Growing Season
Have you ever wondered why the Lake Erie plain is loaded with grapes? Being that Lake Erie is shallow and lower in volume compared to the other Great Lakes, it frequently reaches freezing temperatures and glazes over with ice each winter. As the spring thaw progresses and temperatures rise, the gradually warming lake acts as a refrigerator on the adjacent plain. Cool air rushing off the lake surface keeps grape buds from opening before the danger of killing frost has passed. As fall approaches, the lake is at a balmy 73 degrees, on average from sunny summer days, and keeps the plain warm...
Read MoreSnowy Egret Rock
I guess even the Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) might want to enjoy some time on the shore on a lovely summer day. The waters are very warm now, and temperatures are higher than average in some locations. For places like Lake Erie this will mean it may stay open later into this winter season, giving it a good chance of producing more lake effect snow if the conditions are right. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreGarbage Mentality
It is one cup left on one rock in front of one ocean, and it certainly looks insignificant in this photo, but does the Atlantic really need one more piece of trash? If you are heading to the shore to fish, swim, build sandcastles, enjoy the wildlife, whatever your day may be, please do not leave anything behind. Every little bit does count. I am continually astounded at how many people trash their trash wherever they please around any open water as if the endless horizon will simply swallow it up, and I plan on making this more of a point going forward given all that we at RTPI do to help...
Read MoreCaspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
This Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) was photographed in Florida by Twan but it could end up being one of the birds on Lake Erie soon enough. The massive tern, with its huge red bill and powerful wings, may make its way north to the shores of Chautauqua County in a month! Until then it will have to work on filling in that black cap.
Read MoreRecord February Cold
Look at some of these staggeringly low temperatures recorded overnight in western New York via the National Weather Service in Buffalo, New York! The Chautauqua County/Jamestown Airport ASOS recorded a low of -18, but a COOP observer on the outskirts of the city got it down to -30! Even Lake Erie didn’t help Dunkirk as it pushed down to -28! These are not wind chills – they are actual air temperatures. These are rather mind-blowing for mid-February, and once again it seems we have a year of extreme cold while the rest of the planet is warmer than usual. Is climate change going to...
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