Common Green Darner
RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser was pretty excited when he told me he had our first of the year dragonfly yesterday, this Common Green Darner. These darners are migrants just like the neotropical avian migrants that are patiently waiting to flood the woods in the Northeast. Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreDragonfly Swarm!
On the evening of July 21, 2015 a cold front was rapidly advancing through Stratford, Connecticut from the northwest, bringing showers and thunderstorms to the tri-state area. This video was taken at Stratford Point, a peninsula that stretches far into Long Island Sound and harbors migratory insects and birds throughout the year. These Swamp Darners (Epiaeschna heros) and Common Green Darners (Anax junius) suddenly swarmed the site, seeking refuge from the rain and storms in this corner of the building and covered porch. Some literally flew into me while I filmed. This behavior has been...
Read MoreCommon Green Darners still moving
After a scorching day on Tuesday (OK, in relative mid-October temperature terms) with highs into the 80s in Western New York it is a good time to remember there are still some dragonflies migrating through our region and they are active on such cooperative days. Common Green Darners (Anax junius) are on the move and may represent some of the last green you see this year…or maybe not if they are resting or warming in pine trees like this one. What a summer feel!
Read MoreBoothe Park Hawk Watch 9/12 – 182 migrant raptors
We had a decent day at the Boothe Park Hawk Watch in Stratford, Connecticut yesterday, considering the deep blue sky in control, as we tallied 182 migrant raptors filling in the 9:30-4:30 time frame. Having no clouds in the sky makes it very difficult to spot hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and so forth flying at altitudes in the thousands of feet. Light clouds, especially cirrus, provide a helpful backdrop to view them on without obscuring any or dumping precipitation which would stop the birds from moving south. In essence many migrants likely flew by right over our heads that we could...
Read MoreSpot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea)
Dragonfly fall migration is underway! I netted this Spot-winged Glider flying around RTPI this week. Keep an eye out for them, Wandering Gliders, Common Green Darners, Black Saddlebags and more on the move in large numbers soon.
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