American Oystercatcher
I have been posting a lot about Piping Plovers in our work for the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, so I thought I should give our American Oystercatcher friends some love, too. After all, who doesn’t like their look? Even the average beachgoer takes note of this beautiful bird and its bold bill. Unfortunately a lot of storms and high tides have washed a number of Oystercatcher nests away from our beaches in Connecticut this spring. However, those that lost their eggs have been re-nesting. Our early totals are extremely promising despite these weather difficulties. We have hope...
Read MoreBaby Skunk
As we enter mid-June we find ourselves in one of the quieter times of the avian season as nearly all of our northbound migrants have found their way to their nesting grounds. A few birds may still be trickling through, but most of what we see now is breeding in our region. This seasonal bird post is being hijacked to deliver another message with a Sunday skunk! Isn’t it adorable? I saw this baby skunk earlier this week, and it reminded me to put out a brief message about the many miniature mammals we see emerging as we head into summer. While they are so very cute, we want to treat...
Read MorePiping Plover Hatchling
This is a Piping Plover hatchling – only a few days old – foraging on the beach with its parents and siblings. The NBA has a campaign called, “This Is Why We Play”. This photo exemplifies why WE advocate, educate, and conserve species and their habitats in collaboration with the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. It is often difficult work in a challenging field for our staff and our volunteers. While we can sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture, this photo of a little bird reminds us that our efforts are all worthwhile. Please keep spreading our...
Read MoreBay-breasted Warblers
We are getting to the end of the spring migration season, and as hard as that is to believe our later arriving species are trickling through as many of the species that arrived earlier are getting down to nesting. One of my favorite passing migrants is the Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea), a large and gorgeous species that I believe seems more rare than it is. Bay-breasted Warblers start passing through the region as most of the other spring birds are peaking. These birds remain mostly high in the canopy – above eye-level and out of sight behind recently emerged leaves, and...
Read MoreWildLife Guards Crew Leader Positions – Three 2017 Job Openings
Related to RTPI’s work with Audubon Connecticut in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds is our partnership on the Bridgeport WildLife Guards project: http://rtpi.org/education/wildlife-guards/ RTPI is once again teaming up with Audubon Connecticut to run the 2017 WildLife Guards program, which trains, mentors, and employs 12 local high schools students and three crew leaders who monitor nesting birds and engage visitors, families, and friends about two of Connecticut’s most important beaches and their wildlife. The WildLife Guards offer unique activities for children like...
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