Snowy Owl Art
Whoa, it is COLD out there! What month is this again? It feels like we went from summer to winter almost overnight. Regardless of the extreme temperature departures on both sides of the spectrum, next month is already the time to start thinking about Snowy Owls showing up in our region. Every year some of the species irrupts south into the continental United States, but the question is always how many young successfully fledged in the breeding season and how many decide to take a journey to see us. Until then you can come and enjoy some Snowy Owls on our walls in the Art and the...
Read MoreInsects to Birds
It is starting to get darker earlier each day. The sunflowers are growing in height. The insects are peaking, and our bees will be slowing down shortly. For now the flowers are feeding the bugs, but soon enough they will be transitioning to feeding all of the birds pouring down to the south, with the later arriving seed eaters ready to feast on sunflowers right out of the garden. Is it going to be a large irruptive season for the winter finches? While it is too soon to tell for certain, some Red-breasted Nuthatches and Purple Finches seen out of place to the south in a few places late this...
Read MoreYard Pine Siskin
There are still Pine Siskins hanging out in the Northeast, and if you provide them with enough food in your yard and they are able to find a mate, they may nest right there! The nomadic species is certainly opportunistic, and I hope this bird in Twan’s yard can find a partner and settle down soon. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSnowy Owl in Flight
Let’s be honest – this winter has been absolutely brutal! Whether we want to blame this continuous weather pattern on climate change or not, this is not what the climate is supposed to feel like in mid to late February. As the sun keeps rising temperatures keep plummeting with record low minimums at night and record low maximums during the day. The snow keeps coming, and more will be coming this weekend. However, the Snowy Owls have been a bit tougher to find this year than last. Nevertheless, there are many individuals spending their season here in our neighborhoods, which look...
Read MoreCommon Redpolls Arriving!
I have been very glad to see that Common Redpolls are finally arriving in many locations in the Northeast! Their numbers are not terrific and their distribution is still limited but more and more people have been spotting individuals here and there while out birding, and others have been lucky enough to end up hosting dozens of birds at their home. Have you had any of these friendly little visitors yet this January? We will keep our fingers crossed for a continuing irruption of winter finches with Pine Siskins also starting to show up more frequently once again. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation...
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