Sun Height
Have you noticed the days getting longer, and that sun rising in the sky? Between that and the weather it feels like spring is just around the corner! Not quite but hey, in three months the migratory bird machine will be running full throttle. Are you excited yet?
Read MoreRed-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)
Even as we enter September there are still plenty of beautiful butterflies on the wing like this Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) photographed yesterday. It has some wear and tear, and it is a bit faded, but the exquisite design still shines brightly on a gray day. Take a look at all the shots it allowed me to capture while nectaring on this butterfly bush. You can see there are rips on the wings with the edges have been worn away, but what is most striking to me is how those wings still reflect and change light. The colors appear to be duller, bolder, brighter, darker, more vibrant...
Read MoreLate Lady
This American Lady was a lovely mid-November sight earlier this week, basking in the sun on a still warmer than average afternoon. You can see what month it is by how low that sun angle is striking the butterfly, casting a long shadow as the days continue to get shorter and darker. Are you still seeing any lepidoptera out there? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreHappy Fall
Happy first day of fall! The leaves may still be green but the sun is getting lower and lower, and soon it will be colder and colder. Eventually. I promise. Even if we have such a strong El Niño – the strongest ever recorded? – it will be cold once again! At least we have the beautiful autumn foliage to look forward to and even more birds visiting our yards, both those that will be passing through and others that will be coming to spend the winter with us. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreCold front spurring migration
As thunderstorms are impacting us here in Chautauqua County on the edge of a strong cold front birds are in flight on the cooperative northerly flow in its wake. The roughly circular areas of green are all avian targets being picked up by radar stations behind it. They appear centered only because the EM pulse rises as it moves away in all directions from the radar and most birds are flying a few to several thousand feet up. The hole in the middle is the cone of silence as the pulse does not go straight up and is sent out at a low altitude. In reality birds are flying everywhere in those...
Read More
