I love this time of year. After the exuberance of summer and the vibrant colors of fall, I’m thankful for the days growing shorter. The nights longer. Temperatures falling. Silhouettes of bare branches against a leaden sky promising snow. All of nature winding down. Encouraging quiet. Reflection. Introspection. [more]
RTPI 2016 Highlights
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History wishes you a very Happy New Year! Here are some of our most popular blog posts and memorable highlights of 2016 at RTPI… This Snowy Owl blog entry from last January claimed the #1 spot in 2016, and considering our logo, we feel this is very appropriate! Check out those eyes: http://rtpi.org/snowy-owl-eyes/ One of the more touching days of our year was a celebration of Noble Proctor’s life at a BioBlitz Challenge at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Connecticut on May...
read moreRTPI’s Action Plan 2016-2021
It seems appropriate to highlight RTPI’s Action Plan 2016-2021 as we near the end of a year filled with accomplishments and enthusiasm about an exciting future. As part of our ongoing strategic planning efforts, RTPI has released a 5-year action plan describing the mission-driven programming that we are developing in all three of our focal areas: Art, Education and Conservation. This Action Plan outlines how the synergy between these focal areas strengthens the important work that Roger Tory Peterson started, and that RTPI now...
read moreRTPI Has a Cure for Cabin Fever!
Tired of gray skies and brown snow yet? Perhaps some dinosaurs, tropical flowers and birds of paradise can cure your winter blues! Come see original works by famous nature artists and illustrators from all around the world represented in RTPI’s current show Focus on Nature XIV. Marvel at the world class paintings, sketches, paper art, digital animations, and more in this spectacular exhibition! Many of Roger Tory Peterson’s field guide plates, original paintings, and other memorabilia from the Peterson collection are also on...
read more2016 AAfCW Totals
I thought it would be a terrific time to update everyone on our Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher numbers for 2016 as we near the end of our year. RTPI is proud to be a partner with Audubon Connecticut for the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds‘ (AAfCW) sixth season in 2017, an active conservation, education and outreach project that provides stewardship and survey efforts by volunteers and staff working to help the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT...
read moreChristmas Bird Counts
Merry Christmas! And Merry Christmas Bird Count season! Whenever December rolls around we all look forward to a day in the field with friends near the holidays or New Year, heading outdoors to record every bird we can in designated areas and count circles in the longest-running citizen science program in the nation. You can learn more about the history of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count here on their website. I have been participating in my hometown count, the Stratford-Milford Connecticut circle, for years. It typically takes place right...
read moreA Time to Give Back
A Time to Give Back Donate today! Roger Tory Peterson devoted his entire life to making nature accessible to all…please take this opportunity to give back, and help RTPI continue his great work. Your generous gift benefits our programs directly, and also has long term effects on those that we serve by giving them the knowledge to make a difference in the world. As always, we look forward to working together to inspire people to learn, love and protect nature!
read moreWinter Raptor Survey Training – Wednesday January 11th, 2017 @ 6PM
Grasslands are amongst the fastest declining habitats in the country, and the bird species dependent upon vast stretches of waist-deep grasses are disappearing at alarming rates. In effort to learn more about these imperiled species within New York State and to protect remaining populations, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) has been conducting winter raptor surveys—specifically monitoring Short Eared Owls (endangered) and Northern Harriers (threatened). The NYS DEC has also enlisted the help of other...
read moreJuvenile Northern Harrier
I recently wrote about our winter raptors, and boy oh boy, did we ever get the winter in Chautauqua County! Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) and Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus), like the juvenile recently photographed below, are able to hunt and survive in deep snow, but we may be pushing the limit for some birds in the region now. The snow cover and frigid temperatures are shaking up the local mix of birds of all sorts of species, from ducks to songbirds. A Short-eared Owl was spotted in the county earlier this week, and no doubt others...
read moreMonarch Butterfly on Butterfly
Here is a look back to this summer at a butterfly on butterfly – in this case it is the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) on a Butterfly Bush (Buddleia). Look at all the glorious details on this stunning individual! Bask in the warm glow of the hot sun on the beautiful orange wings. Do you feel less cold yet? Butterfly bushes are a difficult subject. On the one hand, they are non-native, and it seems that in certain areas and regions they can readily spread and exclude some of our native vegetation. Native plants also often do provide more...
read moreLearn About Amphibian and Reptile Conservation!
Please join us Wednesday, December 14th from 1:30-3:00 PM to learn more about our happily hibernating herptiles! RTPI is partnering with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy to host an opportunity for the public to learn more about amphibians, reptiles and how we can conserve their species and habitats. This event will include short presentations by representatives from RTPI and CWC, as well as the showing of “Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Management,” a webinar coordinated by the National Resources Conservation Society...
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