Bird Migration on Radar – March 31
Here is a radar grab of the eastern United States from just after midnight today with light bird migration occurring from the deep south all the way through Maine. A warm front had lifted through the Northeast while areas of heavy rain and thunderstorms associated with a soon to come cold front stretched across the Midwest. Areas near Georgia into the Carolinas and Delmarva appear to have had moderate migration occurring. At this time of the year we have everything from ducks to wintering friends like the Dark-eyed Junco to early arrivals like Pine Warbler, both kinglets, Chipping Sparrow,...
Read MoreRoss’s Goose
This Ross’s Goose (Chen rossii) was a pleasure to see today at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut after being discovered by Stefan Martin and Danny Williams. There have only been a handful of records for the species in the state. Don’t worry, it didn’t fly away – it was only stretching those wings! Ross’s Geese winter in the southwestern or far western U.S. and breed in the arctic. Presumably this bird was on the way north before being swept our way on the winds from the latest cold front. They have been seen more frequently, albeit still very rarely, on...
Read MoreLoch Ness Monster?
Loch Ness Monster? Ut oh, it’s surfacing, and it’s looking directly at me! Or maybe not…but close enough in look and unfortunately somewhat in status. Horned Grebes (Podiceps auritus) are listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species as “Vulnerable”. We often do not get to enjoy them close-up like these views I was afforded last week. While their wintering plumage is meant to camouflage them in the water, their piercing red eyes are a bright beacon on even the dullest of late winter days. Keep an eye out...
Read MoreGreen-winged Teal Size
I took this photo and I still can’t mentally process it correctly. Here we have a drake Green-winged Teal in front of an American Black Duck with Gadwall, American Coot, Mallard, among others. Teals are certainly small ducks, but that bird looks tiny compared to its friends. They are very close to one another and the little teal is closer to me…what a size difference in every feature! This guy seems like a toy in front of the Black Duck on a cold and snowy day. There will not be many more of those left… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreGreater Scaup
There were so many more ducks pushed out into the open ocean during the past two winters with the icy Great Lakes and nearly every inland body of water being locked up for most of the season in the Northeast. This year species like these Greater Scaup can still be found in more northerly areas with sometimes historic warmth occurring. As of yesterday the Great Lakes ice cover was only at 7.2% compared to 2015’s 49.0% and the even more frozen 77.7% in 2014. Our local Lake Erie was essentially entirely ice at this point in the last two winters because it is so shallow, measuring at 94.5%...
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