Wide Open Lake Erie
Thanks to El Niño’s strong influence on the position of the Pacific jet stream, the start of the 2015-2016 winter started more green than white here in Western New York. With only short spurts of cold air, Lake Erie has been staying warm and fueling small snow storms as systems move through. As the storms pass, we have been keeping an eye out for bird movement, as it has been pretty quiet up to this point. A couple weeks ago, JCC/RTPI intern Alex Shipherd and I took a trip to various points along the Lake Erie Plain to scope out waterfowl and winter raptors. As you can see Lake Erie is still...
Read MoreAmerican Tree Sparrow
Hello, winter! This little blast of frozen precipitation and cold is not going to last for long, but it is a big reminder of what season we are actually in. I thought this American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) looked like a classic winter photo, with low light and a chilly feeling on appropriately bare branches for a wintering species. Do you have any in your yard or at your bird feeders? We are nearly to the New Year when those birding lists will be starting over once again… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreChristmas Dandelion
I photographed this lovely little dandelion blooming yesterday…yes, this is a Christmas dandelion. It was in Connecticut, the state that is a part of New England, on December 25. These temperatures may be enjoyable for some of us, but such a shift is not helping our plant or animal life. They need a prolonged, uninterrupted dormant period, and starting to “go” now only to be put back in more eventual cold and snow for a couple months may harm them later. We are likely to stay above-average for temperatures, but it will nevertheless cool off to something more seasonable. The...
Read MoreWhere Are They?!
We have now entered December, and though we lack the truly cold air that the month and the beginning of meteorological winter can sometimes bring, we are cooling down and birds are still moving south. Regular arrivals spanning the spectrum from the American Tree Sparrows of our backyards to the Tundra Swans of Chautauqua Lake are joining us now. Where are we with the irruptive avian species so far this season across the Northeast and Midwest? I went through eBird maps this morning to find that out, and let’s start with the big name… The Snowy Owls started their annual southbound...
Read MoreSnowy RTPI
RTPI was looking a little snowy the other day thanks to some more lake effect snow. The ground is still pretty warm and wet so its going to take a little while before our snowfall sticks, but it won’t be long!
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