Protecting Our Trails by Protecting Our Trees
Snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or hiking through Chautauqua County’s trails is an experience like none other. The area features beautiful rolling hills, deep valleys, wide open fields and thick forested tracts, tickling anyone’s sense of adventure. One such feature that is especially captivating is the large stands of thick conifers that darken the forest floor and create a cathedral effect for anyone blitzing beneath them. Of these trees, the Eastern Hemlock forms dense patches around streams and along steep slopes while nearly touching the trails with their long, snow...
Read MoreA Time to Give Back
A Time to Give Back Donate today! Roger Tory Peterson devoted his entire life to making nature accessible to all…please take this opportunity to give back, and help RTPI continue his great work. Your generous gift benefits our programs directly, and also has long term effects on those that we serve by giving them the knowledge to make a difference in the world. As always, we look forward to working together to inspire people to learn, love and protect nature!
Read MoreMonarchs Mating
Here are a couple more mating Monarch pairs photographed in the last week – the continuation of the cycle of life for a species that so needs it! What are you doing to help the emblematic butterfly rebound?
Read MoreUSCGC Willow (WLB-202)
Here’s the USCGC Willow (WLB-202), a United States Coast Guard seagoing buoy tender, cruising past Stratford Point tonight near sunset. You can see some gulls passing by, but we also saw Northern Gannets streaming through Long Island Sound most of today – one could no doubt get some great looks from the Willow!
Read MoreHorned Lark Camouflage
This is not exactly the best photo of a Horned Lark ever, but it certainly depicts their unbelievable camouflage. How perfect is this field for a bird with a back like that? Remember that, for the most part, birds – at least those species that possess flight capabilities – do not have to worry about mammals on the ground. This also excludes domestic cats, an introduced creature they are still learning to deal with. Otherwise it is usually very easy to elude mammal predators as a healthy adult bird. How could a red fox or a raccoon sneak up on you in a flock in the middle of an...
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