Pine Swamp Warbler
To answer yesterday’s quiz by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser, the Pine Swamp Warbler (Sylvia pusilla) was a bird Audubon originally painted as a new species of warbler. However, you may have figured out that it was the female Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens). This was an interesting mistake that highlighted the dimorphism between the male and female. It is one of the most drastic sexually dimorphic species of North American warblers.
Read MoreWarbler Quiz
Here’s some work for you via RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser…while setting across North America to write his The Birds of America, John James Audubon discovered 25 species of birds unknown to science at the time. One such discovery was this nondescript warbler that he deemed a different species, and it would become plate 148 in his book. However, it wouldn’t remain a species for long. This bird is in fact a female of one of our more showy North American warblers. What is it? And what did Audubon originally call it?
Read MoreChristmas Bird Counts
It is hard to believe that Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) are only a few weeks away! For those of you that may not know what a CBC is our friends at the National Audubon Society, who coordinate the efforts, explain: From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission – often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a...
Read MoreSnowy Owl in Erie, Pennsylvania by Michele Rundquist-Franz
Michele Rundquist-Franz, President of the Presque Isle Audubon Society, sent me this stupendous photo of a Snowy Owl taken last Wednesday, November 12. Michele took the photo of this bird on a roof of a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, noting this was approximately the same date Snowys started showing up in the coastal city last autumn. This weekend, with a cold northerly flow in place and a lot of birders outdoors, should yield more owl sightings. Get outside and find them – and good luck! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreMetallic Green Bee
This warm week allowed RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser to get outside and find some November pollinators! He took this Meet Your Neighbours photo of a male Metallic Green Bee (Agapostemon sp) at Audubon Greenwich. This guy looks like he is wearing a green suit of armor. Can you believe creatures like this may be in your yard right now? Checking your garden even this late in the autumn season may still reveal surprises.
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