Raccoon Patrol
Please keep your trash indoors or inside something! Even this yard waste in paper bags was attractive to the Raccoon (Procyon lotor) seen here as it wondered if there were any scrumptious snacks in what is sometimes a human sack of treats. Raccoons can be seen in the day if they are particularly busy looking to feed growing young, but we should never intentionally or unintentionally provide food for mammals at our homes. That is how they become problem individuals, sometimes aggressively looking at the helpful hosts to keep the meals coming. The Raccoon seen here seems healthy in appearance...
Read MoreCrazy Climate Maps
One benefit of the continual and seemingly never-ending cold and snowy winter (also known as spring now!) is that it provides us a tremendous opportunity to engage and educate people. The topic of our weather invariably comes up in every day life, especially now, and when someone complains about their heating bill or their aching back (thanks, shoveling!) you can mention to them that all of this may likely be due to our changing climate. The above graphic shows our globe and the general temperature percentile categories for meteorological winter, December through February, via NOAA’s...
Read MoreMute Swans (Cygnus olor)
If you live in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region of Western New York you are far more accustomed to spotting Tundra Swans rather than these Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), a beautiful species that likely takes the title for most attractive non-native invasive bird in North America. Mute Swans call Eurasia their homeland but were brought to North America by humans and have taken up residence in a number of areas since the late 19th century, especially those in the east and near suburban areas and cities. They are a threat to native waterfowl because of how aggressive they are, a behavior I can attest...
Read MoreWhere Balloons Go
This is where balloons end up once they are let go. I cannot tell you how many times I have come across large bunches of balloons while outdoors in even remote and otherwise pristine locations. We even end up spotting them during hawk watching every year! While most folks rather innocently do not think about the end game once they let go of that string we should be aware of the consequences of our actions and how potentially deadly they are to birds and all wildlife. Released lighted lanterns may be pretty but where are they going to end up? Not floating off into space. I am always surprised...
Read MoreGreat success with Connecticut waterbirds
Today I sent out the final 2014 Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) weekly update email to all of our shorebird monitors and volunteers. Waterbird nesting season has come to a close and all of the juvenile and adult birds are on the way south for the year. Despite having a reduced staff the third AAfCW year may be the most successful yet in terms of breeding productivity for critical species like the federally threatened Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), habitat monitoring, conservation efforts, volunteer engagement, outreach and education. Here is a brief rundown of some of...
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