Butter butt season
We are now in the prime time for the butter butts: Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata). When you cannot see their behind they certainly look rather plain in October, like this individual. Nevertheless they are still a joy to watch pouring through our lands in sizable flocks and that distinctive flash of yellow we inevitably see is a reminder of the cold air on its way.
Read MoreBlue sky action
Please be sure to go outside and take in some of this blue sky action today. It’s healthy, wondrous and a perfect celebration for the first day of fall.
Read MoreSundog
I have always called these sundogs but I know they can have a variety of names. This is a very bright spot of light that can pop up along the sun. In my experience this happens often during pleasant, cool weather associated with high pressure and cirrus clouds. The light reflects off ice crystals in the atmosphere making it appear red closer to the sun and blue further away as seen here. The sky is always offering us something to examine. In this case it looked very much like something reentering the atmosphere! At least in my imagination…
Read MoreFall hawk watching is on!
Labor Day and the beginning of September are often seen as the beginning of the fall season despite the fact the autumnal equinox is not until weeks later (September 23 this year). However, many of our birds agree with this assessment as well. You can find migrant passerines beginning to disperse and even some moving south in July. Shorebirds can be found on the way to wintering quarters in terrific numbers in “fall” migration in the middle of what we think of as a hot summer day. Raptors including many species of hawks, accipiters, falcons, eagles, vultures and more start to...
Read MoreMammatus clouds
These are mammatus clouds and if you ever spot them you can be sure severe thunderstorms are nearby. I took this photo after a particularly vicious storm in Connecticut several years ago. What we see are basically masses of sinking cold air. Stay safe tonight with more storms across the northeast.
Read More
