Mount Ascutney in spring © Kent McFarland

On Tuesday, Mar 19th at 11:06 PM, spring arrives in the north. The spring equinox marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator – an imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s equator – from south to north. It is also at spring equinox that people worldwide can see the sun rise exactly due east and set exactly due west. While the sun may be predictable, March weather is not. In fact, March is appropriately named for the Roman god of war, Mars. March is a month of battles between warm and cold, between winter’s refusal to leave and spring’s insistence on coming. So, here are some signs of spring to look out for in this Field Guide to March.

Join Us for the 2024 City Nature Challenge!

VCE staff during our 2023 biothon © Alex Johnson

The 2024 City Nature Challenge is a global bioblitz, and the city of Burlington is participating! If you live in the greater Burlington area (or want to spend a day there) you can be part of the celebration. The event takes place from April 26th-29th: for more info check out the official website here.

A Peregrine Falcon, with its narrow, pointed wings and torpedo-shaped body, is built for speed.

© iNat user @winterglow

Congratulations to iNat user @winterglow for winning the February 2024 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Their mid-flight photograph of the fastest bird on earth, the Peregrine Falcon, received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.

A peregrination is a long, often arduous journey or pilgrimage, a word well-suited for a long-distance migrant such as the Peregrine Falcon. This falcon, found across the globe on all continents but Antarctica, might be better known for a much shorter journey that begins high in the sky and ends far below with a duck, shorebird, or pigeon gripped in its talons. During these high-speed flights known as ‘stoops,’ Peregrine Falcons can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph, faster than any bird on earth. Just as comfortable on the rocky cliffs of Vermont as they are on the skyscrapers of New York City, the Peregrine Falcon is one of the greatest conservation success stories on the continent, having recovered from the disastrous effects of DDT with the help of captive rearing and release programs. Some may know the Peregrine Falcon as a vital character in My Side of the Mountain, a book that sparks a love of nature in budding naturalists. In Vermont, Peregrine Falcon populations have recovered in recent decades to the point where most suitable cliff faces in the state now have a nesting pair in residence. This success is thanks in part to efforts to reduce the disturbance of nesting falcons by closing off breeding sites to climbers and hikers. You can learn more about the status of Peregrine Falcons in Vermont here, and view a map of nearby sightings of this iconic species on Vermont eBird.

Learn about Our Future Ecologist Internship

VCE’s 2023 Future Ecologists interns Emily Marple (left) and Pablo Sosa-Negron (middle) sit with fellow intern Julia Stahl (right) on Mount Mansfield. © Emily Marple

Ecologists know that ecological communities are strongest and most resilient when they are diverse. That is why several years ago, VCE added the Future Ecologist Internship to our summer opportunities for college students. To learn more about this unique program, the goals behind it, and past testimonials, read the full article here.

Join Us for a Junior Duck Stamp Competition

Join our executive director Susan Hindinger as she judges the annual Youth Waterfowl Art Contest. The competition will be held on March 28th at the Vermont Institute of Nature and Science (VINS) from 9:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. The contest is part of the U.S Fish and Wildlife's Junior Duck Stamp program, and will feature art from students across the state.

Join Us for April Suds & Science

Kate Buckman out in the field © Sprankle

Our next Suds & Science will feature Kate Buckman Linden presenting "There and Back Again: A Journey Through Aquatic Ecosystems." Throughout her career Kate has worked in various freshwater, estuarine, and marine aquatic ecosystems, traveling from New Hampshire to the Caribbean, the deep sea, and back to New Hampshire and the Connecticut River watershed. Despite the outward differences between these areas, this journey has allowed Kate to observe common threads in aquatic ecology and how humans interact with water. She will talk about her experiences and observations and invite discussion around how our actions here in New England may reach farther than we think.

VENUE CHANGE: The event will take place at the Vermont Center For Ecostudies on April 2nd at 7 p.m. on the second floor. VCE is located at 20 Palmer Ct, White River Junction, VT.

This event is B.Y.O.B and B.Y.O.S(nacks)

If you want to see the full list of 2024 speakers, you can visit this page on our website. For those who can't make it, this event will also be professionally recorded and available soon after.

Thank You!

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) © Baron Briggs

We would like to take a moment to thank all of you in our wonderful VCE community!

Your support enables us to explore new frontiers in conservation science, and we couldn't be more grateful! If you would like to help us realize our conservation goals, please consider making a donation or volunteering your time.

The Vermont Center for Ecostudies promotes wildlife conservation across the Americas using the combined strength of scientific research and community engagement. Find us online at vtecostudies.org.