Scaup Surge
Thanks to recent warm temperatures and favorable winds, Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) like those shown here are now on the move back to the north, and during the past couple of weeks their numbers have been growing across the region. While you can find some throughout the winter in open areas on large bodies of water such as Lake Erie, most members of this species migrate south to evade the cold. We have been able to enjoy several thousand – probably 5,000 or 6,000 and maybe more – in the waters of Long Island Sound off Stratford Point. Most stay rather far offshore and away from...
Read MoreWinter’s Not Over Yet
The fresh blanket of snow across the Western New York landscape is a good reminder that winter isn’t over just yet. However, some of our resident amphibians have been receiving crossed signals due to recent increases in daylight hours and above average temperatures; we have actually gotten reports of salamanders and frogs moving to nearby ponds and vernal pools to lay their eggs. With this weekend’s dropping temperatures, local pools have started to ice over indicating freezing temperatures near the surface. The eggs of some amphibian species are able to cope with fluctuating spring...
Read MoreHave a Drink
It is getting tough to find a drink out there in the frozen tundra. If you have any heated bird baths or ponds near your home you may end up with far more than songbirds stopping by! Consider setting something up in your yard to see what wildlife you may assist during these difficult months.
Read MoreIced 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 MoreFrozen Forsythia
Here are a couple shots of some very frozen forsythia from yesterday after freezing rain and snow covered flowers across the Northeast region. Spring was here, and it visited very early, leaving us with some winter again for the week. Make up your mind, climate! This is what our climate change future holds more of – a roller coaster ride of weather that kills plants and animals at a more frequent rate than what we used to call “normal” in the four seasons. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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