Winter Sunset
This is a more typical sunset shot than the otherworldly views I posted previously this week, with the December sun painting a very colorful but seasonal hue across the clouds. Our trees are bare but our air is as warm as this photo feels considering the date. Have you seen any buds in the forest? I certainly have, from maple to oak and on a variety of introduced flora…even with some flowering! It is not close to blooming time, but the days are now getting longer and the sun is rising… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreExposed Nest
The onset of winter always exposes other parts of nature that we may have missed earlier in the year. In this case this looks to possibly be a Baltimore Oriole nest on a tree near a pond. I visited this spot a few times during what would have been the breeding season, but I did not notice them way up there among the leaves. I wonder how successful they were and if all of their nestlings made it out into the world. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreCommon Merganser
This Common Merganser was a recent sighting off the mouth of the Housatonic River via Stratford Point where it meets Long Island Sound, typically a point too far for the species. Several individuals had been hanging out here which was a little strange considering how warm it has been with completely open rivers – we do not even go below freezing at night! Birds are doing all sorts of odd things during this stretch, and we are only getting started…the Christmas Bird Count results are starting to come in with equally unique and surprising data.
Read MoreDecember Sky
This December sky came at sunset on yet another warm and almost balmy evening…what a time to be alive! Our world is changing all around us as even buds and flowers have started to bloom in these unbelievable weather conditions. Yes, this is El Niño, but it is an El Niño in a period of intense global warming and climate change…all of which will cause possibly more frequent and more severe events going forward. The rate of this temperature change is unprecedented, and if it feels strange to us then imagine how the wildlife and plants throughout our world are feeling. I will be...
Read MoreDecember El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion
Looking for winter in the east? You might be looking to travel for it! The December El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion that came out today says… Synopsis: El Niño is expected to remain strong through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16, with a transition to ENSO-neutral anticipated during late spring or early summer 2016. “Seasonal outlooks indicate an increased likelihood of above-median precipitation across the southern tier of the United States, and below-median precipitation over the northern tier of the United States. Above-average temperatures are...
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