend the weeks surrounding October 31st partaking in entirely un-creepy activities, like baking or yoga. As a kid,…
Remarkable Robins
by Calah Beckwith Lead Wildlife Keeper The nest….in good condition forfor such a long journey. What are the chances? I find myself saying this many times each week, and I’m constantly amazed at the strength and will to survive that our wild patients exhibit. Of all the birds who find themselves in harms way, it’s…
The Bear Man
Guest blog by Gene Walz, Friend of VINS Bears understand us better than we understand them. That’s one of the many take-away insights that Ben Kilham revealed to a packed audience at VINS at his June 19 talk. In other words, bears are not the simple dangerous brutes many people fear. The Bear Man,…
Bald Eagle….Freedom for A Special Patient
by Calah BeckwithLead Wildlife KeeperA bald eagle is a rare and special patient at the VINS Wild Bird Hospital. Recently, we had the privilege of providing care for an injured juvenile eagle. He was found on March 21 in Danby, VT by game warden Justin Stedman. He was sitting on the side of a road,…
School is Out, Nature Camp is in!
by Kelly Beerman Nature Camp Coordinator It is that time of year again for VINS Natures Camps! It was certainly a wet and muggy couple of weeks, but the campers were having too much fun to even care about the weather. Despite the rain and humidity, all six camp sessions had many adventures, with campers…
Snapper Time!
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, if you ask me, we’ve added quite a beauty to our exhibits here at VINS. Featuring powerful jaws and a snorkel-like snout, this Common Snapping Turtle – now on exhibit in Fledgling Corner – is sure to turn heads. Recently acquired by the VINS…
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…
Little, Green, Minnow-Eating Machine!
A long-necked cutie made his way into VINS Wildlife Services on June 27. The fledgling green heron, with his bright yellow legs and downy feathers, is a bit of a rarity in Wildlife Services (although they are found throughout Vermont). Although we’re sorry he’s injured, we all appreciate the opportunity to work with this wading…
Video Babes
Baby bird season is officially underway here at VINS Wildlife Services, and we have a bunch of videos posted here for your viewing pleasure. As of today, we have about 30 young birds in our care — ranging from wood ducklings to crows. While baby bird care has become second nature to the staff here…
‘Once upon a midnight dreary…’
In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Raven,” we meet a stoic raven “once upon a midnight dreary,” whose foreboding repetition of “nevermore” sends a young man into a state of madness. In England at the Tower of London, it is believed that if the ravens who reside on the grounds leave, the kingdom of England will…
