Last Thursday we visited VINS in Woodstock. VINS stands for the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. This was Dylan’s trip because he’s very interested in nature and animals. Here are some of the things we learned and experienced:

– A raptor is a predator, which hunts other animals, and it’s a large bird. Raptors’ beaks have specific shapes, and they have very sharp talons.

– Turkey vultures aren’t raptors because their beaks don’t have the right shape. The turkey vulture we saw there was over thirty-five years old!

– Volunteers pick up birds who are injured and bring them to VINS, or they are transferred from another facility.

– When you capture a bird, you should wear gloves, wrap it in a blanket (so it’s not nervous and calms down), and put it in a box with holes. If it’s a baby bird, you should put it back in the nest.

– Most birds have a horrible sense of smell.

– Birds who are taken care of by people sometimes think that they are pets or people. This is called bird imprinting. When they go in the wild, they don’t know what to do or how to take care of themselves. This was a reminder to be careful how we treat animals who are born in the wild.