Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina)
The Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina), one of the more charismatic dragonflies in the Northeast. They acquired the name “pennant” because of their tendency to perch on the tips of stalks of grass and wave in the breeze. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreDragonfly Swarm!
On the evening of July 21, 2015 a cold front was rapidly advancing through Stratford, Connecticut from the northwest, bringing showers and thunderstorms to the tri-state area. This video was taken at Stratford Point, a peninsula that stretches far into Long Island Sound and harbors migratory insects and birds throughout the year. These Swamp Darners (Epiaeschna heros) and Common Green Darners (Anax junius) suddenly swarmed the site, seeking refuge from the rain and storms in this corner of the building and covered porch. Some literally flew into me while I filmed. This behavior has been...
Read MoreRarities on the Wing
I took this screenshot late this morning via this always helpful and very cool wind map. They use surface wind data from the National Digital Forecast Database, updated hourly, to create this national flow of air. Even without it in motion you can see there is a huge trough in the east, with winds shooting down from the northwest until you get to about Chicago, at which point the bend brings them screaming out of the south and then the east higher into New England. All of this unsettled weather can easily push avian migrants out of their chosen path, bringing southern resident rarities up to...
Read MoreAir Pollution in New York and Connecticut
Here’s the view from Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut on a recent March morning. There was no wind to speak of, even here on the coast, or throughout the Long Island Sound region. This lack of mixing in the surface air and atmosphere meant that haze and abundant air pollution was remaining directly over land and readily apparent. It did not take long for a sea breeze to develop as the day warmed followed by a light regional southerly flow, cleansing what was sitting on top of us. Nevertheless, it is stark reminder of what we are putting into the air we breathe while...
Read MoreSnowy Owl in Flight
Let’s be honest – this winter has been absolutely brutal! Whether we want to blame this continuous weather pattern on climate change or not, this is not what the climate is supposed to feel like in mid to late February. As the sun keeps rising temperatures keep plummeting with record low minimums at night and record low maximums during the day. The snow keeps coming, and more will be coming this weekend. However, the Snowy Owls have been a bit tougher to find this year than last. Nevertheless, there are many individuals spending their season here in our neighborhoods, which look...
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