ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Grab some seed and binoculars — Vermont is expected to get lots of visitors this year of the feathered variety.

Snow isn’t the only thing in the forecast this winter.

“Vermont’s in for a little bit of a treat this winter,” said Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s Jillian Kilborn.

The winter finch forecast is calling for an irruption year. That’s what wildlife experts call it when we see an unusual influx of birds. It’s happening because some forests to our north in Canada are reported to have a poor seed crop this year.

It’s the opposite in New England, where there was an above-average cone crop this year, offering up a full buffet for the feathered critters.

“We’re already seeing some of the species that have shown up,” Kilborn said.

The last time this happened was five years ago, and this winter could be even better. And folks can help scientists keep track of them by using reporting systems like eBird. Kilborn says that it is particularly important as some species are on the decline.

“The amount of observations that come in from people out on the landscape birding really is at the foundation of how we track what’s going on with bird populations,” Kilborn said.

If you have a bird feeder, Kilborn recommends keeping it clean. If you don’t have a feeder but want to get a glimpse, look around softwood trees like spruce, white pine, fir, and cedar trees. Other species prefer winter fruiting plants and may seek out seeds.

“So these are the types of seeds they’ll pull out of something like that,” Kilborn said.

And for some species, our region is just a snacking stop on a longer journey. “Some of these species will go as far south as Florida,” Kilborn said.

So get outside this season and try to spot them as they stop in for a visit.

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A Vermont school district has sparked national outrage after district leaders raised the flag of Somalia on campus.

The Winooski School District — located just outside Burlington, where roughly 9% of students are Somali — raised the light-blue flag on Monday to honor the “Somali youth and families in Winooski and Vermont.”

The clip of the flag-raising was shared online and was quickly flooded with hundreds of furious messages. It came after bombshell revelations about a massive $1 billion aid fraud scandal involving Somali immigrants in Minnesota.

The backlash forced district officials to shut down its website and disconnect many of its phones on Monday, VT Digger reported.

“First, we want to assure everyone that the United States flag remains in its proper place at the highest point, in full compliance with the U.S. Flag Code,” the district said in a statement.

“The district has three flag masts: the U.S. flag on the top mast, the Vermont state flag on the second, and— this week — the Somali flag on the third.”

The Winooski School District said it planned to raise the flag for one week “as a gesture of support for Somali students and families.”

“Winooski is a proudly diverse community, and we are committed to recognizing and uplifting the cultures and identities represented in our schools,” it added in the statement.

President Trump last week raged against Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future fraud scandal and torched “Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar — who represents the North Star State — as a “terrible person.”

Wilmer Chavarria, the Winooski schools superintendent, claimed the school was the target of a “coordinated national campaign.”

As the calls began pouring in, the district routed callers directly to voicemail. Some callers screamed racial slurs while others issued explicit threats, officials said.

It also temporarily shut down its website, which was replaced by a warning that its site had been “removed from public view” while it worked to “address and mitigate an unprecedented volume of illegitimate traffic targeting our services.”

The school district notified the Winooski Police Department, which was visibly present on campus on Monday.

Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson commented on the flag-raising video on X, writing, “I’ve got a suggestion for ICE’s next stop.”

“Is the American flag burning ceremony next week?” another critic commented in response.

“I hope the school district loses all federal funding. There is only one flag — the American flag,” another wrote.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – More than half of bee colonies in Vermont were lost over the last year, according to a survey by UVM’s Bee Lab.

“This is not a normal loss year – this is an emergency signal.”

The Vermont Beekeepers Association (VBA) highlighted the report on Monday. They wrote that pesticide use and a parasite that feeds on honeybees have been the main forces behind the more than 56% drop.

According to the USDA, the average annual losses were around 20% before 2006, and have been above 30% in recent years, but this is the highest rate recorded.

UVM’s survey reportedly covered more than a third of registered bee colonies in the state.

“Beekeepers are doing everything they can, but we cannot solve this alone,” said Andrew Munkres, former president of the VBA. “These numbers prove that bee health is now a food system issue. Vermont needs to respond at a food system scale.”

A survey released earlier this year by Auburn University showed similar losses across many parts of the country.

Also according to the USDA, honey prices have risen sharply this century. After adjusting for inflation, honey was almost three times the price in 2024 across the country compared to 2000.