Enjoying Our Natural Areas
This past week my husband and I enjoyed a walk through Long Point State Park, a RTPI Natural History Atlas location and a beautiful natural area just a short walk from our home. While we were out, we took a quick look in a stream and seep for some salamanders and found a good sized Northern Dusky (Desmognathus fuscus). Although the salamander was exciting to see, I was most excited to see my husband flipping rocks and enjoying this naturally rich area as much as I was. While fall is soon approaching, there is still plenty of time to get outside and explore the county’s abundant natural...
Read MoreAmerican Coots coming to Chautauqua
In the last couple of weeks I have seen thousands of American Coot (Fulica americana) across Chautauqua County. They have started to pour into our region during this migratory period along with other types of waterfowl. These unique birds are quite different than the average duck, grebe or goose, though. The photo below shows several of them hanging out at a boat ramp at Dunkirk Harbor. This Lake Erie location held approximately 303 of the species when I visited on November 11. As you can see they are definitely not ducks and actually belong to the Rallidae family. They visit our lakes to...
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