Calendar

Saturday, 6:00 PM

Join us for the Lincoln Forum Dinner and Keynote Presentation featuring Lincoln Forum Chair Harold Holzer and connect with other Lincoln and Hildene enthusiasts to commemorate Hildene's 120th anniversary of the Lincoln family in Vermont. Please visit The Lincoln Forum Symposium at Hildene for more information. 

Thursday, 10:00 AM -  2:00 PM - Free with admission

Fred DePaul, with his 50 plus years of shearing experience, will be back to shear Hildene’s flock of Corriedale sheep. Join us in watching as the sheep become many pounds lighter after their beautiful, colored fleeces have been removed. You can even lend a hand with the skirting process which is the removal of dirty wool, stains and vegetable matter from the fleece. 

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. 

Choose a Day! Friday & Saturday, 9:00 - 11:30 AM

It’s time to spread your wings and learn a delightful new hobby. Join avid birders Claudia Burns and Warren Cairo for a beginner’s primer on the endlessly engaging world of birdwatching.  Participants can choose to take the workshop either Friday, May 9 or Sunday, May 11, from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. Claudia and Warren will go over the fundamentals of equipment, etiquette, and identification, and then help you put those skills into practice outdoors. 

The workshop will entail moderate walking. For ages 12 and up. Registration required: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. 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, 10:00am - 4:30 PM

Hildene Farm will be filled with new life this spring. Come meet the adorable baby goats bouncing around the goat dairy on Saturday, May 10, from 10 AM to 4:30 PM. All guests must check in at the Welcome Center to pay admission or pick up their member stickers. Then enjoy a walk to the goat dairy on the level Farm Loop trail. We will provide shuttle bus rides for those who need extra assistance.  

Meet more Babies in June!  Hildene Farm will host another Meet the Babies day at the animal barn in the dene on June 7th.  Free with admission. Happy Spring! 

For more information, contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email. 

Tuesday, 1:00 - 2:30 PM (Rain date, Wednesday, May 21)

Are you tired of seeing your beautiful peonies collapsing to the ground? Are your lovely blossoms getting pummeled into the dirt by the rain? Learn how to support them using Hildene’s unique method of peony staking. Hildene’s horticulturists will talk about the estate’s historic peony collection and current garden management practices. Participants will then go into the peony borders flanking the formal garden and learn how to effectively stake a peony plant. 

Program & materials fee: $25 for members/ $30 for non-members, (includes one Hildene staking kit to take home). Space is limited. Registration required by Monday, May 19. 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.