AAfCW 2017 Training
The Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds/CT DEEP 2017 monitoring and stewardship season is about to begin! Please see below for details, and please pass this along to any new volunteers you feel would be interested in joining us. We hope all our past monitors will be returning this year after yet another record-setting season in 2017. We can only keep this success going with your help! Spend your summer days at the beach and help protect a federally threatened species! The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds are...
Read MoreProtecting Our Trails by Protecting Our Trees
Snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or hiking through Chautauqua County’s trails is an experience like none other. The area features beautiful rolling hills, deep valleys, wide open fields and thick forested tracts, tickling anyone’s sense of adventure. One such feature that is especially captivating is the large stands of thick conifers that darken the forest floor and create a cathedral effect for anyone blitzing beneath them. Of these trees, the Eastern Hemlock forms dense patches around streams and along steep slopes while nearly touching the trails with their long, snow...
Read MoreIpswich Savannah Sparrow
The Savannah Sparrow is a familiar bird to many of us, abundant in our farmlands, fields, grasslands, shrublands, shores, roadsides, and other open habitats. You can find them across the northern U.S. and Canada during the nesting and migration seasons, and you’ll spot them overwintering in the southern U.S. or Mexico. This particular individual looks a little different than your average Savannah Sparrow – notice anything unusual? It is somewhat larger and heavier that a typical Savannah Sparrow, and its brown shades and yellow eye spot are considerably paler. This is an...
Read MoreDoors Open Jamestown! Saturday, January 21st; 10am – 5pm
During the community-wide event Doors Open Jamestown, area attractions offer free admission, raffle prizes, and more. Fifteen local attractions and nearly two dozen restaurants and retail stores partner for this annual event to celebrate the region. More information is available by visiting www.jamestownupclose.com or Doors Open Jamestown on Facebook. We invite you to visit RTPI during Doors Open Jamestown to enjoy: – Free admission into our current exhibition, Focus on Nature XIV – Original artwork and memorabilia from the Peterson collection – 20% off your purchase in our...
Read MoreWhite Squirrel
One of the most familiar backyard creatures we have in the eastern part of the United States is the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). They are on our trees, robbing our bird feeders, “begging” for a snack in the park, but they are not always all the same. Some areas have local populations of melanistic, leucistic, or albino squirrels, and in some cases, these black or white appearances seem to possibly even be a color morph. I photographed this squirrel last week, and its dark (not red) eyes suggest it is not an albino even though it looked so very white. Such a...
Read More#FrogFriday
The frogs are eager to meet a lot of 3rd graders at Lincoln Elementary School next #FrogFriday! Local students will get a little taste of RTPI’s tropical research, just before our next field season kicks off. Stay tuned for more updates.
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