Springtime in Vermont. © Kent McFarland
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In May, temperatures finally begin to soar, and the breeze carries tantalizing hints of warm summer days to come. Across Vermont, trees are leafing out, and newly arrived migrant birds are dripping from branches. Emerging insects are pollinating spring ephemerals in bloom. Spring is truly upon us now. Discover all the sights May has to offer with our Field Guide.
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Become a Community Scientist! |
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As a Mountain Birdwatch volunteer, you can merge your love of hiking and birding for conservation.
© Kirsti Carr
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If birding, hiking, or kayaking is already among your summer plans, consider becoming a Mountain Birdwatch or Vermont Loon Conservation Project community scientist to collect valuable data while doing what you love.
As a Mountain Birdwatcher, you will count birds along one route in a high-elevation spruce-fir forest of Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, or Maine on any June day of your choosing. The protocol is simple, the scenery breath-taking, and the short list of 11 monitored species means that almost any hiker who birds a little (or birder who likes to hike!) can participate. This year, there are still routes available for adoption in every state. Contact Jason Hill (jhill@vtecostudies.org) with any questions or to adopt a route.
For those who opt for Vermont’s lake scenery over the high-elevation peaks (or maybe those of you taking a celebratory swim after your Mountain Birdwatch route), consider participating in a Focused Loon Survey. As a loon survey volunteer, you will help us figure out pair activity, nest start dates, floater loon activity, and eagle activity on under-surveyed lakes and ponds in the state. A focused loon survey can happen in a single visit, so these are ideal for people who may not have the time to observe a lake throughout the summer. Check out the LoonWatch page to learn more about this and other volunteer opportunities.
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Within the last half-century, the melodic song of Eastern Meadowlarks has become fewer and farther between across the Vermont landscape as the species' population has precipitously declined. In light of their recent listing as state threatened, VCE is launching an effort to monitor their population—an integral first step in their recovery. Check Vermont eBird to see where they’ve been reported recently, or submit your own sightings. Learn more about their conservation and monitoring on VCE’s website.
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Join us for Birdathon 2022 |
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Spring migration is well underway, and the days leading up to Birdathon 2022 are simply flying by! Here at VCE, members of our Green Mountain Goatsuckers team are fine-tuning their binoculars for this day-long birding extravaganza, and we hope that you will join us.
Whether you choose to form your own team, make a donation, or pledge per species observed, everyone's contributions help make Birdathon a success. Together, we can reach our goal of raising $50,000 to support VCE's ongoing research and long-term monitoring programs while collecting valuable data on Vermont's birds. Plus, need we say that it's a fun excuse to spend time outside and witness the captivating diversity of spring migrants?
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P.S. Need a little more Birdathon inspiration? Click on the video at right for a message from VCE Executive Director Chris Rimmer.
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Ditch Your Lawnmower for No Mow May |
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The Rose-miner Bee (Andrena melanochroa) is one of many native species that would benefit if you left your lawnmower in the shed. © Spencer Hardy
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We all know “April showers bring May flowers”—unless the lawnmower gets to them first! This spring, consider supporting your local pollinators by pressing "pause" on grass trimming and participating in No Mow May. The idea is simple: by not mowing during May, more flowers will have time to mature and provide essential resources for many spring bees and other pollinators. Visit the VAL blog to learn more.
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VCE Selected as First: Earth's
2022 Donation Recipient
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Do you love nature and the performing arts? If your answer is "heck yes," it's time to start marking your calendar for First: Earth's summer performance series. Each year, First: Earth chooses an environmental nonprofit to receive proceeds from ticket sales, and VCE is honored to have been selected in 2022. This year's performances range from theatre and ballet to live music and are sure to delight attendees of all ages. So, gather your favorite theatre lovers and spend a memorable (and entertaining) afternoon or evening at the Isham Family Farm in Williston, VT. Visit the VCE blog for more information about this outstanding organization and upcoming performances.
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VCE's First-ever Teacher Education Workshop |
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VCE will build on its experience leading successful community science conservation projects, such as grassland bird monitoring. © Liza Morse |
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Calling all teachers! VCE is thrilled to announce that its first-ever Community Science Teacher Education Workshop is enrolling participants. Join us July 19-22 to learn how you can incorporate data collection and analysis into your lessons. Participants will also explore VCE’s research programs and discover ways their classes can contribute to our existing community science initiatives.
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Participate in Pollen Watch |
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Two-spotted Bumble Bee (left) and Tri-colored Bumble Bee (right). © Kent McFarland
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Bumble bees are well-known, important pollinators; however, there is still much to learn about them and the threats they face. Stemming from conversations with UVM’s pollinator extension specialist, we are launching a pilot project to mine iNaturalist for data to model the relationship between spring weather and colony formation in all 13 extant Bombus species. Volunteer for VCE right from your own desk!
Unlike Honey Bees, bumble bee colonies only last one season, with new queens overwintering and starting colonies in April and May. Since even a small colony of workers can visit many more flowers than a single queen, knowing when colonies get started helps predict pollination services for spring-blooming crops like apples and blueberries. The Vermont Atlas of Life team believes we can model this based on information already present in the 8000+ bumble bee observations shared with the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist.
We can’t do it alone—we are eagerly seeking volunteers to help us by annotating iNaturalist photos. Since more than 85% of the observations are already research-grade, we need naturalists of all levels to help mark whether the bee is carrying pollen. Details on how to help can be found here.
Of course, new observations are valuable too and will be included in our study. Both gathering observations and fine-tuning existing ones are essential for this project's success!
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Photo-observation of the Month
Red-bellied Woodpecker
by Craig K. Hunt
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A male Red-bellied Woodpecker attempts to evict a European Starling from his nest in a tree cavity.
© Craig K. Hunt
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Congratulations to Craig Hunt for winning the April 2022 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! His photo of a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers attempting to remove a European Starling from their nest cavity received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month. Visit the VCE Blog for more info and view fantastic images of the runners-up in the April 2022 Photo-observation of the Month.
Visit the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist, where you can vote for the winner this month by clicking 'fav' 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!
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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
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