Lucky Duck!
After more than a month of rehabilitation, our female mallard recovered from lead poisoning and was ready to be released into the wild. We asked for your help and you delivered: multiple callers and Facebookers responded with ideas of local mallard populations that our duck could join. The one we picked ended up being the…
Got Mallards? We Need Your Help!
The VINS Wildlife Services department needs your help! We have a female mallard in our care who is ready to return to the wild. Problem is, we don’t want to send her off on her own! Do you know of any mallard populations in Vermont’s Upper Valley, or within a 1/2-hour drive of Quechee? We’d…
It’s a cormorant! It’s a loon! It’s a …
By Katie KoertenVINS Wildlife Services InternLast week in Wildlife Services we were presented with every bird nerd’s dream: a mystery bird. Both the person who found the bird and the person who brought it to us were scratching their heads about what it could be. Click here to see this mystery bird get released! It…
Another Shot at Life
This Canada goose was brought to VINS August 24, spotted by a member of the public who noticed the bird was unable to fly. The bird came to us emaciated and weak, but with no apparent injuries. We suspected lead poisoning might be the problem and upon x-ray, the VINS Wildlife Services department found the…
A Little Bliss For You
It’s a beautiful weekend here in Vermont, and I’m going to add to your bliss by sharing this video of a gosling currently in our care. He’s just about the cutest thing around. Watch the video of our little gosling! The baby Canada goose (a.k.a. gosling) was found orphaned a few days ago, and was…
One Duck’s Tale
Ducks seem to be everywhere in Vermont. It’s easy to spot a merganser or two floating down a river, a wood duck in a tucked-away pond, or a sord of mallards on a lake. But imagine one woman’s surprise to see a drake — a male mallard — wandering around the parking lot of a…
A Cruel Act
In the winter, Canada geese leave Vermont for warmer climes where open waters abound. When flocks gather and head south, it’s the injured geese who are left behind. The VINS Wildlife Services department receives many calls in the winter about geese who are by themselves, trudging through snow to find water that hasn’t iced over.…
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…
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…
