Hawk on the Walk
2025-08-15 16:00, 2025-08-16 16:00, 2025-08-17 16:00 (America/New_York)
Hawk on the Walk
FRI / SAT / SUN
4 PM – 4:15 PM
Keep an eye out while exploring the VINS Canopy Walk at this time. You might get the chance to watch a Harris’s Hawk diving and weaving among the trees!
Held on the Forest Canopy Walk. This program is weather dependent.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Drawing from Nature Class: Predators of the Sky
2025-08-16 09:00 - 12:00
Drawing from Nature Class: Predators of the Sky
A Workshop with Watercolor and Ink
Saturday, August 16 / 9 AM – 12 PM
$52 General Public, $47 VINS Member
Register Today*
*Sign up for multiple sessions and get a $5 discount on all classes. Use discount code MULTI25 in your cart.
Other Drawing from Nature Class dates:
September 20 – Fall Botanicals
Workshop Details:
Enjoy time sketching in the VINS raptor exhibits before the Nature Center opens to the public. You will have an opportunity to marvel at the unique adaptations of your choice of predator/scavenger from the sky, drawing them from life, aiming to express the personality and intelligence of your chosen subject. What distinguishes raptors from vultures from corvids? Learn some tips for photographing birds as well as ID tips for the field – this will help you begin to create your own reference library. For the last hour of the workshop, you will begin a more finished work on a Raptor, Vulture or Corvid from your study.
Drawing, sketching, and watercolor experience are not necessary, all skill levels welcome.
Suggested Materials:

A water bottle
A high-quality journal with heavyweight, mixed media, or watercolor paper
HB pencil or mechanical pencil
An eraser
Micron pen size 01 and/or 005
Optional: your preferred art medium such as watercolor, gouache, or colored pencils

Instructor Bios:
Cynthia Moulton – Cynthia finds that observing and recording in a field journal enhances our engagement with the natural world. Teaching courses in ecology, animal diversity and biological illustration at Castleton University for the last 25 years has allowed her and her students to explore science through pen and ink, graphite and colored pencil.
Lois Moulton – Lois has been passionate about science illustration for years, creating numerous personal nature journals from her travels and time outdoors. As an educator at Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, she has been incorporating art as a tool for observation into her science classes since 1995. Lois specializes in watercolor and pen & ink.
For more information contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Natural Wonders
2025-08-16 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-08-17 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-08-18 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-08-19 10:30 - 11:00, 2025-08-20 10:30 - 11:00
Natural Wonders
10:30 AM – 11 AM
Join us on a journey of discovery through the wonders of the natural world. Designed for families with young children, this short interactive program explores a range of engaging topics including animals of New England, animal engineers, and local habitats.*
Meet a VINS Educator outside the Forest Exhibit.
*Includes a live animal on Saturdays and Sundays only
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Predators of the Sky
2025-08-16 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-08-17 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-08-18 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-08-19 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-08-20 11:00 - 11:30
Predators of the Sky
11 AM – 11:30 AM
Take flight with us for an unforgettable experience! We’ll show you the unique nature of some of the world’s most highly skilled predators – raptors! In this live bird demonstration you’ll gain an up-close view and an in-depth understanding of these majestic birds. What makes a bird a raptor? How sharp are those talons? What does an owl’s wing sound like as it moves through the air? Join a VINS Educator and explore these adaptations and meet some of these birds up close.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Rotating Education Station
2025-08-16 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-17 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-18 13:00 - 13:30, 2025-08-19 13:00 - 13:30
Rotating Education Station
1 PM – 1:30 PM
Something new every day! Take a stroll with one of our experienced educators through the woods or the meadow, learn about what’s going on behind the scenes in the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation and Ambassador Care, or what the research team is working on in the field. We’re excited to highlight the most interesting things happening in the natural world in an interactive and engaging activity each day.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Songbird Aviary Tour
2025-08-16 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-08-17 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-08-18 14:00 - 14:20, 2025-08-19 14:00 - 14:20
Songbird Aviary Tour
2 PM – 2:20 PM
Spend some time in our Songbird Aviary! Our docents will familiarize you with this special group of birds and point out the ways you can make a great habitat for these important creatures in your own backyard.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Raptor Feeding Time
2025-08-16 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-08-17 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-08-18 14:30 - 15:00, 2025-08-19 14:30 - 15:00
Raptor Feeding Time
2:30 PM – 3 PM
Join our raptor care-givers for feeding time! Learn about the habits and history of each of the resident raptors at VINS as you watch them enjoy their daily meal.
Held in the Raptor Exhibits.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.

Predators of the Sky
2025-08-16 15:00 - 15:30, 2025-08-17 15:00 - 15:30, 2025-08-18 15:00 - 15:30, 2025-08-19 15:00 - 15:30
Predators of the Sky
3 PM – 3:30 PM
Take flight with us for an unforgettable experience! We’ll show you the unique nature of some of the world’s most highly skilled predators – raptors! In this live bird demonstration you’ll gain an up-close view and an in-depth understanding of these majestic birds. What makes a bird a raptor? How sharp are those talons? What does an owl’s wing sound like as it moves through the air? Join a VINS Educator and explore these adaptations and meet some of these birds up close.
For more information, contact us at info@vinsweb.org or 802.359.5000.
