FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2004
Contact: Larry Berrin, 802-457-1053 x 112, Lberrin@vinsweb.org

VINS INTRODUCES THE FIRST GUIDE TO VERMONT BIRDS

It's a frustration for any beginning bird watcher. You see a unique bird at your birdfeeder, grab your hefty bird guide volume and try to quickly page through species listed in taxonomical order to find out what type of bird it is. By the time you've located a bird that looks close to what's feeding on your birdseed, it has flown away.

Not anymore. Larry Berrin, VINS director of programs and exhibits, has developed the VINS Guide to Vermont Birds. "This is a simplified guide for beginners," he says. "In many of my birding classes, I've noticed that beginners find the larger guides cumbersome and confusing. Now they can use the Vermont Bird guide to identify birds by location - in their backyard feeders, near water, in forests or fields."

The VINS Guide to Vermont Birds, pocket size and completely waterproof, identifies more than 140 of the most familiar species and includes a map with 8 birding "hotspots" in Vermont. It is available at the VINS Nature Shop in Quechee, VINS Manchester, VINS Montpelier (North Branch Nature Center) and, later this spring, at ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington. Price is $7.95. For more information about the guide, call VINS at (802) 457-2779 or to purchase one, call the VINS Nature Shop at (802) 280-2223.

The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) is a non-profit, member-supported organization dedicated to protecting our natural heritage through education and research. VINS has offices in Woodstock, Montpelier, and Manchester VT and will open a new Nature Center near Quechee Gorge on June 12, 2004.