Harlequin Duck
This is a drake Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) that is in the middle of molting into that gorgeously patterned blue breeding plumage. It may not be winter yet but they do enjoy wintering on rocky, surf-battered coastal shores like this one here at Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut. Between the fact it is doing nonstop preening as its fresh feathers come in, thus making a long uncertain flight an unpleasant notion, and the quality of the habitat here we feel like we stand a good chance of keeping this bird for a while. Fingers crossed! He will be a real stunner soon. Scott...
Read MoreRuby-throated Hummingbird Migration
Here’s RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser’s photo of a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird caught last winter in Costa Rica on migration, banded in the hopes of catching him again the next year. He notes that you can see that the hummingbird bands are so small and delicate, a stark contrast to these notoriously feisty birds. The tropical work season is coming up again in only a few months! Right now you can find these hummingbirds passing through your yard on the way there.
Read MoreSlaty Skimmer
This is an up close and personal look at the ruggedness of a male Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) dragonfly, scratched and scarred from a tough life on the wing and seen here while resting on vegetation along a pond. That thorax looks rough and beaten on this mighty hunter, but after this was taken it was soon patrolling for females and fending off foes in the fight for life at the water. Don’t you always wonder what those enormous eyes have seen…while they undoubtedly keep a close watch on you? Just another hot July afternoon… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreLilypad Clubtail (Arigomphus furcifer)
Any day you manage to see a clubtail species is a good day in Sean’s book. He recently found this male Lilypad Clubtail (Arigomphus furcifer), and subsequently saw another trying to capture some Ebony Jewelwings along a forested stream. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreJuvenile Male Green-breasted Mango
Here’s another juvenile male Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) from Costa Rica, this one with just the beginnings of the male chest patch showing. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser.
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