Monarch proposed to U.S. Endangered Species Act
Kudos to our friends at The Xerces Society for joining forces with other experts in filing a legal request with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) to the Endangered Species Act. This process takes several years normally so prepare to wait! I was pleased to see they added a “request that the USFWS pass a special rule, called a 4(d) rule, that will allow scientific research, citizen tagging and monitoring, milkweed production, and non-commercial rearing in classrooms and households to continue and not to be considered as “take” or...
Read MoreSouthwest/California drought
I shouldn’t complain about the overabundance of water in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region as I am well aware we are in far better shape than our friends in the Southwest, California especially. These United States Drought Monitor maps tell the ongoing disturbing story. Our weather patterns continue to be too stagnant in all seasons, a likely side effect from how we are altering our global climate.
Read MoreTennessee Warbler sightings and numbers
The Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) is probably one of those migrants you’re glad to find in either the spring or the fall. It is most often an uncommon treat for the U.S. or Canadian birder as a species that breeds in the boreal forest and can readily blend into the background. Looking at my last five years of eBirding I see only 14 records and half of those came from the last fall season here in and around Chautauqua County, New York. All of the records were of one or two individuals. Suffice it to say it is a tough spot here but this is currently not the case in Costa...
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