Black-capped Chickadee
The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is as familiar a backyard resident as can be, but did you know these birds migrate, too? Well, some of them anyway, in a particular way. Young birds move south and irrupt during certain years based on the reproductive success of the summer and the local conditions. The best way to see this is finding a number of them in migratory hotspots in the autumn. If you are at an area such as a beach along the shore of Lake Erie where you typically find zero and suddenly see a flock of six or eight, there you go. I have seen up to 18 in a little flock...
Read MoreQuick Update With More to Come!
Hey all! It’s been a while! I just wanted to give a quick update on the Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors with a promise that there will be a lot more info, pictures and posts to come! Overall the summer went splendidly! We logged hundreds of hours surveying the Chadakoin River Corridor and spent ample time reaching out the the community to showcase all the species found within the area. Through the course of the 6-week program our PWA students successfully identified 286+ different species and conducted nearly a dozen different types of surveys. I’ll have more to report on...
Read MoreSnowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis)
There are still clearwing moths on the wing, and in the last couple of weeks I have actually seen a number of Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis) like this one. When there are so many individual flowers to feed on they are all the more difficult to photograph with fast movement back and forth…here, there and everywhere! I thought the reflection of the sun being visible here in those rapidly beating wings was especially cool. Sightings like this underline the importance of having pollinator plants that are blooming and full of nectar during all parts of the warm season. Spring,...
Read MoreEastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Who doesn’t love a little Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) in their lives? This furry little friend has a tick attached to it on the right side of its face. You know, the more we do to add to the proliferation of those parasites and their diseases, endangering human lives, the more we also make life more difficult for local wildlife exposed to the same conditions with unknown consequences and assuredly untold suffering.
Read MoreWhimbrel
This is not a very good photo, but it is a very good bird – the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus). If you live near any coastal areas you should keep an eye and an ear open to watch and listen for them migrating by right now, as this bird was doing. It was really moving, and being an able and swift flier is something you need to do when you are cruising between continents and hemispheres…
Read MoreEvil White-breasted Nuthatch
Look, I’m telling you now, be careful outside this autumn! You may be enjoying a sweet White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) in a park or at your home and then suddenly it turns evil on you. Look at that expression – what a monster. One can never be sure with these little demons…it is quite a day for birds on this lovely Friday, so go find one now! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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