American vs. Eurasian Wigeon Race
And we’re off! The race between the American and Eurasian (Wigeons) has the latter taking an early lead, but the vocal American is yelling his way to the front. Take a look at that loud bill action! This Eurasian has a history of racing, with it also besting another American recently as you can see in the other photo.
Read MoreBald Eagle in Florida
Twan took this shot of an immature Bald Eagle in flight in Florida, the bird spending its winter in a far more pleasant climate. In the Northeast we have had a lot of Bald Eagle action during all of these historically frigid days with the enormous raptor hunting waterfowl on any open water it can find and grabbing fish from icy rivers.
Read MoreSnowy Owl in Flight
Let’s be honest – this winter has been absolutely brutal! Whether we want to blame this continuous weather pattern on climate change or not, this is not what the climate is supposed to feel like in mid to late February. As the sun keeps rising temperatures keep plummeting with record low minimums at night and record low maximums during the day. The snow keeps coming, and more will be coming this weekend. However, the Snowy Owls have been a bit tougher to find this year than last. Nevertheless, there are many individuals spending their season here in our neighborhoods, which look...
Read MoreRough-legged Hawks Irrupting
This is a companion blog entry to the Winter Bird Forecast by Audubon Connecticut and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Be sure to watch for our fifth forecast, coming soon! Wherever you are across the Northeast you have likely seen or read a report about a Rough-legged Hawk nearby this winter. This beautiful raptor, available in both a light and dark color morph, has irrupted across a broad swath of the upper parts of the Lower 48. The wintering specialty is at home in open and coastal areas such as marshes, grasslands, airports – hey, a lot of the same places the...
Read MoreMale Cardinal Liftoff
Here’s liftoff of a male Northern Cardinal during a recent snowfall. Get out there this weekend and enjoy the snowy world, Chautauqua County! We will see you on the trails of our glistening landscape.
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