Piping Plover Help
Our work to protect Piping Plovers like this one and other endangered coastal waterbirds like the American Oystercatcher, Least Tern, and Common Tern continues through the end of the summer with the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds. This has been a very challenging year with some unfortunate incidents which underlines the need for your help more than ever. If you would like to join us on the beach in Connecticut this summer and for years to come please email us at ctwaterbirds@gmail.com to sign up. Even if you cannot regularly monitor a beach you may be able to assist in outreach or...
Read MoreExploring Jamestown’s Wild Side with RTPI
Summer has officially arrived – the season for cookouts, campouts, beach-going, ballgames and so many other outdoor engagements. How often, though, do most of us pause during these bustling activities to take in the details of our natural surroundings? That bee buzzing around the watermelon at your barbeque, those ants parading around the popsicle stick on the sidewalk, the crow pecking at your trash bag on the curb – do you ever stop to ponder their role in our world, or do you swat, step on or shoe them without a second thought? How does the wildlife in your community affect you?...
Read MoreGetting Started with Project Wild America
Although I’ve lived in Jamestown for a number of years, last Tuesday was the first time I’d seen a spiny softshell turtle up close. It was just basking in the sun with a shiny shell and body that sort of resembled a large gray pancake. I was pretty excited to see this goofy-looking turtle in the Chadakoin over by the Gateway Center. Spiny Softshell turtles are just one unique species that lives along the Chadakoin River here in Jamestown, and this species of turtle is one of several species that will be monitored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute’s Project Wild America program this...
Read MoreReturning to the Chadakoin
Passing through the center of Jamestown, the Chadakoin river has always been the focal point of the city. No matter how much the city continues to change and develop around it, the steady flow of water from Chautauqua Lake has remained constant. To help conserve this valuable natural resource, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute will soon select eight of the brightest high school students in the area to become Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors. Along with their two crew leaders (myself and Heather Zimba) they will spend the summer studying the Chadakoin River Corridor, and encouraging the...
Read MoreThe Hellbender Search Continues
Sunshine is abundant, streams are low, clear and warm, and traps are smelly and baited…wait, what was that last part?! As the summer season is slated to officially begin this Monday, the field season is already underway and our hellbender search within Chautauqua County has begun once again. As you may recall, last fall we worked with Robin Foster, PhD candidate at the University of Buffalo, to take eDNA samples from a number of potentially suitable sites to be tested. In case you aren’t familiar, eDNA is short for environmental DNA and is a reliable method in detecting even...
Read MoreBrown-headed Cowbirds
We seem to be at the peak season of reports of, “Why is this pretty bird feeding this huge baby bird that is twice its size?!” all thanks to the native Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Here we have a photo of a male followed by a female. The species is a brood parasite with the female laying eggs in nests of other birds to leave the burden of raising young to these unsuspecting parents by fooling them into thinking it is their own egg. It is also a rather clever way of not putting all of your eggs in one basket. These blackbirds are found in typical types of blackbird...
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