Easy Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Waste Today
by Anna Autilio Lead, Environmental Educator In 2018, we mark the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the most powerful and important bird-protection law ever passed. In honor of this milestone, nature lovers around the world are joining forces to celebrate 2018 as the “Year of the Bird.” June’s call to action is to reduce…
The Intrepid Duck
This young mallard duck came into our care in early August after a woman found him sitting listless in the middle of a road. She brought the bird to VINS for help. Upon examination, we found the juvenile duck to be thin, weak, and suffering from head trauma (evident by the blood leaking from one of…
Duck Gets His Winter On
Sometimes, you just have to wonder how birds get into the situations we find them in. Watch a video of a duck’s return to the wild. This mallard duck, found December 27, was spotted sitting under a ski lift at Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, VT. Was he flying past the mountain, and hit wires…
Splish Splash
Remember our female mallard whose broken leg just recently healed? Well, that healed leg is now paddling her toward a new life. On August 22nd we sent her off in style at Dewey’s Mill Pond here in Quechee, VT. The duck came into our care after being hit by a vehicle in the Barre area…
A New Leg to Stand On
This beautiful female mallard duck came to the VINS Wildlife Services department on August 1. She was transferred here from another rehabilitator and had been found on the side of the road after being struck by a vehicle. This little lady was so swollen around her left leg that at the time she came in,…
Luck of the Loon
A common loon had the good luck of being found by a local Vermont man after the bird became grounded. The bird was under the scoreboard of the Otter Valley Union High School football field in Brandon — not your typical loon hangout. Loons — who must be in water to take off for flight…
Back in the Game
This handsome mallard duck is one tough customer. After being struck by a car and dragged across the asphalt, this duck made an awesome recovery here in the rehabilitation department at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. See a video of his release. In the accident, the duck suffered deep chest wounds and road rash…
Waterlogged
We are waterlogged here at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Nope, it’s not the heavy rains we’ve had lately — it’s the plentiful waterfowl patients in our care. As of today, the VINS Wildlife Services staff is caring for 2 orphaned mallard ducklings, 8 orphaned wood ducklings, 1 baby common merganser, an adult mallard…
Why did the duck cross the road?
This handsome mallard is still probably asking himself the same thing. When he stepped out on the road last week he ended up getting nailed by a passing vehicle and suffering some serious road-rash. But, he had two things going for him: 1. He got hit right in front of the home of some serious…
Guess Who?
A goose, that’s who! This Canada gosling (a baby Canada goose) was recently orphaned, and is the first baby bird the VINS Wildlife Services department has received this spring! The people who found her in their yard tried to find her family, and did the right thing by leaving the gosling outside in a shallow…
