Cold front spurring migration
As thunderstorms are impacting us here in Chautauqua County on the edge of a strong cold front birds are in flight on the cooperative northerly flow in its wake. The roughly circular areas of green are all avian targets being picked up by radar stations behind it. They appear centered only because the EM pulse rises as it moves away in all directions from the radar and most birds are flying a few to several thousand feet up. The hole in the middle is the cone of silence as the pulse does not go straight up and is sent out at a low altitude. In reality birds are flying everywhere in those...
Read MoreSeptember fall migration
September fall migration is a go tonight! My old Connecticut home has been seeing a lot of great birds recently and they are experiencing very heavy migration right now as birds are pouring into the Atlantic Coast. Light southerlies are kicking up in the Midwest keeping things quieter there. Get outdoors and see what you can find tomorrow, from the forest to the shore.
Read MoreConfused Haploa moth
The Confused Haploa moth (Haploa confusa)…I don’t know if it has that name because it’s confused or because it’s a confusing identification given that it is so variable in appearance. I met this friend at RTPI last week. It’s a good time to look at our leps before it gets any cooler. These recent nights well in the 40s are a bit much.
Read MoreHummingbird Clearwing Moth
As we continue National Moth Week here’s the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) shot Meet Your Neighbours style. At this point of the summer we always receive a number of inquiries concerning the identity of these tiny mysterious creatures that appear to be miniature hummingbirds zooming around yards and gardens. These insects also visit the flowers that are favored by hummingbirds, quickly stopping for nectar and moving on. Their fast wings can reach 30 beats a second! We tend to think of moths as nocturnal creatures but this member of the Sphinx moth family (Sphingidae) is...
Read MorePainted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa)
It’s National Moth Week! Take a look at this beauty we found during the RTPI/SUNY College Lodge BioBlitz last Friday night, a Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa).
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