Winter Raptor Surveys Commence
With the calendar flipping into December we have now entered the winter raptor survey season! The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History will be assisting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a third season of wintering raptor surveys in Chautauqua County in 2015-2016. The primary focus of these surveys is to determine where Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus), ‘endangered’ in New York, and Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus), ‘threatened’ in New York, are spending the winter season to roost and feed. We need your help, too! From December through March please...
Read MoreWinter Raptor Surveys
The Harriers have arrived! This is a migrant Northern Harrier hunting over coastal grasslands in November. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History will be assisting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a third season of wintering raptor surveys in Chautauqua County in 2015-2016. The primary focus of these surveys is to determine where Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus), ‘endangered’ in New York, and Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus), ‘threatened’ in New York, are spending the winter season to roost and feed. We need your help,...
Read MoreNorthern Harrier Migrant
Can you spot the bird in this photo? Good luck! It is a migrant from the Boothe Park Hawk Watch, and it is in the upper right third of the picture. High in the sky in a suburban park is also not where you would normally imagine spotting one. It is a Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) on the way south for the winter, heading down the Housatonic River corridor to find Long Island Sound and the Atlantic coast. Binoculars help to identify it, but even here you can see the long wings, long tail and soaring, light flight it takes at low levels over fields. Maybe it will use Stratford Point or other...
Read MoreHellbender Surveys Continue
While the summer season is winding down, our survey work certainly isn’t! As stream conditions allow, we will continue surveying for the elusive Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) in the French Creek watershed and beyond. Working closely with the University of Buffalo and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, we have found habitats within the area that may support hellbenders. Test results and hands-on surveys will reveal whether these sites may support a viable population, so we have our fingers crossed and will share more details soon!
Read MoreComet Darner
This is the Comet Darner (Anax longipes) that Twan recently netted before it went into the studio for its photo shoot – it certainly blends into the background beautifully!
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