Winter 2024

Record Number Participate in the 76th Bird Count

Record Number Participate in the 76th Bird Count

On a mild but cloudy day in December, 75 birders braved gusty winds to count birds in the greater Burlington area for the 76th annual Winter Bird Count (known nationally as the Christmas Bird Count – the name change only applies locally, but follows several other Vermont counts in embracing a more inclusive moniker). Two teams also contributed to the count’s owling effort, and a team of 11 birders took on the behemoth task of counting the Burlington area crow roost. In addition to several record-high bird counts, this year we were excited to set a record for the number of volunteers! In total, volunteers documented 68 species and 15,042 individual birds! 

Spotlight On Trish O'Kane & Her Upcoming Memoir

Spotlight On Trish O'Kane & Her Upcoming Memoir

Trish O’Kane used her quiet but powerful voice in service of many causes in her distinguished career as a journalist and activist. Whether it was documenting human rights abuses in Central America or working to fight racial and economic injustice in the American South, O’Kane, now a Senior Lecturer at the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School for the Environment and Natural Resources, was a fearless chronicler of wrongs big and small. But what she didn’t do, she admits, was pay “any attention to environmental issues,” which she saw as separate from the global problems she worked on.

Birding Hotspot Highlight ~ Centennial Woods

Birding Hotspot Highlight ~ Centennial Woods

Centennial Woods Natural Area is a 65-acre natural area owned by the University of Vermont and managed by the Vermont Land Trust. It contains many different types of plants, trees, and wildlife, including 152 reported bird species. It has a network of trails that covers about 2.5 miles, crossing over conifer stands, mixed hardwoods, fields, rocky ledges, packed dirt, boardwalks, marshes, and ponds. Located on the densely populated Burlington/South Burlington boundary, it offers a reprieve from the nearby hustle and bustle.