Great Lakes Annual Maximum Ice Coverage
Very cool graphic via the National Weather Service in Buffalo, New York – no pun intended! Right now the Great Lakes are 69.8% frozen, which is well above-average, and it should keep increasing for a while. No surprise there…
Read MoreFebruary Snowy Owls
This blog entry is a companion to the Winter Bird Forecasts brought to you by Audubon Connecticut and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Be sure to check out Winter Bird Forecast #5! Oh my, has it been cold and snowy or what? The last month was historic for some of our region as Boston and many other areas of Massachusetts have been buried in feet of snow. Parts of Connecticut and New York have been inundated as well and everyone across the Northeast has felt frigid air with barely any days above freezing, totally lacking any significant thaws. It is the definition of...
Read MoreRed-Breasted Merganser
With Lake Erie nearly 92% frozen over according to Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System, there is limited open water for wading and diving birds to feed. However, thanks to the Dunkirk power-plant the waters near the harbor are warm enough to keep the ice at bay, enabling birds such as this gorgeous male Red-Breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) to acquire fishy snacks. Out of the three species of mergansers common to the area, I personally think this one is my favorite. I have learned to identify which of the three mergansers is the red-breasted not only recognizing the orangy-red breast,...
Read MoreRedhead on Lake Erie
Here is a drake Redhead duck having a quiet swim in Lake Erie on a cloudy day with lake effect snow in the air. I love how their yellow eyes contrast with the red, and I envy how peaceful and content this bird looks in such frosty conditions. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreGreat Black-backed Gull
This Great Black-backed Gull is standing on some Lake Erie ice as the Great Lakes have rapidly filled in during the last few weeks. Waterfowl have skyrocketed in number in some locations and shifted across the Lakes and the Atlantic Coast with millions of birds moving around thanks to our weather. Some light lake effect snow was falling on this gull but it will be tough to see much more in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region with our snow machine being encrusted in ice.
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