Glass Frogs
Researchers from the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI) have been monitoring Glass frogs and other amphibian species in Central America for more than two decades – not only to keep these frogs from extinction, but also to learn how some populations have been able to survive catastrophic declines due to the parasitic Chytrid fungus. Hopefully this information will help us as we try to find ways to help other endangered species as well. Glass frogs owe their common name to their transparent undersides which, in some species, allow one to see their internal organs. Note...
Read MoreWhat in the Whorled?
On a recent visit to coastal Florida, a personal friend encountered what she though to be a vacant seashell, but soon discovered that it was in fact occupied by a feisty resident. Knowing my profession (and my affinity for what I affectionately refer to as “goobies”; the world’s slimy, obscure, and often over-looked and under-appreciated critters), she shared the photos she had taken in hopes that I could assist in identifying her find. Somewhat serendipitously, it turned out to be the very creature that I studied intensively in grad school. You might be inclined to...
Read MoreBay-breasted Warblers
We are getting to the end of the spring migration season, and as hard as that is to believe our later arriving species are trickling through as many of the species that arrived earlier are getting down to nesting. One of my favorite passing migrants is the Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea), a large and gorgeous species that I believe seems more rare than it is. Bay-breasted Warblers start passing through the region as most of the other spring birds are peaking. These birds remain mostly high in the canopy – above eye-level and out of sight behind recently emerged leaves, and...
Read MoreWildLife Guards Crew Leader Positions – Three 2017 Job Openings
Related to RTPI’s work with Audubon Connecticut in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds is our partnership on the Bridgeport WildLife Guards project: http://rtpi.org/education/wildlife-guards/ RTPI is once again teaming up with Audubon Connecticut to run the 2017 WildLife Guards program, which trains, mentors, and employs 12 local high schools students and three crew leaders who monitor nesting birds and engage visitors, families, and friends about two of Connecticut’s most important beaches and their wildlife. The WildLife Guards offer unique activities for children like...
Read MoreGreen Heron
Spring is filled with so many wonderful sights and sounds as a multitude of colorful songbirds return and fill our landscape with life. However, there are many other bird families returning to us as well. This Green Heron (Butorides virescens) was an unexpected and gratifying capture a couple of weekends ago while I was targeting warblers. It really provided a wonderful pose and superb bokeh for me for a few seconds during our chance encounter. Green Herons are special in that they are one of a handful of bird species in the world that use tools as they can fish using lures and bait. They...
Read MoreWhite-eyed Vireo
The White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) was high on the list of spring targets for me this year, as I have not had a good look at the species in quite some time and I certainly did not have any decent photographs of one. That sentence was past tense because I recently accomplished this mission. I certainly feel as though I can do better, but considering its behavior, the weather conditions, location, and time of day, I was happy with what I got. Can you tell why they are called White-eyed Vireos? This uncommon (at least in our region) species is often relatively elusive despite being...
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