White-throated Sparrows massing and feeding
White-throated Sparrows have arrived in tremendous numbers across the region, ready to eat you out of house and home all winter long! Before then, while the grass and earth is still exposed, without being snow-covered or frozen, they can feast on more natural meals. I took a bunch of photos of a few individuals in a group feeding on the lawn last week. There would not be much to chow down on if this were uniformly treated bright, green grass, one species that was chemically induced to look like the perfect lawn. These monocultures are taking up valuable habitat real estate and often consist...
Read MoreBlue Jays on the move?
Whether I have been in New York, Pennsylvania or Connecticut recently it feels like everywhere I turn I see a Blue Jay. Whether it’s one, two, several or more they are filling up every bit of land they can find. I mean this quite literally – every time I walk outside of RTPI it seems as if there are Blue Jays active all over the place. Considering the calendar it occurred to me that we are probably experiencing an influx of migrant Blue Jays. Being such common backyard birds and a widely adaptable species it can be difficult to discern when a Blue Jay movement is taking place. We...
Read MoreSilver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)
There have been more Silver-spotted Skippers (Epargyreus clarus) out and about at many locations recently including Natural History Atlas sites to gardens. Butterfly diversity has increased in our experience in the last few weeks in our region while overall abundance remains rather low. What about you and your area?
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