Hooded Mergansers
The icy cold and snowy weather of the past several weeks along with the beginning of the waterfowl spring migration season has sent some birds looking for open water and others finding their way north again. These Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) were zipping around looking for a warm spot on one of the more frigid afternoons recently. Courting continues, but the spring breeding season is sooner rather than later…
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 MoreWinter Raptor Surveys
We are in the heart of the winter raptor survey season, and we need the continued help of citizen scientists like you! The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History is assisting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a third season of wintering raptor surveys in Chautauqua County in 2015-2016. The primary focus of these surveys is to determine where Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus), ‘endangered’ in New York, and Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus), ‘threatened’ in New York, are spending the winter season to roost and feed. So far this winter we seem to have a...
Read MoreRed-breasted Mergansers
These Red-breasted Mergansers were enjoying some diving and feeding on another lovely January day as our temperatures have risen back to above-normal…and certainly a far more comfortable setting than the past two winters. Waters are opening up once again and snow is melting here in the Northeast. Their crazy “hair”, or shaggy crest, makes them a little easier to identify from a distance. Did you know they are the fastest duck ever recorded? They can zip by at incredible speeds passing 70, 80 or even 90MPH with their long, sleek body slicing directly through the air....
Read MoreLong-tailed Ducks
These Long-tailed Ducks are showing off some unexpected camouflage on a cloudy day, their black and white plumage matching the patterns of water while on the surface. This species of diving duck certainly spends a long time underwater when it is feeding, and they can even go down to near 200 feet! You never realize how much these birds look like waves until you watch them bobbing up and down on a lake or the sea.
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