RTP in Another Place in Another Time
Although his work required extensive travel, it seemed that Roger Tory Peterson needed the world as much as it needed him. His wife, Barbara, wrote to her mother that no matter where Roger was, he always wanted to be somewhere else. He made seven safari trips to Africa during his lifetime, shooting footage for his documentary “Wild Africa”, which contains more rare and exotic birds than any film of its time. His conservation message is powerful, and it pervades the film: “A bird like the whooping crane is more divine than the most inspired work of art. Why? Because it is creation itself;...
Read MoreWater Chestnut Infestation
Last week while I was traveling to Connecticut and Rhode Island (I’ll be posting about this soon!), I had the opportunity to get a good look at the Hudson River in eastern New York and see first hand the water chestnut infestation that has taken over much of the waterway. When most people hear of water chestnut, they often think of the slices of white vegetables in your stir fry mix or chicken noodle soup. While that is indeed water chestnut, its not the kind that we are necessarily concerned about. Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is an aquatic plant native to western Europe, Africa and...
Read MoreRoger Tory Peterson Institute receives Travel Grant Funding
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) is pleased to announce the receipt of a Travel Grant that allowed staff members Jane Johnson and Linda Pierce to attend a conference at the Corning Museum of Glass, April 12-14, presented by the Museum Association of New York (MANY). The grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and administered by MANY, allows RTPI to explore new connections and opportunities related to development, collections, and exhibitions. The Travel grants are one of a series of grants offered to help museums and historical societies to strengthen and...
Read MoreBrown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) Costa Rica
Yesterday was a travel day for RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser as he headed down to Costa Rica to begin his research season. He took this already very tropical photo of Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) in Puntarenas port. Come on, let’s be honest…we would all go for at least a day or two of this right now! Suffice it to say my Wednesday did not feature any pelican species… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreRufous Hummingbird and vagrancy
This past weekend I was able to briefly visit and photograph a vagrant hummingbird from the west at an undisclosed location in Connecticut. I was told of the sighting by two experts who had documented the bird a couple hours earlier, confirming via observations and photos that this was a Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), and not the very easy to confuse Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) which would have been even more rare. The bird pictured below is an immature female. She paused only briefly in the tree being otherwise occupied and somewhat anxious, zipping back and...
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