Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)
Now this is where flowers are supposed to be blooming! Here we have a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) hovering in for some nectar thanks to this tremendous photograph by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Costa Rica while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreWhite-tailed Kite Hovering
It won’t be long until RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser will be heading back to the tropics for another wintering season of awesome research and field work in Central America. Later on in the season RTPI President Twan Leenders will be traveling once again as well as the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History continues its truly global art, education and conservation work. This is a White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus), one species that I will be jealous of them getting to see. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreCave Swallows
After an enthralling day with the biggest invasion of Franklin’s Gulls across the Northeast and Atlantic coast since at least 1998 (more on that in another entry later this weekend) our collective hopes were high for more sensational rare birds with them. This Friday, one of the most memorable birding days in years, had all available Connecticut birders mobilized along the coast, looking for life and state Franklin’s while trying to remember to watch for many other target species. One of these was the Cave Swallow, a classic November vagrant in the Northeast since the early...
Read MoreCommon Buckeye on Grass-Leaved Goldenrod
Here we have the Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) butterfly feeding on Grass-Leaved Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia). You can see this individual has some wear and tear on its wings, but it was still flying very well. This patch of goldenrod has been extremely productive for all sorts of pollinator species, and we are hoping it yields a lot of super sightings in the next month.
Read MoreSpot-winged Glider
Today was the best day that I have experienced so far this year for migratory insects! Red Admiral and Monarch butterflies were on the wing, and dozens of dozens of dragonflies were zipping by including Common Green Darners, Black Saddlebags, Carolina Saddlebags, Swamp Darners, Wandering Gliders and Spot-winged Gliders (Pantala hymenaea) like this one. You can see the spots of this very difficult to catch species here. Keep an eye out for Sean’s Meet Your Neighbour photo of it sometime soon. So much more life is emerging every day now that we have entered the summer, and it is so...
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