Aug 29, 2024 – Quechee, VT

Aug 29, 2024 – Quechee, VT

Breakfast was at a Skinny Crepe located half a mile from the park. They even offered gluten free crepes! We then drove into West Lebanon to pick up a couple of travel journals Sandy had ordered from Amazon, shopped for a few groceries and got in a bit of retail therapy at a local thrift store.

The Skinny Pancake in Quechee

The Skinny Pancake in Quechee

We then headed to Lebanon and the entrance to the 58-mile multi-use Northern Rail Trail, a rail trail running from Lebanon to Boscawen. We picked it up at the southern end of town and rode south along the Mascoma River to the lake by the same name. It was an easy ride on packed cinder mix, gently uphill heading south and, of course, an easy, slightly downhill return.

Start of Northern Rail Trail

Start of Northern Rail Trail

Mascoma Lake

Mascoma Lake

In Quechee we’d driven past the entrance to the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation at VINS (Vermont Institute of Natural Science) and decided it would be an interesting place to visit. The name implies its primary mission which is to treat and rehabilitate injured wild birds and return them to the natural environment. They receive more than 1,000 birds annually.

Steel Turkey Flock Sculpture

Steel Turkey Flock Sculpture

... and We Think a Hawk, Maybe

… and We Think a Hawk, Maybe

Some of the birds cannot be returned to the wild, though, because of physical injuries or because they have been imprinted by humans, typically because they were held as a pet. Those birds are held in the facility. A few of them, as well as birds bred for the purpose, are trained as “ambassadors” to help with their education mission.

On arrival we were invited to observe a training session for an ambassador-to-be crow. The crow had been bred in captivity and was socialized to be comfortable around people. The staff was teaching it to learn to identify colors by saying the name of the colors of three small colored blocks. It was conducted like any other animal training session, getting it to associate a color with a block and rewarding it for each action. It was pretty neat to watch.

Crow Training Session

Crow Training Session

Next was a visit to the song bird aviary where multiple kinds of birds were kept in captivity. They’d all been treated at the facility but were not capable of surviving in the wild. Similarly, they have a collection of raptors that we watched while they were being fed.

Songbird Aviary

Songbird Aviary

Morning Dove at Feeding Dish

Morning Dove at Feeding Dish

Pair of Cedar Waxwings in Rafters

Pair of Cedar Waxwings in Rafters

Everyone Knows This Is a Cardinal

Everyone Knows This Is a Cardinal

Aggressive Blue Jays Have Their Own Aviary

Aggressive Blue Jays Have Their Own Aviary

Turkey Vulture Waiting to be Fed

Turkey Vulture Waiting to be Fed

One Coloration of Snowy Owl

One Coloration of Snowy Owl

Pure White Snowy Owl

Pure White Snowy Owl

A high point was a raptor demonstration where we learned about several birds. All the birds were trained to be comfortable on a trainer’s gloved hand. Two owls were brought out, a screech owl and a barn owl where we learned a bit about each breed. The screech owl was tiny and had coloring and shape such that, if it landed on a tree, you would be hard pressed to pick it out.

Screech Owl Easily Disguised

Screech Owl Easily Disguised

Barn Owl Face Helps Gather Sound

Barn Owl Face Helps Gather Sound

Barn Owl Gets Some Fresh Kill for a Snack

Barn Owl Gets Some Fresh Kill for a Snack

Similarly, they brought out a Harris’s hawk and a broad winged hawk. The broad winged hawk performed for us, flying from handler to handler close above the heads of the audience. It was startling how close to us they flew.

Harris's Hawk on the Glove

Harris’s Hawk on the Glove

Broad Winged Hawk Takes Off from Handler's Glove

Broad Winged Hawk Takes Off from Handler’s Glove

Flies Above the Audience

Flies Above the Audience

and Returns to the Glove

and Returns to the Glove

Raptor Narrator Didn't Handle the Birds

Raptor Narrator Didn’t Handle the Birds

Finally we visited their canopy walk. One neat feature was that you entered it from the top of the hillside over which it ranged which made it accessible to wheelchairs. It was high, too, standing 60 feet above the forest floor. There were several feature places including a cool sculpture of a pair of eagles tending their nest and a large netted “nest” that people could climb through high above the ground. The third feature was a tower you could climb for a longer view. A 70 step stairway and a 27 step spiral led us to a platform some 120 feet above the forest floor. Nice view!

Walking on the Forest Canopy Walkway

Walking on the Forest Canopy Walkway

Spiral Stairway Leads to Top of Walkway Tower

Spiral Stairway Leads to Top of Walkway Tower

One View of Marsh Next to Center

One View of Marsh Next to Center

Another Section of the Marsh

Another Section of the Marsh

Sculpture of Eagles' Nest on Walkway

Sculpture of Eagles’ Nest on Walkway

Want to Feel Like Treetop Spider?

Want to Feel Like Treetop Spider?

The institute was very well worth a visit.

Fairy Village Memorial Beside Walkway

Fairy Village Memorial Beside Walkway

Do We Look Ready to Hunt?

Do We Look Ready to Hunt?

Dinner was cod poached with salsa, cheese and chips with side of sautéed corn.