This Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) standing above three well-camouflaged eggs was observed along the lakeshore at Shelburne Farms on July 10^th.   Both the male and female incubate the eggs which require up to four weeks for hatching (as compared to the typical 10-12 days for many songbirds).  This extended egg development period allows nestlings to hatch in precocial form—eyes open, feathered and ready to feed themselves.  Look for fledglings and adults feeding in open fields in front of the Inn at Shelburne Farms and along the lakeshore.

Phenologically Speaking

Join Shelburne Farms and the PLACE Program in exploring and documenting the phenology of the town of Shelburne.  Phenology is the study of nature’s events as they unfold through the seasons.  The blossoming of the first hepatica through the leaf litter in early spring, the first ethereal song of the hermit thrush, the annual migration of salamanders and frogs to their breeding grounds, the first flashes of fireflies on warm summer evenings—these are some of the phenological events of our passing seasons.

Phenology is a framework for storytelling.  This project aims to bring together the Shelburne community to discover and tell the story of their place—alerting people to the times and places of exciting seasonal events.   These observations are being collected and will be used to track seasonal events from year to year so that comparisons can be made and trends can be analyzed. 

Please Join Us!!!

We need your help collecting data for this year-long project.  Become a partner, join us for scheduled field walks, or record and share your own observations.  Observations can be entered and will be posted online at www.uvm.edu/place/analyze/phenology.php .   Logon to enter your own observations, to learn about what has been observed around Shelburne recently, or to check the calendar for upcoming phenology presentations and field walks.  Also, look for biweekly articles in the Shelburne News highlighting local observations and findings! 

If you are interested in scheduling a field walk or collaborating on this project, please contact Matt Kolan for more information.  **We are actively seeking local classrooms or school groups interested in collaborating on this project.   School groups interested in linking up with this project are strongly encouraged to contact Matt Kolan for more information.

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) in flight