Where Are They?!
We have now entered December, and though we lack the truly cold air that the month and the beginning of meteorological winter can sometimes bring, we are cooling down and birds are still moving south. Regular arrivals spanning the spectrum from the American Tree Sparrows of our backyards to the Tundra Swans of Chautauqua Lake are joining us now. Where are we with the irruptive avian species so far this season across the Northeast and Midwest? I went through eBird maps this morning to find that out, and let’s start with the big name… The Snowy Owls started their annual southbound...
Read MoreSuzuki’s Promalactis (Promalactis suzukiella)
Happy National Moth Week! We will be showing you many cool species over the next week so we can all appreciate these incredible insects even more. I have a bunch of individuals that I still have to key out from mothing during the past couple of months, and I have tried to do some field work at least every week or two with them. This was one of my first finds last night, and I swear that I knew immediately when looking at it that it would be a non-native species. It seemed divergent to me in some way. Even though many North American moths are staggeringly beautiful, with vibrant shades, odd...
Read MoreBird Book Wars: The Emperor Strikes Back
Our friend Patrick Comins, Audubon Connecticut Director of Bird Conservation, walked into my office with this a few days ago – it is the American Birding Association’s Birding journal from August 1981, Volume XIII, Number 4, featuring our own Roger Tory Peterson on the cover. Appropriately shown in his studio the story is hilariously titled, “Bird Book Wars: The Emperor Strikes Back” with an introduction and four reviews of the Fourth Edition of his legendary A Field Guide to the Birds. It also features a response by Roger Tory Peterson himself. They even made the...
Read MorePalm Warblers Arriving
After the Pines come the Palms, and we now have some tail-wagging Palm Warbler friends filling up our farm fields, grasslands, and other open areas. It is only a week or two until the avian migrant floodgates open! Hard to believe it is that time already…what species are you most looking forward to seeing or adding to your life list? I have said it before, but I mean it this time – crack open those Peterson Field Guides and get your study on now! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MorePine Warbler
This Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) was enjoying foraging in White Pine (Pinus strobus) trees in the early morning light today, the first of many warbler species to arrive in the coming weeks. Now is the time to break out your Peterson Field Guide warbler plates and study songs as well. This male was singing intermittently, more focused on eating than advertising. Their song resembles that of the Chipping Sparrow, or even the Dark-eyed Junco, but it is a little more deliberate and slower trill. In my opinion the best way to learn a song is to literally watch a bird singing it as much as you...
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