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]
Palm Warbler
Yesterday morning I went out to bird for a bit and had my sights set on a few target species. It may have only been April 23, but the birds have been early thanks to the warm past couple of months, and some of our spring migratory species are already peaking. I definitely wanted to photograph a Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) in their bright spring yellows before they escaped me to the north for the nesting season. Thankfully this individual delivered, posing for me for about 15 seconds in between foraging. I had followed it for a minute...
read moreYellow-rumped Warbler
Here it is, the most abundant warbler you will likely see this year – the Yellow-rumped Warbler. In this case the bird was not showing off where it got that name, and instead it fluffed up and shook off for a moment while still watching for prey. There were plenty of flying (and biting!) insects already in the air here in late April, and it along with dozens of others had their fill flitting through the forest canopy. You can also see the leaves beginning to emerge. In a couple of weeks there will be a lot of green across the landscape...
read moreChipping Sparrow
This is a Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina), one of a few of the species I observed and photographed this past Thursday. The early spring sparrow migrants continue to pour through the region with dozens and dozens of Savannah Sparrows dominating any grasslands, fields, farms and open areas. The Eastern Towhees are calling out from shrub and scrub patches, yards, feeding stations and power line corridors. Winter friends like White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos are starting to wrap up their pushes north for the breeding season. The...
read moreWinter Tour Wrap Up
This past winter certainly was an interesting one! With swinging temperatures and sporadic snow storms, much of the area was pretty barren for a majority of the winter season. However, when snow came it was often just enough to get trails prepared and open for snowmobile, ski, snowshoe and foot traffic to pass through. During these short spurts of activity, RTPI’s “Nature at Your Fingertips” winter trails cell phone tour got quite a bit of attention as riders and the like explored the area and it’s many fascinating...
read moreCT DEEP AAfCW Beach Training
A big thank you to the volunteers who attended Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection training on how to monitor Piping Plovers and Least Terns at Sandy/Morse Points in West Haven this past Sunday. CT DEEP Wildlife Biologist Laura Saucier was joined by Audubon Connecticut Waterbird Technician Ewa Holland and me in my role as Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds Volunteer Coordinator. We gathered with our monitors on the beach on a truly beautiful Sunday morning with the sun shining brightly on the shore. Laura...
read moreNo Migration – Until Now?
Here is an image of last night’s radar taken a little before midnight with strong and heavy avian migration occurring across the Deep South and Gulf Coast. Very few birds made it into the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, and there was no action in the Northeast. It was yet another night of poor bird movement for us, continuing a pattern and a theme that has persisted for a while this April. We have had lovely weather recently all thanks to northerly-based flows keeping air moving off the land being warmed by the sun as high pressures have been...
read moreChildren in the Stream Conference 2016
Preparations are underway for the 5th annual ‘Children in the Stream’ conference. This four day event offers training to adults who are interested in integrating fly fishing into their community, company, organization or school curriculum. The conference consists of a several intensive workshops which use fly fishing as the foundation for investigating science, math, English language arts, visual arts and community outreach. This truly unique interdisciplinary approach is possible through the eclectic expertise of three committed instructors:...
read morePiping Plover Feeding
I photographed this likely female Piping Plover while she was feeding along the surf recently on another chilly day. The nesting season looked as if it was going to start early for us this year, but the April cold snap that followed the warmth of March has delayed everything for two or three weeks, if not more! That makes both their jobs and ours more difficult as a slower beginning means more people will be around more nests and young birds when the “beach season” starts around Memorial Day with a negative impact on their overall...
read moreCollaboration Brings Distinguished Author, Derrick Z. Jackson to Jamestown in May!
A unique collaboration of local organizations is bringing an award-winning journalist and photographer to Jamestown for a two-day visit. On Thursday and Friday, May 5 and 6, Derrick Z. Jackson, co-author of Project Puffin: The Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Seabird Back to Egg Rock, will speak at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and Jamestown Community College. Jackson’s visit is made possible through the teamwork of the Audubon Nature Center, Jamestown Community College Earth Awareness Club, Hultquist Library and...
read moreWild Center Natural History Museum
RTPI staff members Linda Pierce and Jane Johnson are at the Wild Center Natural History Museum in the Adirondacks checking out the Wild Walk – the Wild Center’s spectacular attraction which allows visitors to walk above the trees and enjoy breathtaking views of the mountains while enjoying the natural forest below. The museum, located in Tupper Lake, NY opens for the season in May, but was open this weekend for the MANY (Museum Association of New York) conference, which draws museum professionals from all over New York. As of...
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