Cabbage White
The Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) is a non-native “pest” butterfly species, and here you can see it is feeding on a Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), a non-native weed…but you know what, the ship has sailed on trying to solve that problem. I realize that is easy for me to say because I am not employed in agriculture. However, we are not going to wake up tomorrow and eliminate these species from North America. Even if we were to try it would be terribly harmful, and in the case of the dandelion we would be pumping even more toxic chemicals into our environment – as...
Read MoreYellow-rumped Warbler
Here are a couple more stunning Yellow-rumped Warbler photos while they are looking so fantastic in their spring shades – and right before all the leaves pop out. They’ll be heading out soon as a greater diversity of warblers arrive in our backyards. I did see one unique Yellow-rumped Warbler yesterday that I will feature in an upcoming post… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreWorm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum)
I was thrilled to find and then get great views of this Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) singing and feeding earlier today. I first heard its insect-like trill of a song from along a steep, rocky slope in the forest featuring a lot of vegetation in the understory – precisely what they want for the breeding season. We in the Northeast are at the northern edge of their range, and finding the uncommon birds can be difficult. Worm-eating Warbler populations are said to be stable, but they certainly do decline and increase in certain regions depending on local conditions....
Read MoreCommon Grackle
This Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) was in search of some snacks, using those big yellow eyes to scope out prey in the grass. They will eat nearly anything and everything which is part of why we see them everywhere in abundance. What is the strangest thing you have seen them devouring?
Read MoreBrown Thrasher
The Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) was another photographic target of mine this spring. I typically do get to enjoy the species a bit each April and May, but they are difficult subjects to shoot. Part of the problem is that they have dramatically dropped in abundance since Roger Tory Peterson’s time which makes me appreciate moments like these all the more. For a species that was a tolerably common breeding bird for many people, including Roger’s homes in New York and Connecticut, is now often a ghost in both behavior and population. Habitat loss and degradation, competition with...
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