Banded Tussock Moth
This is the Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris), a species I particularly loved discovering with that blue and orange mohawk look! It decided to stay very close to the porch light. It ended up a little too close getting some cobwebs on it that you can see in the profile view. However, it seemed to have been able to shake them off because the next time I checked on what was at my lights I did not see it. The more mothing I do the more addictive it becomes, and I can see why Roger Tory Peterson spent so much time on it…but I cannot possibly imagine how he did it without...
Read MoreClose-banded Yellowhorn
Here we have what looks to be a Close-banded Yellowhorn (Colocasia propinquilinea) moth, one of a few dozen species that I enjoyed seeing while mothing this weekend. I will be sharing moths all spring, summer, and fall, in part to honor one of young Roger Tory Peterson’s hobbies, and something that helped foster his passion for the natural world in our Wild America. This pastime is as easy as turning on an outside light at night and seeing what shows up. The very difficult part comes in identifying these (mostly) nocturnal creatures! I do have the superb Peterson Field Guide to Moths...
Read MoreBird Book Wars: The Emperor Strikes Back
Our friend Patrick Comins, Audubon Connecticut Director of Bird Conservation, walked into my office with this a few days ago – it is the American Birding Association’s Birding journal from August 1981, Volume XIII, Number 4, featuring our own Roger Tory Peterson on the cover. Appropriately shown in his studio the story is hilariously titled, “Bird Book Wars: The Emperor Strikes Back” with an introduction and four reviews of the Fourth Edition of his legendary A Field Guide to the Birds. It also features a response by Roger Tory Peterson himself. They even made the...
Read MoreWorn Field Guide – Throwback Thursday
This is my current Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America. It is a fifth edition I have owned for nearly a decade. I thought I would toss this up for a Throwback Thursday and point out how worn it is. Forget the corners and edges, and even the binding is starting to give. The cover is really and truly that faded color after many hours in the sun in my vehicles or somewhere else. Rain, snow and saltwater spray has taken a toll, too. Considering what it has been through I think it is actually doing well. How’s yours looking? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation...
Read MoreChristmas Bird Counts
It is hard to believe that Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) are only a few weeks away! For those of you that may not know what a CBC is our friends at the National Audubon Society, who coordinate the efforts, explain: From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission – often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a...
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