By Leah Burdick An injured barred owl sat in the back seat of a four-door sedan, staring balefully out the window at its rescuer. “I saw him on the side of the road, just sitting there, trying to fly,” the […]
Tag: the outside story
Column, The Outside Story
All about antlers
By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul A few autumns ago, one of the frequent visitors to our gone-wild apple orchard was a lopsided, one-point buck. We often see does and young, antlerless deer in the field, and by the end of each […]
Column, The Outside Story
Bark in winter
By Joe Rankin It’s winter. Hardwood trees are bare. But that doesn’t mean the woods are bereft of interest. Winter, when sunlight slants in, is the time when bark comes into its own. Pause to take in the aged-brass bark […]
Column, The Outside Story
Mink in the middle
By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul If the river otter is the most aquatic member of the mustelid family and weasels represent the terrestrial branch of the clan, the American mink is the adept middle child, taking advantage of its adaptations both […]
Column, The Outside Story
Boisterous Blue Jays flock in winter
By Susan Shea “Jay, jay, jay!” Every morning last winter I awoke to the loud cries of a flock of 17 blue jays dancing around my feeder. They gorged on sunflower seeds and suet, scaring away smaller birds, then left, […]
Column, The Outside Story
On winter birdfeeders, many questions
By Joe Rankin Back in September, I put out the bird feeder. I try not to do it too early because, well . . . bears. My feathered friends emptied it in hours. A couple of refills later and I […]
Column, The Outside Story
The trees of Christmas past and future
By Patrick White You picked it out, maybe cut it down, brought it home, watered it, and decorated it. But do you know what species of tree that is, surrounded by presents in your living room? If you purchased your […]
Column, The Outside Story
House sparrows in winter, scavengers that have hitch onto humans for survival
By Elise Tillinghast House sparrows—those little brown and gray birds that flash mob the bird feeder—are common and easy to see. They’re quarrelsome, noisy, and when they’re on the ground, they move in vigorous hops that remind me of popcorn […]
Column, The Outside Story
Water Scorpions: underwater assassins
By Declan McCabe Recently, my daughter participated in Odyssey of the Mind, a creative problem-solving competition devoted to ingenuity and team work. As an entomologist, I was thrilled to learn that the program calls its highest award the “Ranatra fusca.” […]
Arts, Dining & Entertainment
VINS honors 15 years of “The Outside Story”
Saturday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m.—QUECHEE—Join the Vermont Institute of Natural Science on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. for an all-day event celebrating both the publication of a new book—“The Outside Story, Volume 2”—and the 15-year legacy of […]