Lake effect snow coming to RTPI
This photo was taken nearly one year ago to the day – November 13, 2013. On that day in 2014 lake effect snow will also be covering the region in the first event of the fall season. Enjoy the winter preview and beautiful scenes!
Read MoreOverwintering Great Egrets
Would you believe that I took this photo of a Great Egret (Ardea alba) in Connecticut only last week? It is exceptionally true and resident birders in New England can attest to the fact that we now have them as an overwintering species! Climate change is starting to allow us to keep more long-legged waders and shorebirds, such as the American Oystercatcher, year-round in parts of Long Island Sound and the New England Atlantic coastline. Why bother leaving when you can make it through the entire season? Migration is the most perilous part of the life of a bird and while a colder than usual or...
Read MoreResting Monarch
This Monarch butterfly was content to take a rest out of the wind for a while. Part of what must make a Monarch’s migration so difficult is that autumn days with warm temperatures are often those that feature a strong southerly flow – precisely the opposite of the direction they’d like. Finding sunny and warm days with a tailwind out of the north is not easy in September or October, especially in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region with lake effect clouds and precipitation even under high pressure. This is before we mention the cool temperatures associated with those...
Read MoreWind, climate change and raptor migration
Earth’s climate and weather play a direct and constant role in the lives of birds. At no point is this impact from mother nature more widely observable than during migration. Global winds shape the timing and track of bird movements across the continents and the sea. In this case I wanted to take a look at September 2014 and how it seems to have been a climatic “throwback” in the Northeast for our birds. If you talk to folks in many portions of New England the Mid-Atlantic about the weather in 2014 you often hear how it was very average in terms of temperature and...
Read MoreGreat Egret – happy autumn eve!
Happy autumn eve! This Great Egret should probably get a move on soon. With that said more and more long-legged waders, shorebirds and various passerine species are attempting to overwinter further north each year. Last winter was the exception to the continually changing climate. Anyone who tells you with certainty what these upcoming seasons will bring is assuredly fibbing, but right now for us in the northeast it seems to be a continuation of historically average conditions.
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