The Hermit Thrush Newsletter
In recent weeks, I have had the pleasure of leading a number of Green Mountain Audubon Society bird walks at sites in Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties. Participating in each of these outings have been birders with all levels of experience. Chatting with these novice-to-veteran bird watchers has made me reflect upon my own growth as a birder and the gratitude that I have toward those from whom I have learned.
To know recently retired, distinguished, and dedicated GMAS board member Ali Wagner is, first of all, to marvel at her extraordinary birding skills, including a preternatural auditory recall of the songs and chip notes of hundreds of Vermont’s resident and migratory species. Equally inspiring, she has never lost the joy and wonder that birding gifts us.
The GMAS funded four grants this year. One grant was spearheaded by Don Taylor, a teacher at Main Street Middle School in Montpelier. A second report came from Fellicia Cota, an artist and educator who provided a summary of her work at the Kid's Nature Art Camp in Swanton. A third came from Gina Krol, a middle school teacher at Winooski Middle School. Finally, GMAS funded the installation of -- and educational signage for -- a deer exclusion zone in the 77-acre Pelots Nature Area in North Hero.
