Calendar

Sunday, 1:00 to 3:00 PM

Join in the fun and learn how to make decorative felted goat-milk soap scrubbies at Hildene Farm. Felted soap acts as both a gentle cleanser and washcloth all in one. Wool, naturally antimicrobial and soft, makes for an ideal shower scrubby.  As you use it, the wool continues to shrink while the soap gradually diminishes. When the soap is gone, the shower scrubby remains. No waste! You’ll use Hildene Farm wool fiber and goat milk soap to create a sustainable, handmade gift—perhaps for your valentine!

Program & materials fee: $35 for members/ $40 for non-members, (includes $15 materials fee which includes soap plus all fiber and tools). Space is limited. Preregistration required by Wednesday, January 29: click to email. or call 802-367-7960.

Saturday, 9:00 to 10:30 AM, At Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home. Free 

Bald Eagle: our national bird?  Did you know the Bald Eagle is NOT the national bird? In 1782 Congress adopted a design for the Great Seal that featured the Bald Eagle, but it has never been officially adopted as our country’s national symbol. However, on July 29, 2024, the bill S.4610 was passed by the U.S. Senate “to designate the bald eagle as the national bird.” It awaits a vote in the House. The reintroduction of the Bald Eagle in VT in 2004-6 is a great success story. There are now at least 45 territorial pairs in VT—the nearest pair in Arlington, VT who fledged two young this summer. Believe it or not, these birds are already thinking about “housekeeping” again. Please report any sightings this month and beyond to Hildene.

Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot. Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. No registration required. Questions? Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email. 

Saturday, 8:00 to 10:00 AM, At Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home. Free
(please note earlier start time)

Pine Grosbeaks look like large Purple Finches. About the size of a robin, they have strong, thick, aptly-named beaks and two white wing bars. The male's raspberry head, breast, and belly (top) are a contrast to the olive-green and gray female. They are most likely to be seen in roads picking up sand and salt, or in fruit or cone bearing trees and bushes.

An unusual characteristic of Pine Grosbeaks is the pair of buccal/cheek pouches in the lower jaw on either side of the tongue. This built-in storage area holds a paste of insects and vegetable matter that is regurgitated to the young. Pine Grosbeaks feed mostly insects, but this adaptation allows them to also provide vegetable matter.

Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot. Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. No registration required. Questions? Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email. 

Saturday, 8:00 to 10:00 AM, At Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home. Free 

Cedar Waxwings are stylishly masked, gray-brown birds with a crest on the top of the head and a diagnostic yellow-tipped tail (sometimes orange), easily seen in flight or on a perched branch. These birds are nomadic in groups often seen gorging themselves on fruits of cherry, honeysuckle, and Autumn Olive—sometimes to the point of intoxication. Their name derives from their fondness for Red Cedar or Juniper berries and the waxy tips on the secondary wing feathers. A larger cousin to the Cedar Waxwing is the Bohemian Waxwing (far right), a bird of the north which is often “irruptive” in our area in the winter months. While similar in profile, it sports a rufus undertail patch and white and yellow feather edgings on the wings. Both species emit a high pitched 'seee' call. 

Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot. Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. No registration required. Questions? Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email. 

Saturday, 7:00 to 10:00 AM, At Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home. Free 

At 18 - 22" perched height, the Red-tailed Hawk is the largest of the hawks we see in VT. As with all hawks, the female is larger than the male. The dark brown back and wings contrast with a white/light front. A dark belly band and rufous tail of the adult bird distinguishes it, although plumage variations are great. The Red-tailed is the most widespread hawk in the U.S., ranging from Canada and AK into Central America. There is some seasonal movement of these hawks, but they generally are resident throughout their range. A soaring bird with broad wings and fanned tail is most likely a Red-tailed Hawk. 

Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot. Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. No registration required. Questions? Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email. 

Saturday, 7:00 - 10:00 AM, At Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home. Free 

May means WARBLERS for birders! Considering colors and field marks alone, these small insect-eating birds go from the unpretentious Yellow Warbler (top right) to the almost ostentatious male Blackburnian Warbler (bottom right)—a mostly black bird with white wing patches and a fiery orange throat. If there ever was a WOW bird, the Blackburnian qualifies. Of the 49 species of warblers commonly seen in the U.S., 29 of them can been seen in VT. Field experience is the best way to learn warbler ID. Go birding with an experienced birder. Note behavioral clues: Black and White Warblers glean insects from tree bark as they creep up and down the trunk and limbs. Palm Warblers flick their tails. Blackpolls are high altitude birds. Learn the songs, study your field guide, and prepare yourself for "warbler neck" as you search for these challenging songsters during the month of May.

Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot. Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. No registration required. Questions? Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email. 

Saturday, 7:00 - 10:00 AM, At Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home. Free 

Once the trees are leafed out, the quest for warblers turns from the visual to the auditory. The Black-throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers are two common, woodland warblers breeding in VT. The Black-throated Blue has a slate blue black and head with a black throat above a white belly. Although the female is mostly olive/yellow in color, both sexes have a white wing patch which is distinctive for this species. Contrast that with the Black-throated Green which is a yellow faced bird with an olive green “hood” and back and a black throat. Both these warblers have easily recognized songs which can be heard by searching Cornell's All About Birds web page. These birds are now singing to establish territories. Listen for them among the other songsters during a walk in the forest in late May and June.

Meet at the Welcome Center parking lot. Join local birders to gather long-term data on the presence of birds, their abundance, and changes in populations. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. No registration required. Questions? Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email.