Lighthouse Lightning
We really are saying goodbye to the summertime now and hello again to some more dry conditions (unfortunately) in the Northeast. Stratford Point had a good run of thunderstorms for a week or so in mid-August, but even these photos show a storm that is over Long Island Sound and ended up providing a very light shower for literally a minute or two. Nevertheless, the pink explosions against the blue clouds all lit by the setting sun provided a pretty scene. I was also able to capture one of the few cloud to ground lightning strikes on the Sound to the east of the Stratford Point Light. Parts of...
Read MoreDrought Worsening
Hey, did you happen to notice how dry it has been? Because our drought is steadily worsening as well. The Northeast is dry and far more dry than earlier this spring, the beginning of the year, the start of the last water year after a dry summer of 2015, and this date one year ago. We also do not have a lot of water in the forecast. Let’s hope for some clouds and some rain, please! We need more than a thunderstorm or two, and a few well-placed lows saturating the region would certainly be welcome. Extremes hurt much of the life in our environment, and climate change increasing our...
Read MoreRed-webbed Tree Frog (Hypsiboas rufitelus)
Although the weather was uncharacteristically hot and dry in Costa Rica during this last trip, many good species allowed themselves to be found for RTPI President Twan Leenders – including this Red-webbed Tree Frog (Hypsiboas rufitelus).
Read MoreCentral American Rattlesnake
This Central American Rattlesnake (Crotalus simus) works its way through the grasses of the dry province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica as photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser. Superb shot!
Read MoreCinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila)
As a part of Nicoya Peninsula Avian Research Station in Costa Rica, RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser and his colleagues band hummingbirds on a large scale to look at longevity and site fidelity. With nine species being caught on a regular basis there is quite the variety of subjects to photograph. Here we have the delightfully named Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila), a specialist of dry forests that encompass the northwest corner of Costa Rica. It is a lovely looking species with a striking cinnamon underwash and red bill. It is also one of the easier birds to spot from afar with its...
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