Grassland Migrants
Yesterday I was able to enjoy and photograph a couple of uncommon grassland birds for us in the Northeast – the Dickcissel (Spiza americana) and the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum). Both of these species had been spotted at Stratford Point where they are almost annual visitors, with Dickcissels typically stopping over in the fall and Grasshopper Sparrows being seen sometimes in both spring and autumn. I decided to take a walk around the site with my friend and great birder Tom Murray as we were giving the sparrows some space in hopes the unseen Grasshopper would pop back...
Read MoreWelcome PWA Crew Leaders!
Please join us in welcoming Heather Zimba and Adolf Zollinger as this year’s Project Wild America Youth Ambassador crew leaders! Heather and Adolf will be leading our high school ambassadors throughout the summer as our natural history studies and educational outreach continues within the city of Jamestown. They are both excellent students involved in Jamestown Community College’s environmental science program and each have worked with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in the past. Adolf worked as a crew member during last year’s iteration of Project Wild America and...
Read MoreTeaching the Teachers
Throughout the past few years of working for RTPI, I’ve heard the phrase “teaching the teachers” a number of times. From my understanding, at one time this meant equipping school teachers with the proper materials and knowledge to take their classes out into nature and teach their students place-based education. RTPI education staff traveled extensively to carry out teacher workshops and engage students in learning about the natural world. As the years have gone on, the approach to carrying out that phrase has shifted, but the focus has remained: passing our knowledge and...
Read MoreIntern Night Tonight – May 4, 2016
Please join us at RTPI on Wednesday May 4 from 6-7pm for a night of fun and learning as we enjoy presentations from two of RTPI’s fantastic interns. Alex Shipherd and Bryce Alexander, both Jamestown Community College students, have spent much of the spring semester assisting in winter raptor and hemlock woolly adelgid studies, respectively. Throughout the winter field season, Alex monitored known locations of roosting Northern Harriers and Short-eared owls within Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties while using GIS to find other probable locations in which they may occur. Bryce assisted in...
Read MoreIntern Night – May 4, 2016
Please join us at RTPI on Wednesday May 4 from 6-7pm for a night of fun and learning as we enjoy presentations from two of RTPI’s fantastic interns. Alex Shipherd and Bryce Alexander, both Jamestown Community College students, have spent much of the spring semester assisting in winter raptor and hemlock woolly adelgid studies, respectively. Throughout the winter field season, Alex monitored known locations of roosting Northern Harriers and Short-eared owls within Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties while using GIS to find other probable locations in which they may occur. Bryce assisted in...
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