Thunderstorm
One reason we did not have severe thunderstorms locally at Stratford Point on Sunday night was because of this severe thunderstorm to the north in the late afternoon. It likely took some of our energy, and it was pushing out air towards us, cooling things down and then blocking the sun for a while. Combined with other factors like drier air working in thanks to the cold front we lost some of our massive instability. This is right before the sun went behind the clouds from the thunderhead. You can see rain coming down from the ground under the anvil looking NW/N from near the main...
Read MoreSevere Thunderstorms
I spent most of yesterday at Stratford Point, arriving at the tail end of the Connecticut Ornithological Association Shorebird Identification Seminar as the group wrapped up a walk and moved indoors. It was a dangerously hot day with an excessive heat warning and unbelievable tropical-feeling dew points. We decided to bring the Bridgeport WildLife Guards to the office instead of the beach, and that is how the rest of my day went. I left in the late afternoon but had to return in the evening as well-timed and positioned thunderstorms exploded to our west. I hopped in my Jeep for the office...
Read MoreSummer Thunderstorm
This week’s persistent heavy rain and frequent thunderstorms are providing a great deal of relief to a drought-stricken region after a difficult summer. Much of the Northeast is in need of several inches of rain or more, and these storms are providing a lot – almost too much – in a short period of time. It will take a while for the water table to fully recover, but these sorts of stormy days and nights are necessary for the health of our environment and all the wildlife in it…including us. Be safe and remember, “turn around, don’t drown” and that,...
Read MoreSummer Sunset
This has been one nonstop summer for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute’s art, education and conservation work in Connecticut. It feels like just the other day I was enjoying the peak of spring bird migration, and here we are entering mid-August. In reality we have been going full speed ahead since mid-March and the beginning of the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds season which continues even now with birds still yet to fledge in the next couple of weeks. The Bridgeport WildLife Guards are still on duty at Pleasure Beach for another week and a half. The below photos were taken at...
Read MoreAugust Sunset
The summer sunset at Stratford Point can still be wonderfully reflected in our surroundings even without a cloud in the sky thanks to all of our Queen Anne’s Lace.
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