American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
This American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a good example of the species that will be loving the recently posted sunflower plot! Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreSunflower Plot
The first “fall” migrant birds are already dispersing or moving about! Young swallows are leaving their nesting areas, shorebirds are beginning to come south, and flycatchers that may have had failed nests are already on the way to the wintering grounds. Later this autumn this sunflower plot will be a tremendously attractive spot to many passerine migrants looking for a feeding or resting area. Let’s keep up a good balance of rain and sunshine, please! For the birds.
Read MoreClover City
So many clovers, so little time! Welcome to summer. Let your grass grow up a bit and see what you can find. The bugs, bees to butterflies, will all appreciate it, and so will our air, your wallet and your back.
Read MoreBrown-headed Cowbird
This male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) was taking a look at all the maple seeds in this driveway, perhaps wondering why it shouldn’t eat all of this abundant and easy to grab food instead of those fast, pesky and tough to spot insects. They do primarily eat seeds, and I guess you have time to wonder these things when you leave the difficult task of raising your young to another species. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDeer Overbrowsing
I may not be an expert on vegetation, especially ornamental, but something seems…not right…here. You have probably seen similar sights in the last couple of months now that the ice and snow have fully cleared as White-tailed Deer did a number on anything they could eat in the Northeast. Everything just above their head is bright and green, and parts below are bare and brown. Our overpopulation of deer wipes the forest floors clean to the point where they must pick at what we could call scraps like these in our neighborhoods. Some people may object to wolves in their backyards,...
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