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Posts Tagged "avian"

Teaching the Teachers

Posted on May 12, 2016

Teaching the Teachers

Throughout the past few years of working for RTPI, I’ve heard the phrase “teaching the teachers” a number of times. From my understanding, at one time this meant equipping school teachers with the proper materials and knowledge to take their classes out into nature and teach their students place-based education. RTPI education staff traveled extensively to carry out teacher workshops and engage students in learning about the natural world. As the years have gone on, the approach to carrying out that phrase has shifted, but the focus has remained: passing our knowledge and...

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Dynamic Habitats

Posted on May 11, 2016

Dynamic Habitats

I got a text the other day from my dad saying, “Hey if you can, bring your boots over so we can investigate the beaver pond.” Behind my parents home is a beautiful wetland system that sits right in the valley, with forested hillsides surrounding. What was once a stream has since been turned into a marsh thanks to the work of some busy beavers. With dams on either end of the marsh, the water has been held back and has created great habitat for many birds, amphibians and reptiles. The marsh is full of snapping and painted turtles, peepers that are so numerous that their peeps...

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Noble Proctor Video

Posted on May 7, 2016

Noble Proctor Video

NEXT SATURDAY: A celebration of Noble Proctor’s life in the form of a BioBlitz Challenge at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, Connecticut on Saturday, May 14, 2016 from 8AM to sunset. Our headquarters for the BioBlitz will be at the pavilion near Willard’s Island. At 1:00 PM, we will come together as a group, sit down for lunch, and have a gathering at the pavilion to say a few words about Noble. Please take a look at this touching and wonderful short video on Noble by Patrick...

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Rusty Blackbird Blitz 2016 Update

Posted on May 2, 2016

Rusty Blackbird Blitz 2016 Update

Thank you to everyone who has submitted Rusty Blackbird sightings to eBird this spring! Although today marks the close of the target Blitz dates in Connecticut, the Blitz isn’t over! In 2015, Rusty migration was later than usual through many states, and birders were reporting Rusty Blackbirds in some southern states in early April, and in northern states through early May. Even outside of our official Blitz window for Connecticut, we still need all of your Rusty Blackbird observations to help understand Rusty Blackbird migratory timing and habitat use. The international Blitz runs through...

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Camera Blunders

Posted on Apr 29, 2016

Camera Blunders

During this time of the year, when bird migrations are happening, salamander eggs are growing and plants are budding, it doesn’t take long to kill a camera battery from lots of activity. And once that battery is dead, it doesn’t do any good when you are headed into the field once again! I discovered on Monday morning as RTPI Alex Shipherd and I were headed up to the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport, that my camera battery was done for. Alex’s camera was ready to go, and I at least had my phone and we took our field scope with as well. As you can see, we found Eastern...

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