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]
Autumn Field Surveys
While the field season never completely ends, projects shift and our attention will soon be focused on other seasonally appropriate surveys during the upcoming cooler months. As the temperatures continue to drop as well as the leaves, our stream work surveying for the elusive Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is winding down. This week we got out to take more samples and carry out more rock lift surveys. So far we have found that the stream we have been working in has a good number of Mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) and has a...
read moreWhat’s Under That Rock?
As a little girl growing up in rural Western New York, I always had an affinity for animals. My mom worked at a veterinary clinic and would often take me to work with her where, at a young age, I learned to respect animals and treat them with gentleness and compassion. I also spent a lot of time in the woods going on hikes with my dad and grandpa finding whatever was along the trail or fishing out whatever was in a nearby fishing hole. For the longest time I loved all things furry, with horses, dogs, and guinea pigs being amongst my...
read moreHarlequin Duck
Come on, this is getting ridiculous – Harley, our drake Harlequin Duck at Stratford Point, looks absolutely stupendous with his nearly completed beautiful blue plumage. The blue water really brings out his tones even more. Please stay with us for the winter, Harley! We think he will be off to find a hen, or at least some other members of his own species, once his molt is complete, but we have our fingers crossed that he has enjoyed his time with us and may consider sticking around. In all seriousness a bird like this is an inspirational...
read moreMonarch Movement
As we press on into October it becomes all the more vital for Monarch butterflies to hurry up and head to the south. The weather may feel lovely this week with sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s and 70s, but as Yogi Berra said, it is getting late early. The results of tagged Monarch butterfly studies have shown that those individuals that migrate earlier have a better chance of reaching the wintering grounds. Every week that passes at our higher latitudes in the United States means it will be more difficult for those currently passing...
read moreWildLife Guards Boy Scout Event
This past Saturday, September 26, I spent the day with seven of our ten Bridgeport WildLife Guards back at Brideport, Connecticut’s Pleasure Beach. That is where they were stationed five days each week this summer, conducting education, conservation and advocacy activities and making a difference for rare or endangered plants and wildlife, highlighted by the federally threatened Piping Plover. They engaged visitors and beachgoers, offering unique and innovative programs to convey the philosophy of sharing the beach and respecting our...
read moreDrake Harlequin Duck Swimming
Here is our pal the drake Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) making steady progress molting into his beautiful blue plumage. The species loves rocky, surf-battered coastal shores like ours here at Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut, and you can see it eagerly and adeptly riding the waves right at the tip of the point in between feeding. Growing in so many new feathers takes a lot of energy. It also means that a lot of maintenance has to be done, and he preens almost endlessly when he is not feeding or swimming. This...
read moreNorthern Harrier Migrant
Can you spot the bird in this photo? Good luck! It is a migrant from the Boothe Park Hawk Watch, and it is in the upper right third of the picture. High in the sky in a suburban park is also not where you would normally imagine spotting one. It is a Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) on the way south for the winter, heading down the Housatonic River corridor to find Long Island Sound and the Atlantic coast. Binoculars help to identify it, but even here you can see the long wings, long tail and soaring, light flight it takes at low levels over...
read moreCummins Employees Combined Charities Fund
CECCF – Cummins Employees Combined Charities Fund – Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History’s Development Associate Linda Pierce and Exhibits & Public Programs Coordinator Jane Johnson are at the Cummins Engine Jamestown Plant talking with Cummins employees about RTPI exhibits and programs, and its mission to carry on Roger Tory Peterson’s legacy through Art, Education and Conservation. The CECCF is a fund to which Cummins employees may choose to contribute through payroll deductions. The CECCF Awareness...
read moreRTPIOC September 30, 2015 Meeting
On Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 7:00PM please join us for the first meeting of the 2015-2016 Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History Ornithological Club season. It will include a presentation by RTPIOC President Tom Simmons. Tom will describe a “Maui Adventure,” sharing photos of Hawaii birds, including four endemic species, and humpback whales, volcanoes, and black sand beaches. There will be refreshments and conversation after the meeting. We hope you will be able to attend! The meeting will take place at RTPI – 311 Curtis St.,...
read moreHarlequin Duck
This is a drake Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) that is in the middle of molting into that gorgeously patterned blue breeding plumage. It may not be winter yet but they do enjoy wintering on rocky, surf-battered coastal shores like this one here at Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut. Between the fact it is doing nonstop preening as its fresh feathers come in, thus making a long uncertain flight an unpleasant notion, and the quality of the habitat here we feel like we stand a good chance of keeping this bird for a while....
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