The Hellbender Search Continues
Sunshine is abundant, streams are low, clear and warm, and traps are smelly and baited…wait, what was that last part?! As the summer season is slated to officially begin this Monday, the field season is already underway and our hellbender search within Chautauqua County has begun once again. As you may recall, last fall we worked with Robin Foster, PhD candidate at the University of Buffalo, to take eDNA samples from a number of potentially suitable sites to be tested. In case you aren’t familiar, eDNA is short for environmental DNA and is a reliable method in detecting even...
Read MoreWinter Raptor Internship
There are a number of bird species that call Chautauqua County their home. In particular, there are two species, Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus) listed as ‘threatened’ and Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus), listed as ‘endangered’ in New York. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is now in its third year of helping the DEC conduct surveys for these birds. The primary focus of these surveys is to determine where Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls are spending their time to roost and feed during the winter months. The Northern Harrier is rather distinctive from a long distance with a slim,...
Read MoreRough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) by Twan Leenders
This Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) was recently seen in a snow squall at Dunkirk Airport here in Chautauqua County, New York. RTPI staff and volunteers are continuing to search for wintering Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus) and Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) across the region in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and recording other birds like this along the way as well. Please let us know if you have seen either of the two focal species this season! Email your sightings to RTPI’s Conservation & Outreach Coordinator Scott Kruitbosch...
Read MoreHelp with winter raptor surveys!
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation are teaming up to conduct wintering raptor surveys in Chautauqua County in 2014 and we need your help! The primary focus of these surveys is to determine where Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers are spending the winter season to roost and feed. Western New York’s NYSDEC Region 9 is a large geographical area and we at RTPI volunteered our time to assist NYSDEC in covering this vast region. We are hoping some of Chautauqua County’s citizen scientists will also volunteer to help out...
Read MoreDEC’s Connie Adams on Peregrines
Last month New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Senior Wildlife Biologist Connie Adams came to speak at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute Ornithological Club meeting. Connie’s talk was on the fastest creature on the planet, the Peregrine Falcon, and their history, biology and status in New York. Instead of her typical presentation Connie brought along a couple friends to help her out. These mounts are of a male and female Peregrine Falcon that were actually a mated pair in Buffalo. Can you tell which of the birds is which? Male raptors are typically smaller than...
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