Stormy Skies
This late astronomical fall and early meteorological winter has felt a little different than last year’s El Niño conditions to say the least. We are seeing and feeling far more typical weather rather than the much above average temperatures the previous season yielded. Here is a picture of Stratford Point from my archives showing a very stormy sky near sunset in the middle of winter with a fair amount of snow on the ground. How much snow are you looking for this season? We may get plenty across the Northeast and Great Lakes, and that is good news for our “Nature at Your Fingertips”...
Read MoreYellow Woodlands
Autumn certainly has a glow going on, but this week has shown us a preview of some of the cold and wet weather to come. Last year’s El Niño kept us far warmer throughout the end of 2015. However, it looks like a weak La Niña will be ready to cover these trees in snow soon enough this winter. That might be a welcome development that helps alleviate the drought in the Northeast while encouraging snow lovers to get out on the trails in our beautiful Chautauqua County. More to come on all soon…
Read MoreWinter Tour Wrap Up
This past winter certainly was an interesting one! With swinging temperatures and sporadic snow storms, much of the area was pretty barren for a majority of the winter season. However, when snow came it was often just enough to get trails prepared and open for snowmobile, ski, snowshoe and foot traffic to pass through. During these short spurts of activity, RTPI’s “Nature at Your Fingertips” winter trails cell phone tour got quite a bit of attention as riders and the like explored the area and it’s many fascinating stories. Below you can find a full summary of this...
Read MoreCould it Be That Time Already?!
Our winter weather has been getting stranger by the day! This week we are going to see daytime temperatures in the mid 60’s and overnight temps in the low 40’s and 50’s with possible rain. And you know what that could mean right? Amphibians could potentially begin their migrations to their vernal breeding pools within the next few days! This time last year we were still buried in snow and were still experiencing some of the winds and weather from the “polar vortex.” Due to the extreme cold last year, it wasn’t until early April when we saw spotted...
Read MoreNot So Sleepy Bears
While the landscape in Western New York is rapidly changing thanks to some lake effect snow, earlier this week the ground was completely uncovered, temperatures were above normal and some normally sleeping wildlife were out foraging on available food resources. These photos were taken by my dad while he and a friend were out on a walk. As you can see, that black shape isn’t a wandering cow in the corn field rather it is an American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) awake from its “hibernation.” According to NYS DEC and the North American Bear Center, the black bear is not a...
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