Historic Western New York Snowfall
The past week has been nothing short of historic in Western New York with crippling and dangerous snowfall beyond what even lifelong residents could have imagined. This lake effect snowfall weather event was the culmination of several factors that allowed Lake Erie’s snow machine to turn on full blast and dump feet of snow in very short periods of time, rivaling some all-time American records. While the final totals need to be examined, assessed and fully vetted, once you pass four, five, six, or seven feet, there is really no number that can do the impact justice. It is a tragedy that...
Read MoreAmerican Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
The American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is one of those birds that are so well known to nearly everyone that we rarely stop to take the time to view them properly. Thankfully they are more common now in the east than they had been as the initial part of the 21st century saw significant losses to even this abundant species thanks to the West Nile Virus. Areas that were richer in species diversity saw fewer losses due to the virus, likely signaling the strength of a healthy ecosystem to battle a pathogen. Conservation needs to focus on certain species at times – as we at RTPI often do...
Read MoreCool mornings, warm bodies
Here’s an adult female deer tick that I photographed yesterday on this ruler (inches). They are actually rather large compared to young ticks, or nymphs. I pulled another one off my dog this morning. If you live near or frequent an area or habitat prone to ticks be aware that at this time of year the cool autumn mornings can lead these parasites to find any warm body they can, leaping on to mammals quickly. Thankfully you should be able to spot them if you check carefully.
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