Throwback Thursday – Snowy Owl
This Snowy Owl was a Jamestown discovery made by Twan on an unexpectedly sunny day around this time last winter. It is a Throwback Thursday of gorgeously epic proportions. At least four Snowy Owls were at the Dunkirk Airport yesterday. This year’s irruption is definitely continuing to be a strong one. Keep your eyes open across Chautauqua County for more birds and we will update you on their distribution and overall sightings soon!
Read MoreAmerican Coots (Fulica americana)
Here is a series of photographs recently taken of two American Coots as they were swimming and feeding on a sunny day. The lovely weather permitted me to snap off some shots while they eagerly dived for food. Watch how one bird gets a sense of the snack it wants, some delicious aquatic vegetation, circling with its head facing downward. They must have some sensational, well-tuned sight to be able to see so well down through the water column. Once it decides what to grab…down it goes in a splash! The other bird, having followed the first nearly the entire time, circling in the same...
Read MoreBlue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
I feel as if I am still being constantly reminded of the many Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) around with acorns crunching under my feet and calls of busy birds screeching out of yards, parks, and woodlands. They can look so vibrantly blue on sunny days, but that color is caused by sunlight being scattered by specialized cells in their feather barbs. Yep, the Blue Jay has no blue pigment! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreResting Monarch
This Monarch butterfly was content to take a rest out of the wind for a while. Part of what must make a Monarch’s migration so difficult is that autumn days with warm temperatures are often those that feature a strong southerly flow – precisely the opposite of the direction they’d like. Finding sunny and warm days with a tailwind out of the north is not easy in September or October, especially in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region with lake effect clouds and precipitation even under high pressure. This is before we mention the cool temperatures associated with those...
Read MoreLive hawk watching
Live from the Boothe Park Hawk Watch on lovely and perfect day for raptor migration…except for the total lack of clouds! That means we can’t see much but we have seen 14 Bald Eagle migrants and 10 more local birds with a lot of visitors stopping by, learning about hawks and avian migration.
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