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]
Stratford Point Sunset
This was last night’s magnificent sunset at Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut looking towards the lighthouse and then our office building. We added some scenery in the form of ~12 inches of windblown snow from the blizzard last weekend. There are open areas and drifts to a few feet deep, and several Horned Larks were flying around taking advantage of the bare ground while these were taken. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
read moreCitizen Science Update; HWA Survey Results
This past Saturday, staff from RTPI and the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, along with JCC students and community volunteers, conducted a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid survey on the Cassadaga Creek Preserve in the Town of Stockton, NY. This preserve is a high priority monitoring site because it has one of the highest densities of hemlocks out of all of the CWC preserves, and also because it’s position along a stream creates a potential corridor by which birds and other wildlife could potentially transfer the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid insect...
read moreHistoric Blizzard of 2016
Here we are again – another year, another crippling blizzard crushing the Northeast. This century has been extremely volatile weather-wise for much of the east coast, and the winter seasons alone have been historic in some way nearly every year. We thought for a while that El Niño would keep it a more routine sort of winter, but once it showed it would be the strongest El Niño of all time there were a lot of unknowns…especially after historic warmth had its hold on us through the end of 2015. Basking in the 70s for Christmas, it...
read moreA Look at Hemlock Trees through the Eyes of a Conservation Intern
Written by Bryce Alexander, Conservation Intern Edited by Melanie Smith, Communications Coordinator Every time I walk through the local woods, I am always surprised by the number of Hemlock trees that are found in our forests. It’s weird to think though, that these trees are in great danger from an invasive species known as Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, also known as HWA. I have personally observed a large number of Hemlock trees, and luckily none of these appear have been affected by this invasive pest yet. Hemlock trees are an important part of...
read moreFrom Field to Frame Continues
Come visit the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York this weekend to see the artwork of Michael DiGiorgio in our continuing exhibition, From Field to Frame, featuring original bird paintings by the artist. On the advice of his friend and mentor, the late Don Eckelberry, DiGiorgio has been painting and sketching birds from life since early in his career. He has traveled to the British Isles, West Indies and South America to sketch and paint tropical bird and plant life. He has also traveled throughout the...
read moreVisit RTPI’s Nature Store
RTPI’s Nature Store features an array of books and other products that are unique to this area. Visitors to our store will find the newest and most popular Peterson Field Guide titles, signed, limited-edition Peterson prints (like these Peregrine Falcons), Peterson notecards, bird-friendly coffee, faire trade jewelry, children’s books, and more. Recently added items include glass holiday ornaments, Charley Harper merchandise and a wider variety of art and natural history related titles. Purchases from the Nature Store help support RTPI’s...
read moreHWA Survey: January 23, 2016
This winter season we will have a series of field surveys in which the public is invited to join and work alongside RTPI, CWC and JCC researchers, conservationists and professors. As we all know, Western New York winter weather can be rather snowy and cold. Individuals interested in participating in surveys should be prepared for the weather with warm clothing and boots. Snow pants and snow shoes or cross country skis are highly recommended when snow pack is deep. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Survey: Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 9am We will be...
read moreCentral American Rattlesnake (Crotalus simus)
RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser says that he had wanted to see a Central American Rattlesnake (Crotalus simus) since he started getting interested in herpetology. Fortunately for him he knew they were in the area of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula where he has worked for five avian wintering seasons. After all those thousands of hours spent in the field keeping an eye out for the species, and eventually wondering if they were a mythical and magical creature that once existed in the area, they finally found one this week! Sean says it was a...
read moreBook Review: The Secret Lives of Bats by Merlin Tuttle
Written by RTPI associate and bat enthusiast Jonathan Townsend Merlin Tuttle has been a driving force in bat conservation for decades, and has been studying them since he was 12 years old. In addition to his biological studies he is one of the world’s preeminent bat photographers, and to date has photographed hundreds of species on every continent in which bats are found – including all 46 species of North American bat. Over the years he has authored and collaborated on dozens of scientific papers, has had several articles in...
read moreSnowy Owl
Welcome to winter! It took a while, but we are really feeling it now, with more to come this January as we look at long-range weather models. Here are a few more upland photos of the Snowy Owl that I enjoyed last Friday on a much warmer day without any snow. As we get deeper into the season we will inevitably see a few more winter birds…additional Rough-legged Hawks? Perhaps finally some of those record-setting Common Redpolls that were pouring south in Canada during autumn? It seems to be a down season for irruptive passerines, but I...
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