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]
Read the RTPI Action Plan!
As part of our ongoing strategic planning efforts, RTPI is excited to release 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 continues. Like Dr. Peterson, our work transcends political and other boundaries, and RTPI operates at different geographic levels. Our Action Plan 2016-2021 indicates...
read moreA Conversation With Scott Weidensaul
Scott Weidensaul has authored over two dozen books on natural history – including his most recent, the Peterson Reference Guide To Owls of North America and the Caribbean – he has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and he’s renowned as a field researcher. His writing has appeared in many major publications, including Audubon and National Wildlife. He is a popular lecturer and one of the world’s most highly regarded authorities on birds. Be sure to check out this recent interview with Weidensaul conducted by Steven Brodsky for...
read moreRent RTPI Space!
RTPI will be closed to the public Saturday, November 12 for a private event. We will be open regular hours once again on Sunday, November 13, from 1-5. Yes, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History offers space for meetings and events, and you can find all of the various room usage rates and our policies in this PDF file or below: Here are some interior and exterior photos of available spaces: We hope that you consider using RTPI! For more information, availability, and scheduling, please contact Amy Hudson at (716)...
read moreRainforest Adventures Continues
Please visit RTPI this week to see this excellent exhibition! Rainforest Adventures Works by Artist Jan Lutz September 9 – November 13, 2016 This fall, RTPI will feature works by artist Jan Lutz of Cambridge Springs, PA. In this unique exhibition, Jan’s rainforest theme will be depicted through original oil paintings of tropical birds, landscapes, and more. Jan is a versatile painter who enjoys painting various subject, although her current focus is landscapes. Her style may be described as tonalism, impressionism, or as a curator recently...
read morePeregrine Falcon Resting
One of the most exciting aspects to fall birding is the surge of raptors that push through much of the U.S. on their way south. Some of these species may be moving a few hundred miles, getting to a more temperate region or dispersing from the nest to find their own place, while others will travel thousands of miles and leave the continent. These predators face many of the same perils as songbirds during migration, but they are also flying at the same time as these passerines, making their own journey easier as they can hunt at the same...
read moreScary Forest Pests
Happy Halloween everyone! I don’t know if anyone will be dressed up like an Emerald Ash Borer for Halloween, like our Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors were for their invasives community outreach event over the summer, but we should be on the lookout for these and other scary pests on this Hallow’s eve. While tonight will be fairly warm, the cooler weather is on its way and the need for firewood will increase. As you cut or buy wood to heat your home for the winter or get that last camping trip in before the snow flies, you...
read moreOrange-crowned Warbler
This Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata) was a great surprise to see and photograph today after it was found at Stratford Point by my colleague Patrick Comins, Audubon Connecticut’s Director of Bird Conservation. They are an uncommon warbler even in some of the more common parts of their range, and a tough one to find in the Northeast thus far this fall. We were at the office this Saturday morning and afternoon for a staff and volunteer work party to plant more trees, grasses, and shrubs for birds, but the Orange-crowned seemed...
read moreYellow-crowned Night-Heron
The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) is an odd-looking creature, especially when you watch one creeping slowly through the salt marsh or perched high up in a tree. I do not want to add the demonic or monstrous label to them because they are lovable in their own way, but it feels like an appropriately strange species to highlight as we near Halloween. They can be found active throughout the day, but their somewhat secretive crepuscular and nocturnal feeding habits add to that feeling. I took these photos of a bird at a nest...
read moreRTPIOC Meeting Tonight
Looking for some plans this evening? Please join the Roger Tory Peterson Institute Ornithological Club and speaker Dr. Gerald Rising! Current Agenda When: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 7:00PM Announcements: RTPI and JAS activities Program: The Roger Tory Peterson Institute Ornithological Club will meet on Wednesday, October 26, 2016, at 7 pm in the meeting room as usual. This meeting will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of RTPIOC. Our speaker will be Dr. Gerald Rising, a nationally recognized educator and writer. He is a SUNY...
read moreInjured Rusty Blackbird
I am a huge fan of the Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), something you may have learned by reading my posts over the last few years here at RTPI. Beyond fandom I am also a member of the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group and help to coordinate spring migration blitzes to record the species with birders and the public to learn more about vital aspects of their biology in an attempt to save one of the fastest declining birds on the continent. October is a great time to spot them heading south for the winter in wooded wetlands,...
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