Hummingbird Clearwing Moth in action
Last week I was fortunate to see this Hummingbird Clearwing Moth zipping around the gardens here at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. It flew from flower to flower trying to get in to each as far as possible to feed. As you may be able to see in the photos the clouds were coming and going but at least it was remaining sunny and dry for much of the day. The recent weather – being cooler and far wetter than average – is likely taking a toll on some Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and Odonata (damselflies and dragonflies) species. At the very least it is...
Read MoreEastern Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera)
We’re still finding time to monitor the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera) with our SUNY interns whenever possible. Right now they are moving around a lot and the weather has not been favorable for our work but here are a few of the 11 that I recorded today.
Read MoreRTPI BioBlitz of SUNY College Lodge complete
At the end of 24 hours we have tallied 510+ species at the SUNY College Lodge BioBlitz with many yet to be identified and added to the count. We hope to be able to crack at least 600 despite a rainy last 10 or so hours. That’s a lot of life for 200 acres! Thank you to all the experts who came from near and far to help us out and the visitors who joined us on walks and enjoyed what we were collecting. We’ll share photos and cool species over the coming days.
Read MoreClapper Rail (Rallus longirostris)
Sometimes when conducting rail callback surveys they do more than call back as this Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris) was showing me.
Read MoreConnecticut waterbirds in action
We are currently at the peak of activity for Connecticut’s waterbirds with terns, shorebirds and long-legged waders raising young across the state. The shoreline and its beaches, marshes and other waterways are full of activity with birds foraging, carrying food back to hatchlings or mates, defending territories and protecting eggs…there is something to look at everywhere! RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser and I have been hard at work on our Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds project and spent some time surveying this week collecting these photos along the way. Bear in mind when...
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