Stratford Point Sunset
This was last night’s magnificent sunset at Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut looking towards the lighthouse and then our office building. We added some scenery in the form of ~12 inches of windblown snow from the blizzard last weekend. There are open areas and drifts to a few feet deep, and several Horned Larks were flying around taking advantage of the bare ground while these were taken. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreWinter Sunset
This is a more typical sunset shot than the otherworldly views I posted previously this week, with the December sun painting a very colorful but seasonal hue across the clouds. Our trees are bare but our air is as warm as this photo feels considering the date. Have you seen any buds in the forest? I certainly have, from maple to oak and on a variety of introduced flora…even with some flowering! It is not close to blooming time, but the days are now getting longer and the sun is rising… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSuperb Sky
There was a superb sky around the moon after sunset one night last week, though only for a few minutes. It was a case of the atmosphere looking better through the camera lens and polarizer with the latter enabling the former to see what we could not with our eyes. I thought the view looked otherworldly to say the least. I guarantee that I was on Earth, but it felt like another planet. It helps to remind us how much is truly going on around us in nature and the atmosphere, all of it impacting the life of thousands upon thousands of species that we must work to keep protecting…including...
Read MoreDecember Sky
This December sky came at sunset on yet another warm and almost balmy evening…what a time to be alive! Our world is changing all around us as even buds and flowers have started to bloom in these unbelievable weather conditions. Yes, this is El Niño, but it is an El Niño in a period of intense global warming and climate change…all of which will cause possibly more frequent and more severe events going forward. The rate of this temperature change is unprecedented, and if it feels strange to us then imagine how the wildlife and plants throughout our world are feeling. I will be...
Read MoreField Sparrow
This Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) actually flew directly towards me and my dog to perch on this white pine branch this morning. It looked us over for a minute and then went back to snacking. It is another great example of a lovely bird that we can still find even in the..uh, cold days of November? It is November, and apart from the low sun angle and early sunset it felt like it could have been late August out there today. This will undoubtedly keep birds with us a little longer with easier to survive temperatures, poor migratory conditions because of the southerly flow, and prolonged...
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