Through the Window: December 2011 feeder and nearby birds

Now we’re semi-closed (visitors welcome! But please call a few days in advance to make an appointment), we don’t have as many people watching our feeders.

Blue Jay, carved by Bob Spear
(photograph by Erin Talmage)

Wonder which species might’ve come by and not been noticed…

• Black-capped chickadee
• Tufted Titmouse
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Blue Jay
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Mourning Dove
• Downy woodpecker
• American goldfinch (winter plumage)
• Northern Cardinal
• Ruffed grouse
• Pileated woodpecker (swooping over parking lot, calling on 12/27, the 2nd visit)
• Purple Finch (12/28)

Naturally, we also saw the usual cluster of red squirrels and gray squirrels.

Looking forward to National Bird Day on January 5th!  And keep track of our more formally collected data: we contribute to Feeder Watch.

American Kestrel is the Bird of the year

American Kestrel is the Bird of the year for 2011.

See more at http://www.aba.org/boy/ (from the American Birding Association).

Through the Window: November 2011 Feeder and Garden Birds

What we noted on the white board by the viewing window.

• Hairy Woodpecker
• Blue Jay
• Downy Woodpecker
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Black-capped chickadee
• American Goldfinch
• Tufted Titmouse
• Mourning Dove
• Barred Owl
• Ruffed Grouse

Not so many this month. It was often sunny, but as we were closed except for appointments/scheduled visitors, there were also fewer humans watching out for birds. In addition, the sunny days could’ve allowed the birds to easily feed elsewhere. And with that owl watching off and on, that might’ve been very practical!

a barred owl watching the feeding area

There is a barred owl near the feeding area right now! Soaking up November sunlight, keeping eyes + ears focused on chipmunks + juncos… http://ow.ly/i/kPGk

Through the Window: October 2011 Feeder and Garden Birds

What people have recorded on our white board by the viewing window.

• Hairy Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• American Goldfinch
• Black-capped chickadee
• Song sparrow
• Mourning Dove
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Eastern Phoebe
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Canada Goose
• White-throated sparrow
• American Robin
• Tufted Titmouse
• Raven (2 on 10/18/11, in the morning, above the museum)
• Northern Cardinal
• Ruffed Grouse (eating crabapples at 4:15 p.m. in late October)

For even more birds—perceived from more or less the other side of the window and garden—check out our Big Sit! results too!

The Bird Carver’s Daughter (Part 1: The Early Years)

Guest post by Kari Jo Spear, Photographer, Novelist, and Daughter of Bob Spear

When I was a little kid, I had no idea my father would one day have his own museum. I didn’t even know he carved birds. I just knew that he spent a lot of time down in his den, sitting in an old, brown, leather rocking chair with wide wooden arms, making a huge pile of shavings on the floor in front of him.

I loved the shavings. They came in all kinds of interesting shapes. Some were short and flat, some were long and twisting. No two were just alike. I would sit on the floor and make jewelry out of them — the long, curly ones made good earrings, and the shorter, curly ones could be hooked together for a bracelet. Some even curled around my fingers for rings. The flat shavings lined up to become roads or fences for my imaginary animals. And if I ever needed one of a certain shape or size, I just had to describe it, and my father would whittle off what I needed. The block of wood in his hands was not remotely interesting, not compared to the ever-growing pile of shavings. If I thought about the block of wood at all, I thought he was carving it up just to make toys for me.

The museum will be closed today due to t

The museum will be closed today due to the storm. We’ll bring in the hanging feeders shortly. Don’t drive through high water, ‘kay?

Hey Volunteers, C’mon Down!

We have some great opportunities coming up, but we need some help to take advantage of them. Could you volunteer for 2-4 hours on any of the following days and locations? All towns are in Vermont, and unless noted, we seek volunteers between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (your choice of hours). You could be company for a staff member, hand out museum information, provide demonstrations, share flyers, and more—there will always be someone to make sure you are comfortable. Of course, if there is some other time and date good for you, by all means, let us know.

If you can help, please email us or call us (802) 434-2167.

Thank you!

Out and About:
Saturday 8/20	Morrisville	Green Mountain Woodcarvers Annual Rendezvous Help staff our booth
Saturday 8/20	Burlington	Amtrak’s 40th Anniversary Whistle Stop Help staff a table
Saturday 9/17	Shelburne	Shelburne Farms Harvest Festival Help staff our booth
Saturday 9/24 and/or Sunday 9/25	Woodstock	Woodworkers Festival Help with carving demonstrations or staff the booth during them
Saturday 10/1	Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area (Addison)	Dead Creek Wildlife Day Help with the booth, soap carving, birding tips
Here at the Museum:
Sunday 8/21 Sunday 9/4 Monday 9/5 Saturday 9/17 Saturday 9/24 (Museum Day) Sunday 9/25 and/or Saturday 10/1	Huntington (the Museum)	Help out at the museum with visitors and/or projects
Saturday 10/8	Huntington (the Museum)	Help with our Fall Festival and annual Used Book/Garage Sale. Play music, guide visits, play with kids, sell a book, find a white elephant…
Sunday 10/9	Huntington (the Museum)	Seek birds during the Big Sit or help with visitors or projects
Thursday 10/27 (evening)	Huntington (the Museum)	Help visitors orient themselves before and after the Keeping Track program.

Tweet Day!

This one says, "Tweetcher, tweetcher, tweetcher!"

Still about bugs! The VES walk is on Sun

Still about bugs! The VES walk is on Sunday the 10th, not Saturday. So sorry for the confusion! (And thank you, AL, for letting us know.)