Vermont Center for Ecostudies
@vtecostudies.bsky.social
Uniting People and Science for Conservation.
Stick season is here and bird migration is petering off, but don’t let that get you down. The chickadees are bopping around the feeders, and mammals are getting fat and cozy. There are still even butterflies to be found! Here’s what to look for in November.
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
Field Guide to November 2025 | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
Stick season is here and bird migration is petering off, but don’t let that get you down. The chickadees are bopping around the feeders, and mammals are getting fat and cozy. There are still even butt...
vtecostudies.org
November 4, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Stick season is here and bird migration is petering off, but don’t let that get you down. The chickadees are bopping around the feeders, and mammals are getting fat and cozy. There are still even butterflies to be found! Here’s what to look for in November.
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
Our goal is to reach 1 million research-grade observations in our Vermont Atlas of Life by the end of 2025. We're now just 500 observations away!
iNat power users can help us get there! Head to VAL's iNat dashboard to start ID'ing! (ID to genus or family if you cannot ID to species.)
iNat power users can help us get there! Head to VAL's iNat dashboard to start ID'ing! (ID to genus or family if you cannot ID to species.)
October 23, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Our goal is to reach 1 million research-grade observations in our Vermont Atlas of Life by the end of 2025. We're now just 500 observations away!
iNat power users can help us get there! Head to VAL's iNat dashboard to start ID'ing! (ID to genus or family if you cannot ID to species.)
iNat power users can help us get there! Head to VAL's iNat dashboard to start ID'ing! (ID to genus or family if you cannot ID to species.)
Wow! This community helped raise $14,107.25 for Bicknell's Thrush research!
Predictions closed last Friday, but the race isn't over! Stay tuned with the map: tinyurl.com/2s3adkfc
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a program of Birds Canada and an international network of partners.
Predictions closed last Friday, but the race isn't over! Stay tuned with the map: tinyurl.com/2s3adkfc
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a program of Birds Canada and an international network of partners.
October 21, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Wow! This community helped raise $14,107.25 for Bicknell's Thrush research!
Predictions closed last Friday, but the race isn't over! Stay tuned with the map: tinyurl.com/2s3adkfc
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a program of Birds Canada and an international network of partners.
Predictions closed last Friday, but the race isn't over! Stay tuned with the map: tinyurl.com/2s3adkfc
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a program of Birds Canada and an international network of partners.
In a new article from the fall issue of our biannual magazine, Field Notes, VCE Communications Director Alden Wicker dives into VCE's history with Bicknell's Thrush, featuring an interview with our Director Emeritus Chris Rimmer.
vtecostudies.org/blog/why-bic...
vtecostudies.org/blog/why-bic...
Why Bicknell’s Thrush? | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
How one elusive bird inspired generations of biologists—and helped create Vermont Center for Ecostudies.
vtecostudies.org
October 16, 2025 at 5:39 PM
In a new article from the fall issue of our biannual magazine, Field Notes, VCE Communications Director Alden Wicker dives into VCE's history with Bicknell's Thrush, featuring an interview with our Director Emeritus Chris Rimmer.
vtecostudies.org/blog/why-bic...
vtecostudies.org/blog/why-bic...
Our Field Guide to October is here. The leaves are turning and falling, bees are buzzing around the asters, and mushrooms are putting out their final fruit. Don't blink or you'll miss it! See what our scientists are thinking about this month.
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
Field Guide to October 2025 | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
Nature is putting on its final, colorful autumn show. Leaves are turning and falling, bees are buzzing around the asters, and mushrooms are putting out their final fruit. Don't blink or you'll miss it...
vtecostudies.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Our Field Guide to October is here. The leaves are turning and falling, bees are buzzing around the asters, and mushrooms are putting out their final fruit. Don't blink or you'll miss it! See what our scientists are thinking about this month.
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
More data has arrived, and the Bicknell's Thrush Race to the Atlantic is heating up! Tiny Tim and Teardrop Tommy were neck and neck on September 29th in the Mid-Atlantic, and the others are not far behind!
Get in the race (or pick another bird to win) by October 17th! tinyurl.com/mv4h26r7
Get in the race (or pick another bird to win) by October 17th! tinyurl.com/mv4h26r7
October 13, 2025 at 6:09 PM
More data has arrived, and the Bicknell's Thrush Race to the Atlantic is heating up! Tiny Tim and Teardrop Tommy were neck and neck on September 29th in the Mid-Atlantic, and the others are not far behind!
