Rose-breasted Grosbeak
This male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) was a thrilling find for RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser’s next shoot in the Audubon series. He says he always loves their red bibs shining through the forest canopy at this time of year. For many that have the good fortune of attracting them to their feeders at home, their return signals the beginning of spring. Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreBlack Swallowtail
I have been on a bird tear lately, and considering it is May and this is the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, I think it is very appropriate. However, spring is also springing for butterflies and I cannot neglect them. I found and photographed this Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) yesterday, and considering how fresh and crisp it looks the butterfly seems like it could have flown right off the pages of a Peterson Field Guide. The Clouded Sulphur, American Lady, Eastern Tailed-Blue and more are all in the air now. What species have you spotted so far this May? Scott...
Read MoreNorthern Parula
Here we have the Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) as photographed while feeding this past Sunday morning after a busy night of migration. These little birds sound like zippers with a hard ending, or sometimes the “That’s all Folks!” song from Looney Tunes after several fast da and be notes. Those white eye crescents stand out from afar on a blue gray bird with a white belly featuring that bright yellow throat and upper chest with a reddish brown band. Northern Parulas are a gleaning species, snatching insects and spiders from tree branches and especially caterpillars...
Read MoreBlack-and-white Warbler
I finally took some good photos of Black-and-white Warblers (Mniotilta varia) over the last few days as the species is peaking as a migrant in the Northeast. These stunning little birds never stop moving…and they move like a nuthatch, creeping and crawling along branches, vines and tree trunks for various insects and spiders. This nonstop motion makes them a difficult clean capture as their photos often end up a little blurry. At least this guy – while still not paying me any attention – paused for a moment or two while searching for prey on Sunday morning. I found an even...
Read MoreBlue-winged Warbler
This is another photo that I captured yesterday morning with a semi-friendly Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) taking a glance at me before he moved on. Can you identify the bird in the background? I intentionally did not crop this photo very much because I liked seeing the adult male Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) chowing down not much further up the trail from the warbler. I saw plenty of both Orchard and Baltimore Orioles yesterday, but none of them were very friendly for the camera. I’ll get you, orioles… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
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