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]
Nurtured by Nature Installation & Reception
As you can see in these photos our staff was hard at work yesterday installing our newest exhibition! On Friday, May 1, 2015 from 7 – 9 PM meet “Nurtured by Nature: Developing as an Artist in Chautauqua County” artist Audrey Kay Dowling at RTPI for an opening reception and artist talk. The solo exhibit runs through June 15, 2015. Audrey was raised on 52 acres on Bemus Creek. During these years, she spent her free time exploring the woods and creeks that ran through the property. Her love of nature was nurtured by these explorations of the...
read moreBobcat Signs
Can you spot the mammal here? No? Well…yes, you cannot find it because it is not there, but it has left its mark…literally. What do you see? This is a Bobcat scratching post and resting area, the bark stripped away by sharp claws. You can see the lines that have been carved into the wood. It is conveniently located over a pool of water, making it harder for anything to sneak up on the bobcat when it is at rest. It almost seemed similar to a place one of our pet cats would like to enjoy a snooze on! Nearby we found this pile of scat, also...
read moreSnowmobile Cell Phone Tour Wrap Up
For any of those that enjoy the winter season, many will say this past winter was a great one. The cold temperatures and consistent snowfall made Chautauqua County a winter outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, coating the trails and ski slopes throughout much of the blustery season. Thanks to all of the wintery weather the area received, the trails throughout Chautauqua County were open for snowmobile, ski, snowshoe and foot traffic throughout much of the designated season. Furthermore, the conditions created a great opportunity for people to...
read moreBird Extinctions
It’s not every day that we do photo shoots with organisms that have been dead for any length of time; however, on occasion the preserved bird skins in the Peterson collection still get a bit of use even though some of the birds themselves have been dead for over a hundred years, and their species extinct for decades. Many of the bird skins that lay in their likely final resting spot here at RTPI were part of Roger Tory Peterson’s collection that he used for reference while painting each species for his field guides. Nowadays they...
read moreTick Season
Tick season has arrived! Whether it is a warm and sunny day or a cool, cloudy one you can now expect to find some ticks outdoors, especially in edge habitats. In Western New York this is rarely a problem, and only a handful of sites have any ticks to be found. However, in places like Connecticut the population is robust, booming, and filled with diseases. Any time that you or your dog goes outdoors this spring, and throughout the year really, you should be mindful of ticks. The best way to protect yourself is to stay covered, change your...
read moreElementary School Students Saving Birds
Last year the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds helped to teach elementary school children about some of Connecticut’s most imperiled avian species, ensuring that they learn about why it is so important to share the shore with these conservation-priority waterbirds. Respecting wildlife is a fundamental aspect of our species stewardship of the Earth – at least if we want to survive on it! These students gave back to their world by creating wonderful, unique art to teach and inspire beachgoers as they flock to the shore for...
read moreRed Fox Wrestling!
Would you be interested in watching young Red Fox kits wrestling? Do you want to see adorable pups in battle training? How do you like fluffy little cubs biting and attempting to “kill” one another? If so, you’re in luck! As in previous Red Fox postings I shot these through a window from afar for the safety of the competitors as well as the photographer (and this would never happen if they could see me!)… Everything these little ones do is precisely what a litter of your pet puppies would do, and they all seem to have...
read moreRoger Tory Peterson Institute receives Travel Grant Funding
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) is pleased to announce the receipt of a Travel Grant that allowed staff members Jane Johnson and Linda Pierce to attend a conference at the Corning Museum of Glass, April 12-14, presented by the Museum Association of New York (MANY). The grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and administered by MANY, allows RTPI to explore new connections and opportunities related to development, collections, and exhibitions. The Travel grants are one of a series of grants offered to help...
read moreSpring Migrations Have Begun!
So I’ve got a bit of a funny story for you and it goes a little something like this: last Thursday night, as we suspected, warm overnight rains began to draw spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer), and other amphibians out from their winter refuges. They began their journeys to nearby vernal pools, but some of them took detours in the process. My husband Tyler and I were house and pet sitting for my parents while they were on vacation. Behind their home is a series of ponds that make up a...
read moreRed Fox Family
Today I saw some of the first young of the spring season in the form of at least three Red Fox pups/cubs/kits. There are likely a few more of them that stayed in their den, but on a cold and cloudy day with quiet surroundings part of the family ventured out to get a little air. Mom stayed in the grass near them, watching and listening. She looks relaxed in these photos because I was shooting from afar through a window. They are, in a word, adorable. They are also extremely tiny compared to her already small stature. These are very young pups!...
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