Get in the race (or pick another bird to win) by October 17th! tinyurl.com/mv4h26r7
Get in the race (or pick another bird to win) by October 17th! tinyurl.com/mv4h26r7
Which of the 19 birds our scientists tagged on Mt. Mansfield this summer will jump off the East Coast first? Make your prediction, support VCE research, and get the chance of winning custom merch: vtecostudies.org/wildlife/wil...
Bicknell’s Thrush Race to the Atlantic! | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
vtecostudies.org
October 3, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Which of the 19 birds our scientists tagged on Mt. Mansfield this summer will jump off the East Coast first? Make your prediction, support VCE research, and get the chance of winning custom merch: vtecostudies.org/wildlife/wil...
Ryan Norris (University of Guelph), Michael Hallworth (Vermont Center for Ecostudies), and Bill DeLuca (National Audubon Society) are seeking a PhD student to join their research team beginning May 2026 to study migration and demography of an iconic long-distance migratory songbird.
📷© Rick Nirschl
📷© Rick Nirschl
September 29, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Ryan Norris (University of Guelph), Michael Hallworth (Vermont Center for Ecostudies), and Bill DeLuca (National Audubon Society) are seeking a PhD student to join their research team beginning May 2026 to study migration and demography of an iconic long-distance migratory songbird.
📷© Rick Nirschl
📷© Rick Nirschl
In This Class, the Teacher Wants You to Be Wild www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/r...
In This Class, the Teacher Wants You to Be Wild
www.nytimes.com
September 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
In This Class, the Teacher Wants You to Be Wild www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/r...
This summer, VCE Seasonal Biologist Kevin Dernier launched a project to understand how automated radiotelemetry can be used to study breeding behaviors in female Gray Catbirds.
Read the full field report:
vtecostudies.org/blog/the-secret-lives-of-catbirds/
Read the full field report:
vtecostudies.org/blog/the-secret-lives-of-catbirds/
Field Report: The Secret Lives of Catbirds: Uncovering Nesting Behavior with Tracking Technology | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
We're studying how we can track the behavior of these skulky, secretive birds. With luck and persistence, we may be able to piece together how the reproductive burden affects females season-to-season ...
vtecostudies.org
September 15, 2025 at 2:44 PM
This summer, VCE Seasonal Biologist Kevin Dernier launched a project to understand how automated radiotelemetry can be used to study breeding behaviors in female Gray Catbirds.
Read the full field report:
vtecostudies.org/blog/the-secret-lives-of-catbirds/
Read the full field report:
vtecostudies.org/blog/the-secret-lives-of-catbirds/
Anna Peel just spent her second summer on Mount Mansfield as VCE's lead bird banding technician, and her recent field report brings the magic of Mansfield work with migratory birds to life.
Field Report: How the Birds Are Doing on Mount Mansfield This Summer | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
Our Slate-Colored Junco capture numbers are half of what they were last year, although all of our other target species are visiting our nets at roughly the same or higher rates as 2024.
vtecostudies.org
September 11, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Anna Peel just spent her second summer on Mount Mansfield as VCE's lead bird banding technician, and her recent field report brings the magic of Mansfield work with migratory birds to life.
Our Field Guide to September is here, and it features some unexpected southern migration stories. From Green Darner Dragonflies to Bicknell's Thrush, learn how VCE scientists are uncovering the mysteries of migrating species' annual cycles and how this knowledge can help conservation efforts.
Field Guide to September 2025 | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
As the weather begins to shift, we turn our attention to migration. From Green Darner Dragonflies to Bicknell's Thrush, learn how VCE scientists are uncovering the mysteries of migrating species' annu...
vtecostudies.org
September 3, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Our Field Guide to September is here, and it features some unexpected southern migration stories. From Green Darner Dragonflies to Bicknell's Thrush, learn how VCE scientists are uncovering the mysteries of migrating species' annual cycles and how this knowledge can help conservation efforts.
Vermont's healthy loon population is certainly a success, but we can do even better. The threat posed by lead in our fishing gear remains. In a recent blog post, VCE intern Isabella Soddu shares why.
Read the full article (it's very affecting).
Read the full article (it's very affecting).
