Have a Drink
It is getting tough to find a drink out there in the frozen tundra. If you have any heated bird baths or ponds near your home you may end up with far more than songbirds stopping by! Consider setting something up in your yard to see what wildlife you may assist during these difficult months.
Read MoreApple Tree
Soon it will be the season for apple picking, and the tree in this orchard is looking right on schedule. The fence that surrounds it protects the area from White-tailed Deer eating everything in sight, and protects them from themselves. Just as there were warblers, vireos, orioles and more feeding on the flowers of the trees in the spring there will be ample time for birds to feed on the apples all autumn.
Read MoreDeer Everywhere
One of the more concerning sightings to me as of late are all the White-tailed Deer tracks and signs that I keep finding. They should not be everywhere, in every habitat type, feeding on all sorts of plantings or ornamental greenery in the summer. The population is simply too high in too many areas across the Northeast. It is dangerous for us – via car accidents all the way to ticks – and for them, with increased contact with humans, disease and starvation. If they cannot find the proper food now then what will happen during the winter? This is not even going into how much damage...
Read MoreClose-up Deer
This picture by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser shows us what we do not want to see. This White-tailed Deer should have a lot more fear of humans, and their overpopulation in many areas is a leading factor in the continuing degradation of our forest understory habitat, especially in consideration of nesting bird species. Apples certainly are a tasty treat, but this is a wild animal, not a petting zoo!
Read MoreWhite-tailed Deer
Wherever you go you can find White-tailed Deer. Hiking through a salt marsh with a rising tide? You got it. This deer was in the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. That is Long Beach in Stratford, Connecticut in the background with the even further horizon being Long Island, New York. It looks like a rather quick swim, doesn’t it? Yes, White-tailed Deer can swim, even to some islands! But I do not think they would be able to make it to Long Island from here… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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