Spiny Softshell Turtles in Downtown Jamestown
Spiny Softshell Turtles are big, strange-looking animals. They are probably unlike any turtle you have seen before. They’re also quite rare in New York and are considered a species of Special Concern. It is quite amazing that it is possible to find a dozen adult females basking in downtown Jamestown in a matter of minutes, until you realize why they are so concentrated here: they are all centered on the last remnant of marginally suitable habitat for them to lay their eggs in. Nesting here is extremely difficult as years of gravel and other debris has been packed down and is quite...
Read MoreRare Henslow’s Sparrows Recently Discovered at Chautauqua County Airport
Area birdwatchers recently made a discovery that has regional conservationists very excited: a small population of the endangered Henslow’s Sparrow exists at the Chautauqua County Airport near Jamestown. These small, elusive birds inhabit grasslands and prairies and, like many other grassland birds, their numbers have declined precipitously in the eastern U.S. over the past 100 years. This is happening for a variety of reasons but the transitioning of old farm fields into forest over time and the increased production of row crops and intense harvesting of hay in areas where grassland...
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