Legal Lead Fishing Gear Is Still Killing Loons | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
I watched Mark Pokras, a seasoned veterinarian from Tufts University, pull a jig out of the loon's gizzard. “If you can scrape the top layer, it's probably lead,” he explained.
vtecostudies.org
August 22, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Vermont's healthy loon population is certainly a success, but we can do even better. The threat posed by lead in our fishing gear remains. In a recent blog post, VCE intern Isabella Soddu shares why.
Read the full article (it's very affecting).
Read the full article (it's very affecting).
Tomorrow is National Honey Bee Day, so naturally, we're talking about the importance of wild bees instead. VCE biologist Spencer Hardy studies native bees, which are often overshadowed by their domesticated cousins. Here he unpacks the nuanced answer to an uncommon question: "Are honey bees good?"
Are Honey Bees Good? | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
As a wild bee biologist for VCE, I’ve spent the better part of the last five years studying, counting, and watching native bees, which are often overlooked in favor of their domesticated cousins.
vtecostudies.org
August 15, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Tomorrow is National Honey Bee Day, so naturally, we're talking about the importance of wild bees instead. VCE biologist Spencer Hardy studies native bees, which are often overshadowed by their domesticated cousins. Here he unpacks the nuanced answer to an uncommon question: "Are honey bees good?"
Have you seen a wakeboat on your lake? They create ocean-sized waves for wakeboarding. And for many, current rules on wakeboats may not go far enough to ease concerns about safe recreation and impacts on aquatic environments. Loons and their nests may especially be at risk.
The Ripple Effect: Wakeboats Pose Risks to Loon Nests | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
For many, current rules on wakeboats, which create ocean sized waves for wakeboarding, may not go far enough to ease concerns about safe recreation and impacts on aquatic environments. Loons and their...
vtecostudies.org
August 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Have you seen a wakeboat on your lake? They create ocean-sized waves for wakeboarding. And for many, current rules on wakeboats may not go far enough to ease concerns about safe recreation and impacts on aquatic environments. Loons and their nests may especially be at risk.
Many of you have asked how recent federal actions have affected VCE’s work. Our Executive Director Susan Hindinger addresses those questions in a letter to our community.
A Letter From Our Executive Director: Prepared for This Moment | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
These are not normal times for science or conservation. And many of you have asked how recent federal actions have affected VCE’s work.
vtecostudies.org
August 6, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Many of you have asked how recent federal actions have affected VCE’s work. Our Executive Director Susan Hindinger addresses those questions in a letter to our community.
In a soon-to-be-published VCE study, tick spraying was associated with a 5% to 30% immediate decline for most invertebrate groups, especially less mobile and soft-bodied arthropods, like native caterpillars that turn into moths and butterflies.
Is Our Tick Anxiety Affecting Pollinators? | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
In a soon-to-be-published VCE study, tick spraying was associated with a five to 30% immediate decline for most invertebrate groups, especially less mobile and soft-bodied arthropods, like native cate...
vtecostudies.org
August 4, 2025 at 7:40 PM
In a soon-to-be-published VCE study, tick spraying was associated with a 5% to 30% immediate decline for most invertebrate groups, especially less mobile and soft-bodied arthropods, like native caterpillars that turn into moths and butterflies.
Our Field Guide to August is here!
Read the full guide to see the things our biologists are looking forward to in August.
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
Read the full guide to see the things our biologists are looking forward to in August.
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
Field Guide to August 2025 | Vermont Center for Ecostudies
In August, birding efforts are fruitful if you know where to look. Berry-bearing trees and shrubs feed thrushes, waxwings, and bluebirds, while migrating shorebirds pause along gravel bars and mudflat...
vtecostudies.org
August 1, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Our Field Guide to August is here!
Read the full guide to see the things our biologists are looking forward to in August.
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
Read the full guide to see the things our biologists are looking forward to in August.
vtecostudies.org/blog/field-g...
We love this NYT article highlighting community science and iNaturalist. Community science is at the heart of what VCE does, and iNaturalist is a foundational tool in VCE projects like VAL and the VT Butterfly Atlas.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/s...
Citizen Scientists Are Accelerating Ecology Research, Study Suggests
www.nytimes.com
July 31, 2025 at 6:29 PM
We love this NYT article highlighting community science and iNaturalist. Community science is at the heart of what VCE does, and iNaturalist is a foundational tool in VCE projects like VAL and the VT Butterfly Atlas.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/s...