ashville | The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History

What’s the Scoop on Poop?

Posted on Jun 15, 2015

Via the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy! Kids love poop. That’s why the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History have teamed up to put on a family event called “What’s the Scoop on Poop?” We invite you to bring the kids in your life and join us at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 20th at our Dobbins Woods Preserve on Bly Hill Road in Ashville, where we’ll talk about how valuable poop can be to biologists and what impacts it can have on our waters. Then we’ll take a hike to find some scat! This event is free and...

Great Egrets in Ashville

Posted on Apr 7, 2015

Although Great Egrets are not uncommon in some of the coastal sites we work in, they are pretty rare inland. The Jamestown area usually does not see many of these stately birds, but they show up occasionally suitable wetlands during migration. Yesterday afternoon I ran into former RTPI Facility Manager Miley Miller, who mentioned seeing a Great Egret foraging in a wetland in Ashville. Since that wetland was on my way home I decided to check it out and was happily surprised to see not one but four Great Egrets foraging there! Of course I was not prepared for this encountered and only managed...

American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)

Posted on May 13, 2014

Earlier this afternoon RTPI conservation staff joined Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy staff for a walk on a prospective site on Goose Creek. We recorded 64 bird species, dozens of wildflowers and vernal pools with Wood Frog, Spotted Salamander and American Toad (like this one!) egg masses. Very cool finds on a hot spring day.