American Robin in Winter
I photographed this American Robin (Turdus migratorius) this week as it and a few friends fed on various types of berries in my neighborhood. At this time of year we get emails and calls about American Robin sightings because yes, you will still find them here in the Northeast despite the snow and frigid temperatures. Some certainly fly south for the winter and many here and there will form large flocks, thus the frequency of our overall sightings of the species go down for multiple reasons. They’ll feed on wild berries but will not be interested in what we put out at feeding stations...
Read MoreNorthern Harrier January sightings
What is wrong with this January eBird map of Northern Harrier sightings? It certainly seems to be very well correlated to human population. Nevertheless I definitely believe there are more birds out there that are not being entered into eBird. My friends in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region know we at RTPI are surveying for Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls this winter for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, with Chautauqua County being our target area. While some neighboring areas, such as Allegheny National Forest, have no sightings as expected, I would have to...
Read MoreJanuary Snowy Owl Update
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 #3! As we enter the New Year we in the Mid-Atlantic and New England have been feeling mostly below-average temperatures as the weather finally reflects the climate more than it has. Snow cover is certainly starting to shape up over the landscape and birds like the Snowy Owl are now camouflaged against our earth and skies. I wanted to see where we were in this winter’s Snowy Owl irruption,...
Read MoreYellow-bellied Sapsucker Wells
This Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) seems to have been fleeing the scene of the crime! Winter is a good time to walk around and keep your eyes open for signs of birds and other wildlife, like these tightly-packed wells skillfully drilled by the hundreds through the bark of trees – a Sapsucker signature. It seems like there have been more reports of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers visiting feeders than usual this winter, though I admit I do not have data to support that gut feeling. Have you had any at home? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreClimate Change in the United Kingdom
Around 20-30 plants should be flowering on New Year’s Day in the United Kingdom. This year there were 368 species in bloom. Three hundred sixty-eight. That is a strong 15% of all flowering plants and comes after 2014 was the warmest year on record in the UK. Now THAT is some changing climate.
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