Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

As I mentioned in my weekend post about the American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ), Alison and I headed up to Beaver Lake Nature Center to watch the action at the feeders and to spot some year birds for our lists as well. As I write this, I thought about deviating from my usual "describe how the day/event went" style and instead create an unofficial guide to the species we saw at Beaver Lake. So without further adieu, here we go. Beaver Lake Nature Center is a 600+ acre park located in Baldwinsville, New York and features 9 miles of hiking trails, abundant wildlife, a wide range of habitats, and a 200 acre lake popular amongst local canoeing and kayaking fans. It has quickly become our favorite park to visit and so we decided that on Saturday afternoon, we would visit the main building to watch the feeder birds flit about and snarf away many, many sunflower seeds. The first birds we noticed were the American Goldfinches ( Spinus tristis ) in their dull straw...

After having an amazing weekend at Arisia 2015 in Boston where spending time with good friends and seeing amazing cosplay was the name of the game. One day after the end of the convention though, I decided to get out and see if I could do some woodland birding close to home. After all, even a nerd needs to get out and see the sunshine once in a while. I had some setbacks before getting out the door though. I had left my winter jacket at the hotel (but I did get to borrow my dad's warm ski jacket) and a snafu at the bank nearly put a damper on the day, but when I got out there, it seemed perfect. I exited the car and looked out over the stubble and grass of the community gardens and saw no real signs of life. I snapped some photos as I went and noticed a shadow overhead. I looked up to find one, no! Two! Two Red-tailed Hawks ( Buteo jamaicensis ) soaring in the winter sunshine overhead. These two beautiful adults treated me to a ten minute display of expert avian flight co...