Iced Maple
These maple tree buds had a good coating of freezing rain covering them up in ice, too – I cannot imagine this is good for the trees or the wildlife that depends on them! But it was probably not as bad as the prolonged sub-freezing temperatures of the last couple of days… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreWindow Ice
Is it cold enough for you this morning? Here’s a look out the window at the intricate ice that had formed on the glass. This Valentine’s Day will stay frigid but relief is on the way soon with more lake effect snow across Chautauqua County and a mostly wet nor’easter along the Atlantic coast this week. Keep your feeders full! The birds can take the temperatures, but they do need all the calories they can get on days like this. Be sure to bundle up when you venture outdoors, and enjoy this sunny winter day. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreGrowing Season
Have you ever wondered why the Lake Erie plain is loaded with grapes? Being that Lake Erie is shallow and lower in volume compared to the other Great Lakes, it frequently reaches freezing temperatures and glazes over with ice each winter. As the spring thaw progresses and temperatures rise, the gradually warming lake acts as a refrigerator on the adjacent plain. Cool air rushing off the lake surface keeps grape buds from opening before the danger of killing frost has passed. As fall approaches, the lake is at a balmy 73 degrees, on average from sunny summer days, and keeps the plain warm...
Read MoreDickcissel (Spiza americana)
The highlight of my Sunday birding was this Dickcissel (Spiza americana). My friend, and terrific birder, Tom Murray and I had crippling views of this bird after we spotted it simultaneously among so very many sparrow migrants. It hid on us for about 20 minutes after we first got a quick glance for the initial identification, eventually granting prolonged looks. Persistence pays off! Patience (and sometimes a lot of silence instead of pishing) often helps when you want to a better look a specific individual. This bird of the prairies and grasslands of the Central and Midwestern United States...
Read MorePiping Plovers in the Sand
This warm week has jump started breeding as Piping Plover pairs are getting much more focused on nesting, making scrapes and exhibiting soon to be parents behavior on some Connecticut beaches. Our Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds crew is wrapping up helping the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in placing string/psychological fencing and signage on major beaches and busy breeding areas. We will soon be assisting them in placing exclosures over Piping Plover nests to protect the precious eggs from predators on the ground (cats, raccoons, foxes and coyotes)...
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