Summer in Vermont © Kent McFarland

The avian breeding season is winding down. Even a few southbound shorebirds will trickle through the region this month on their “fall” migration. But as the dawn bird chorus fades from northern woodlands, fields and wetlands erupt in the sparkle and drama of summer insects. Here’s a short guide to some of the other glitter now on the wing.

Read it here.

VAL Ten-year Summary Report is Now Available

After a decade of collecting and analyzing observations, we're ready to share our findings! The 10th Anniversary Vermont Atlas of Life Report is here, summarizing key findings and the next steps to maintain biodiversity in the state.

Check out the report here.

Join Our Bit O' Balsam Beer Release Party and Grab a Shirt

Do you like birds? Do you like beer? Do you like cool merch?

Well, we've got some terrific news! Lawson's Finest Liquids has brought back Bit O' Balsam, a limited-edition beer made with balsam clippings that we helped pick ourselves! A portion of the sales will help fund Mountain Birdwatch. The beer will launch on July 19th, but you can get these cool shirts right now! 

We'll have a launch party at Lawson's Finest Liquids in Waitsfield, Vermont from 4 pm-6 pm on the 19th. There will be food, drink, and a whole lot of fun! We hope to see you there.

Join us for LoonWatch 2023

An adult loon carries its chick on Lake Iroquois. © Lisa Angstman

Join us for this year's LoonWatch on July 15th! On the third Saturday in July of every year, LoonWatch volunteers take to the water to count loons. It’s the single most effective way for VCE to document and track breeding loons across the state.

Learn more about the event and how you can participate here.

Mount Mansfield Update: After Rainy Week Three, Week Four Showed Promise

Early morning coffee on Mount Mansfield. © Susan Hindinger

Last week was rainy and uneventful, but the fourth week on Mount Mansfield provided beautiful weather and cooperative birds. As a result, birds filled our nets once again.

Check out the full article here.

Would You Like to be Part of a Conservation Success Story?

Two chicks play near a parent on Lake Iroquois. © Lisa Angstman

You can join the decades-long effort to protect and recover Vermont’s loons by giving to the Vermont Loon Conservation Project. Forty years of research and advocacy, wide-ranging partnerships, and dedicated volunteers and donors have helped Vermont’s loon population grow from seven breeding pairs in 1983 to around one hundred now. What a remarkable recovery!

Whatever you can give, you can be proud to know that you're contributing to one of the greatest conservation success stories in Vermont’s history. Thank you!

Join Us for a Talk About Community Science

VCE Conservation Biologist Desiree Narango will be the keynote speaker at an upcoming event at Fletcher Free Library called Bringing Science Home! The library will be filled with informative (and awesome) sessions focusing on citizen, or community science, and how you can get involved with local organizations that do this type of work.

Find out more about the event here.

Thank You for a Great Biodiversity Jamboree!

VCE Biologist Spencer Hardy poses for a picture during a bird netting demonstration at Biodiversity Jamboree. © Hugh Montgomery

Last month, VCE was delighted to co-host, with our friends at the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier, the first annual Biodiversity Jamboree. Torrents of rain abated just as visitors arrived and the first of more than 20 programs got underway. Both newbies and experienced naturalists enjoyed trail walks, workshops on birds, bees, butterflies and much more, live music, species identification technology (eBird, iNaturalist, and Merlin demonstrations), and the fellowship of other participants. We were especially pleased that so many children joined parents and grandparents for this fun and exciting day of discovery.

At the end of the afternoon, renowned entomologist Doug Tallamy gave an outstanding presentation – Nature’s Best Hope - outlining some of the challenges facing our environment and showcasing how each of us can make a personal commitment to biodiversity through an ambitious nationwide project called Homegrown National Park. You can watch the session here; it’s well worth your time.

Stay tuned for BioJam II being scheduled for summer 2024. You’ll want to be there!

A rare Prothonotary Warbler contemplates his reflection, or perhaps the similarly yellow Vermont inspection sticker? © Craig Hunt

Congratulations to Craig Hunt for winning the June 2023 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His photos of a rare Prothonotary Warbler perched on his truck’s windshield received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.



The shining yellow body and head and slate-blue wings of the Prothonotary Warbler are more often seen in southern swamps than green mountains, but every now and then one of these gems finds its way to Vermont. Craig’s encounter with this Prothonotary Warbler marks only the second time this species has been reported in Vermont during the month of June! Named for their resemblance to the yellow robes of papal clerks (prothonotaries) of the Roman Catholic church, the Prothonotary Warbler also holds a fascinating place in US History. In a story involving Cold War espionage, amateur ornithology, and even a dash of Richard Nixon, the Prothonotary Warbler plays a major role! Like any iNaturalist observation, Craig’s photos raise more questions than they answer. Is this bird aggressively interacting with its reflection in the windshield? Is it perhaps instead investigating the similarly yellow VT state inspection sticker? Is this bird scouring Townshend, VT for a mate or a place to set up a nest? Or is it instead an unpaired male that wandered northward with the aid of a tailwind? Either way, many thanks to Craig for sharing his encounter with a spectacular rare warbler!

Visit the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist, where you can vote for the winner this month by clicking the ‘fave’ star on your favorite photo observation. Make sure you get outdoors and record the biodiversity around you, then submit your discoveries, and you could be a winner!