Blizzard of 2015
I love this very recent Throwback Thursday image from three days ago taken in space of the Blizzard of 2015 via NOAA/NASA. Having the state lines drawn in makes it very easy to identify locations based on night lights – for those in Chautauqua County you can see Jamestown and Dunkirk/Fredonia quite clearly along with other nearby cities. Isn’t it astonishing how bright New York City is even while covered by clouds? While some of us were under the comma head and experiencing strong wind and snow (like me!) nearly everyone in the eastern half of the country and much of the Atlantic...
Read MoreRed Fox Encounter
I recently encountered an old friend in the form of a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) at a known site that has a den and an annual family. I was unexpectedly thrust into the role of being the stalker instead of the sly fox. Even that is not a very accurate description as I stopped moving when I spotted it, knowing that it would detect me if I continued my progress. It was busy hunting, likely for small mammals, right along the earth in these grasslands. It took a couple of snaps of my shutter for it to turn around, see me, and then flee, all recorded below. This is what most mammalian predators,...
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 MoreGet outdoors this holiday season by Scott Kruitbosch
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you! If you have days off during the holiday season what better way to spend it than going outside? We are often stuck indoors far too long in the winter, and if you’re enjoying time with your family and friends see how many hours you can get outdoors with them. I know I’ve been on my laptop and phone a lot this week and am looking forward to some time to mentally decompress outside. It’s free, it’s refreshing, it’s beautiful and it’s what we come from.
Read More
