Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History!
Read MoreAmerican Woodcock in March Snow
I was delighted to find this American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) feeding in the exposed leaf litter and mud thanks to the warm, flowing spring and expansive wetlands in my yard today after about six more inches of snow fell yesterday and early this morning. Note the muddy end of this shorebird’s bill showing it had been busy foraging throughout the day in this video… …and the photos below: This well-known spring species dances on the ground while foraging and in the sky while courting every March, though this year the displays may be a little later than usual. The sun is so...
Read MoreHidden American Woodcocks
March is the month for the American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) as the species heads north to (hopefully) unfrozen earth, with males arriving as quickly as they can to set up on the best territory for their legendary display flights. This year’s polar lock on the region may slow them down as feeding will be very difficult, if not impossible, for another week or two at least. Open fields and meadows adjacent to wetlands, marshes and scrubby/shrubby lands are good places to wait for their evening aerial dances later in the month. I photographed these two birds in the early winter, long...
Read MoreMerry Christmas – Visit RTPI!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History! Please be sure to stop by soon to see us at our Jamestown, New York headquarters before Steve Cagan’s “Bird Portraits” exhibition ends on January 4.
Read MoreCome see Passenger Pigeons
Please be sure to stop by RTPI and come up to our second floor to see these Passenger Pigeons (Ectopistes migratorius) on display. Where else will you be able to see and learn about an extinct species right in front of you? RTPI is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM and Sunday 1:00 PM-5:00 PM.
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