Survey Work Continues
Call us crazy, but we have done it again: bundled ourselves up and trudged around in knee deep snow to survey for the deadly Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. This time, our JCC/CWC/RTPI survey team traveled down to Warren County to visit the Hatch Run Conservation Demonstration Area for the second year in a row. This site is loaded with Eastern Hemlock trees that make up a beautiful and valuable riparian zone between the streams and upland forests. We are happy to report that we didn’t find the pest we were after (which is a good thing!) and being in that particular site made us really think....
Read MoreNorthern Harrier in the Snow and Sky
I recently photographed this Northern Harrier flying through some heavy snow. These are the most typical sort of views you will have of the species while surveying for them in the field. The long and thin raptor can often be easily identified swooping low over the land, watching for prey, by the big white patch at the base of the tail. They can be seen in grasslands, farm fields, and coastal areas. If you are one of our friends in Chautuauqa County please remember that we at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History are assisting the New York State Department of Environmental...
Read MoreSuccessful 1st Survey
I am very happy to report that our team comprised of RTPI staff and JCC faculty and students did not find Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) on any of the 200+ trees we surveyed at South Valley State Forest! Although the temperatures were chilly, we had a beautiful sunny day to be out in the hemlock stands trudging our way through the knee deep snow. Prior to our survey we ran our student surveyors through background information about this deadly invasive bug threatening the area’s hemlock trees. We went over look-alikes and our field protocol, then headed out the door to our destination....
Read MoreWinter Raptor Count – RTPI on WGRZ TV
A tremendous thanks to Terry Belke of WGRZ TV in Buffalo for producing this article and video segment on the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History’s winter raptor surveys for his popular series “2 The Outdoors”. The video features RTPI President Twan Leenders and some footage and photos of our target species, the Northern Harrier and Short-eared Owl. There is some seriously wonderful video to be seen, so please check it out! RTPI is assisting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a second season of wintering raptor surveys in Chautauqua...
Read MoreGreat Backyard Bird Count
Winter Birds Forecast #6 is brought to you by Audubon Connecticut in partnership with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. The Great Backyard Bird Count is here! The count is sponsored by Audubon, Bird Studies Canada and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and occurs annually over President’s Day Weekend. Anyone can participate and in this case the world is your “backyard”. You can submit sightings from anywhere, not just birds you see in your yard. Observers from more than 100 countries are expected to participate in the 18th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), February...
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