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Spring

Bumble Bee Queens Are Hard At Work

May 20, 2023 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

Red-tailed bumblebee courtesy Wikimedia Ivar Leidus Hear ye, hear ye! The queens have emerged! We’re talking about bumble bees (genus Bombus). For several weeks each spring, any bumble bee you see is a queen – and very hard at work. She must construct her kingdom. [Read more…] about Bumble Bee Queens Are Hard At Work

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, insects, pollinators, Spring, Wildlife

Coltsfoot: Eye Candy, Cough Syrup, and Early Flowers

May 5, 2023 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

coltsfoot courtesy Wikimedia user Andreas TrepteAfter many months (five-plus where I live) of winter whiteness, it’s a relief to watch the snow melt at last. We’re always grateful, even though the loss of snow cover gives way to a mostly brown world: brown grass, sand everywhere – even brown pine needles along the roads.

Not to mention the leaves, trash, or dog poop that was mercifully hidden under the snow. Those few sepia-toned weeks after the white stuff disappears and before trees and grass wake up can be visually bleak. [Read more…] about Coltsfoot: Eye Candy, Cough Syrup, and Early Flowers

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Spring, wildflowers

What’s That Sound? American Woodcock

April 29, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

American Woodcock courtesy Wikimedia user guizmo_68Have you been outside at dusk lately near an open field or scrub brush area and been startled by a loud PEENT sound followed by twittering sound? What you’re likely hearing is a courtship display of a male American woodcock trying to attract a mate. [Read more…] about What’s That Sound? American Woodcock

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, DEC, Spring, SUNY Brockport, Wildlife, woodcock

Lights Out for Bird Migration Season

April 29, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

gray catbird by Jeffrey WernerEach year during spring migration many birds that are navigating the night sky become disoriented from artificial building lighting. Not only does city lighting deter the navigational abilities of migrating birds, but it also leads to an increase in fatal building collisions, killing an estimated billion birds annually. [Read more…] about Lights Out for Bird Migration Season

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Bird Migration, birding, birds, fall, Spring, Wildlife

Signs of Spring: Red Maple Flowers

April 23, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Springtime celebrations would not be complete without some forest confetti.  One of the first trees to bloom in springtime, the red maple has tiny, vibrant clusters of flowers that put on quite the show. [Read more…] about Signs of Spring: Red Maple Flowers

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Forestry, gardening, Maple Trees, Spring, trees, Wildlife

Avoiding Bear-Human Conflicts

April 8, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

black bear provided by decIt is a question I face each year as March winds into April: when to take down the bird feeder. Our avian feeding station is basic: a single run-of-the-mill hopper, which I fill with a local mix of seed that seems to keep the winter flocks of chickadees and nuthatches happy. Occasionally, a blue jay or two drops by. Sometimes a few crows or a couple of turkeys linger below the feeder, cleaning up whatever has fallen to the ground. [Read more…] about Avoiding Bear-Human Conflicts

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: black bears, Spring, Wildlife

The Unsung Music of Birds

April 1, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

American Woodcock courtesy Wikimedia user guizmo_68 With spring creeping closer, our year-round avian residents such as cardinals and titmice are already raising their voices. But there’s more than one way to make music, and birds have evolved means for using everything at their disposal to fill our forests with whistles, twitters, and booms – no voice needed. [Read more…] about The Unsung Music of Birds

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, Spring, Wildlife, winter, woodcock, woodpeckers

Owls Are On Their Nests

March 25, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Barred Owl courtesy Wikimedia user Mdf Among the very earliest signs of spring are the strange caterwauls of the barred owls that haunt our woods: “Who cooks for you? who cooks for you all?”

Their hooted conversations, thrown back and forth through forests all over the Northeast, signal the territory disputes, nest-site advertisement, and pair bonding that begin the breeding season. That these predators of the nighttime are especially vocal now, with snow still covering the ground, seems odd. But owls do everything on their own timeline. [Read more…] about Owls Are On Their Nests

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, owls, raptors, Spring, Wildlife

Watchable Wildlife: Harbor Seals

December 10, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

harbor seal courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceNew York’s most abundant seal is the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), which can be found in the state’s marine waters from late fall to late spring. Harbor seals can range in color from brown, tan, or gray to silvery-white. [Read more…] about Watchable Wildlife: Harbor Seals

Filed Under: Nature, New York City Tagged With: Fire Island National Seashore, Great South Bay, Long Island, Long Island Sound, Montauk Point State Park, Nassau County, nature, New York City, New York Harbor, Seals, Spring, Suffolk County, Wildlife, winter

Seasonal Molt in Whitetail Deer

September 24, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Seasonal Molt in White Tailed DeerTypically, this time of year New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation hears from people who are concerned because they are seeing deer with rough coat conditions like in the pictures shown. [Read more…] about Seasonal Molt in Whitetail Deer

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: nature, Spring, Summer, whitetail deer, Wildlife

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