Rainy Red-tailed Hawk
This drenched Red-tailed Hawk was another bird being impacted by the weather and seen yesterday by our friend Gale VerHague, this time at the Dunkirk Airport. It doesn’t feel like rain today in Chautauqua County, does it? That will be the end of that for some time! Let’s see how much snow we can bank up this week.
Read MoreGreat Blue Herons Battling Wind
I very much enjoyed this photo of Great Blue Herons taken at Dunkirk Harbor yesterday by our friend Gale VerHague. As I told Gale I love it when you can “see” both the birds and the weather itself interacting in a photo. These long-legged waders were using all of those legs in battling very strong winds on Lake Erie associated with the passage of a cold front, keeping their backs to the incoming arctic air. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSnowy Owl in Dunkirk, New York
This tremendous photo of a Snowy Owl at Wright Park Beach in Dunkirk, New York was taken this morning by our friend Gale VerHague. She used a basic point and shoot camera showing how easily we can safely photograph these birds from a distance thanks to a good zoom, especially if you have a scope. Giving them space is important so that they can rest during the day and hunt at night – in this case, likely waterfowl on Lake Erie. It is all the more necessary when, as Gale told me, birds like American Crows have honed in on the raptor as they were harassing this individual. Please try to...
Read MoreCommon Terns on Lake Erie
Now that we are a partner in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds I am working every day to coordinate our volunteer and monitoring efforts in conservation and education across Connecticut focusing on Piping Plovers, Least Terns, American Oystercatchers and Common Terns among all other shorebirds, long-legged waders and terns. I was very happy to enjoy one of our target species this past Sunday as I saw at least 85 Common Terns off Dunkirk Harbor here in Western New York. These “Commons”, along with nine or more Caspian Terns, were feeding in Lake Erie and resting on...
Read MoreCaspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) by Scott Kruitbosch
It’s difficult to tell in this photo but Caspian Terns really are enormous birds. At least 9 were feeding in Lake Erie off Dunkirk yesterday in the increasingly blue sky. After another frost last night in Western NY (ugh!) spring temperatures and sunshine will come fast this week.
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