Rincon de La Vieja National Park
To contrast some of the winter scenery I have posted recently, not to mention the very wet and rainy tropical rainforests our RTPI research crew and friends have been working in during their time in Costa Rica, here is some vastly different habitat in Rincon de La Vieja National Park as photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser. You can see noticeably dry forest set against a blue sky and almost feel the flow of these hot springs in front of a tree that looks to be taken directly from fantasy. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSnowy Owls spreading south
In the past week, since I posted this entry about another possible irruption, more Snowy Owls have moved in to southern Canada and the United States. One bird was found and photographed by Michele Rundquist-Franz, President of the Presque Isle Audubon Society, in Erie, Pennsylvania, not too far from us at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York. Local excitement went up another level this weekend as two Snowy Owls appeared here in our own Chautauqua County on Saturday, November 15, both at the Dunkirk Airport. The first was found in the morning by our...
Read MoreAmerican Pipit (Anthus rubescens) in HD
Right now the migrating American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) can be found on farms and fields in areas such as Chautauqua County to the shores of Lake Erie or the Atlantic Coast. You may see one individual or you may see dozens. This HD video shows how much they as a species enjoy bobbing their tails. It may be a “drab” bird due to its preference for open areas but it certainly has an understated zest.
Read MoreHorned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
The Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a species of open areas – the tundra, grasslands, fields, beaches and dunes and even the desert. Unsurprisingly they feed on the ground on insects and seeds and often take advantage of human activity disturbing areas such as mowed airports or piles of plowed earth or snow that expose more food. When it comes to the winter you will find them wherever it is the most bare. You can frequently spot them with Snow Buntings and, more rarely, the Lapland Longspur. They are also another species decreasing across much of their range and are listed as...
Read MoreEastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) by Scott Kruitbosch
Eastern Kingbirds are patrolling our open areas once again. I wonder how long it took this bird, photographed this afternoon, to arrive in WNY from South America…
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