Black & White Ice & Ducks
This is just some of the ice that was present on Long Island Sound in the month of February. On certain days large swaths of the Sound were covered in sizable sheets of ice in an almost unprecedented crushing blow from this season’s ridiculously cold climate. This black and white photo is really representative of how it has felt in the Northeast. There has been a lot of waterfowl to be seen given that most areas other than the waters of the Atlantic Ocean have been frozen solid.
Read MoreExpect the Unexpected
Winter Birding Forecast #2 is brought to you by Audubon Connecticut in partnership with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. The relatively mild December is making for great birding opportunities as we close out 2014. So called “half-hardy” birds such as Gray Catbird, Pine Warbler and Common Yellowthroat are putting in appearances on Christmas Bird Count (CBC) checklists and birds like Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren and Eastern Bluebird are being found in good numbers as are Yellow-rumped Warblers at some coastal locations. One of the biggest surprises of the week was the...
Read MoreNorthern Gannet (Morus bassanus) record shot between gulls
Normally I crop the photos that I take and show to everyone here on RTPI’s website and social media, but in this case I liked the framing of the raw photograph. Can you see that dot in the middle? Even if this record shot were cropped you would not be able to see much more of the Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) flying out over Long Island Sound from last weekend’s Christmas Bird Count in Stratford, Connecticut. These Ring-billed Gulls happened to be in flight all around me as the rare but increasingly recorded bird passed by offshore. It was one of two Gannets we saw while...
Read MoreWinter Bird Forecasts with Audubon Connecticut
Please be sure to visit this link on the Audubon Connecticut website to learn more about the Winter Bird Forecast that we at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History are creating with our friends and partners at Audubon Connecticut. These weekly updates will keep you apprised of what avian wonders have been seen recently and what we expect to find in the upcoming period, from Snowy Owls to rare or important waterfowl, gulls, shorebirds, landbirds, waterbirds and other raptors. Birding over the holiday season can be a terrific way to get outdoors and spend time with family and...
Read MoreGlaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) by Twan Leenders
How did your first day of birding go in 2014? Twan had a few cool sightings yesterday in Chautauqua County while checking out some local hotspots. At Barcelona Harbor in Westfield on Lake Erie he picked out this Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) that he noted dwarfs the Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) that is next to it and even closer to his camera. What did you see in the field yesterday?
Read More
