Visit Vermont raptors on a family getaway vacation

Seeing a bald eagle or watching a hawk soar is always a thrill, but seeing these majestic raptors up close is even better. Both kids and adults will love the experience of meeting them face-to-face at the Vermont Raptor Center in Quechee, near Woodstock.

To see more of the VINS Center, click here

Raptors as teachers
Kids, especially, will be intrigued by these huge birds of prey, well fed and protected in large enclosures. They have been rescued after injury or as chicks and nursed back to health here, but could not be safely returned to the wild. So they become ambassadors and teachers at the most visible part of the Vermont Institute for Natural Science (VINS), now in its new home on Route 4 in Quechee.
A hospital for injured birds 

Started in 1972 as a way to expose kids to nature and the environment early in their lives, VINS expanded in 1982 to provide expert treatment and a home to injured birds. It specializes in raptors, those magnificent hunting birds that soar above our fields.

Nature Center for all ages
At the VINS Nature Center, specially designed shelters provide a permanent home for up to 50 birds in naturalized setting where they can move about and where visitors can see and learn about them.  One shelter, for example, holds three majestic bald eagles. Their injuries, all flight related, are not easy to see but they prevent their re-release into the wild. Sitting on tree branches or standing on the gravel floor, these big birds are impressive.
 

Falcons hawks and owls
Look in the other cages for Peregrine Falcons, Red Tailed Hawk, Broad Winged Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk and the beautiful little American Kestrel. Nearby are Barn Owls, Barred Owls, Screech Owls, Horned Owls and the flat-faced Great Grey Owl. In most of the enclosures there are two or more birds of the same species.

Live bird shows performed daily by the staff add greatly to the experience.  These talks explore the origins of the birds, their flight and hunting habits and are accompanied by live birds flying free over the heads of the audience. 

Kestrels skimming overhead
My favorite of the several birds in the show was the diminutive American Kestrel, a stunningly beautiful little hunter that barely skims over the top of the grass and has the ability to hover.  Several of the birds in the collection have at least limited flight capabilities and are trained to help in these educational demonstrations.

Visit to an avian hospital
Visitors to the Center are able to see into the treatment rooms through a window. While I was there several groups of rescued baby birds were being fed by VINS workers. The Center also has nice nature trails that wander through a forest and former maple sugarbush to the shores of the Ottaquechee River.  Check the VINS website for their nature and environment programs.
Getting to the Vermont Institute for Natural Science

Getting there
From Boston, get to VINS by taking I-93 north to I-89 at Concord, NH, following it west to exit 1 in Vermont, and taking Route 4 toward Quechee and Woodstock.

Text and Photo©Stillman Rogers 2009