Apex predator or small meal?
When looking at a “teenage” Timber Rattlesnake from above like this it seems rather insignificant and certainly unimposing. We know it is a venomous snake, which may add a bit of intimidation, but we should also know it is shy, passive and uninterested in harming a human unless it is being directly threatened. At this time of year there are much smaller Timber Rattlesnakes – some less than a foot long – in the form of neonates. These newly-born young have fangs and venom but a significant percentage will perish in their first year from a variety of threats. Twan...
Read MoreMonarch butterflies
Here it is, one Meet Your Neighbours display that needs no introduction – the Monarch (Danaus plexippus), with a female on the left and a male on the right. We must all continue to work to make certain that future generations can enjoy them in real life and not simply via beautiful photos like these. Only through a collective effort to combat deadly chemical pollutants from intentionally entering our ecosystem, protecting vital habitat during all seasons and educating our children can we turn the tide on the decline of once abundant and now fading species like these. They may not be in...
Read MoreYellow-breasted Chats in New York
Earlier today I uploaded this video of a notorious skulker, the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens), to our YouTube Channel. The bird was foraging for prey in dense brush and thickets. This behavior is typical of the often hidden species. While it is not necessarily shy – this individual feeling comfortable enough to feed as I filmed shows that much – it certainly knows how to stay out of sight for the most part. It made me ponder the current status of the species as a whole in Western New York and the surrounding region. Back in Connecticut I actually saw several...
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