This is the story of my life (times 2 cats)!!
Not any of my work and spam that my mother sent me via email! For sure it is way out of my blog’s mission but way too cute not to post!!
Happy Halloween Everyone!
Latest
Upper Allegheny River Basin Workshop
I have been involved with a workshop sponsored by the Nature Conservancy and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for the past two days. They have brought together many scientist, universities, governmental partners and natural resource professionals to assist in putting together an in-depth conservation action plan for the Upper Allegheny River Basin. Read the rest of this page »
Owls and other kinds of Owls!
Barred Owl
Another busy Owl night this evening!! Obviously looking at the photos . . . . I captured my first Barred Owl for the season!! Yes, I did get taloned on the finger by this bird but nothing too bad! 😦 Read the rest of this page »
Less Daylight Hours and Spotted Salamanders
Spotted Salamander heading towards the woods.
I did a post almost 7 months ago on the migration of the Spotted Salamander. Each spring these large salamanders come out of the ground and migrate to special mud puddles called vernal pools. It is in these vernal pools where they breed and the females will lay their eggs. It is such an amazing spring time event and who would expect that I would find two of these salamanders crossing the roads during mid October (going the opposite direction?)? Read the rest of this page »
15 minute drive and . . . .
Ruffed Grouse (from 7 January 2007 )
I made a quick trip over to Quaker to do a few “work” related things and you would never guess how many critters that I encountered!! I first came across something that looked like a duck in the middle of the road. Quickly remembering that grebe rescue from last winter . . . . I soon realized that it was just a bold Ruffed Grouse. It had put its crest up, turned its head looking at me from one side to another! By the time I pulled my point-and-shoot camera out, got the camera started, zoomed in and began framing . . . . the grouse flew away! I continued down the road sad that I didn’t get the picture but still happy to have seen it . . . . Read the rest of this page »
Daisy and Owls
Ox-eye Daisy
and this isn’t climate change? This evening I almost stepped on this Daisy while checking my nets for Saw-whet Owls! Sure put a smile on my face once I found it . . . . I figured why not blog it and make everyone else smile! (so use your 🙂 smile face in the comments) Read the rest of this page »
Breaking 50
Moon photo from 1999
The bright moon makes it hard to catch owls because they are able to see the mist-nets. Lucky we did have a few clouds when we first opened this evening but ended up where I could check nets without needing my headlamp. Yeck! To my surprise . . . . I still happen to capture 4 Northern Saw-whet Owls tonight and my 4th bird was my 50th capture for the season!! YEAH!! Did I mention the perfect northern winds that we had?? I was pleased to have a few leaves left on the trees that created some shadows but I would have been bombarded with birds if this had been a new moon! grrr. . . . I decided to closed everything up at 11pm because the moon was directly over my nets and plan to try to catch up with some sleep!! I also figured 50 owls for the season was a great way to end my night! Read the rest of this page »
Praying Mantis Wordless Wednesday
Praying Mantis.
Saw-whets . . . . did you expect anything else?
Foreign Recaptured Saw-whet!
Last night I caught another 3 more Northern Saw-whet Owls. These three were not your average captures and defiantly kept me on my feet while banding them. The first bird was a foreign recapture (banded by someone else) that was originally banded in Pennsylvania last November (2006). I can’t wait to hear more from the Bird Banding Lab about whom and where this bird was first found. Read the rest of this page »
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 