Any moment now we might start seeing the first puffs of fluffy white down. It may not be clear from my screen grab, but on Wednesday the experts at the Audubon Society RI posted their own, more helpful images and described their observations at the Nesting Box Update: Hatching has begun! It looks like two […]
And I ran, I ran so far away . . . folks hoping to take a leisurely walk downtown along the river, be advised: It’s been very Bodega Bay down there lately. It didn’t take long for local gulls to notice the massive influx of menhaden into the Providence River. A similar scenario has been
We’re getting close to hatching time. By April 30 of last year three of the four eggs had hatched. Earlier today this parent was getting up and down, pulling together the nesting material such as it is, and fiddling with the eggs. (That may not mean anything; I am not an ornithologist.) The Audubon Society
The rare New England cottontail, a species of native rabbit once abundant in these parts*, is getting some much needed help from the NE Cottontail Captive Breeding Program. Since 2010, captive breeding specialists at Roger Williams Park Zoo have been working to perfect housing, feeding, and breeding techniques so that threatened New England cottontails can
Dinosaurs come roaring back to life at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in “Dinosaurs Among Us.” This immersive walk-through will take you back to the Mesozoic Era, the age of dinosaurs before that terrible, horrible, very bad day. The exhibit starts Friday, April 7, and remains up for four months. Anyone who has watched the
Saturday marks the beginning of Trout Fishing Season so things will be hopping over at Ocean State Tackle starting Friday (noon to 7pm). Owner Dave Henault has been stocking up on sea worms, green crabs, and Berkley PowerBait and will be opening his doors early on Saturday at 4:30am. (The season officially starts at 6am.)
What are you looking at? Spring is here and the peregrine webcam is up and running once again. Every year the Audubon Society of RI provides this mesmerizing view of the nesting box on top of the Superman Building downtown. It’s hard to tell male from female unless they are together (the female is the
And hearer. Amphibian species are disappearing at an alarming rate across the globe and the Roger Williams Park Zoo is looking for volunteers to join in the effort to help conserve the remaining amphibians by reporting data on the calls of local frogs and toads. As a citizen scientist with “Become a Frogwatcher” you can
It is impossible to overstate the penetration of “The Raven” into American culture. It’s still the only poem with its own NFL football team, the Baltimore Ravens. That is where Edgar Allen Poe died and is buried. But just one year prior to his sad and mysterious end, he had visited Providence to pursue a
Winter Wonder Days are back. Enjoy half-priced admission during the months of January and February. It may be cold but it’s the perfect weather for viewing animals outside enjoying nature’s cooler temperatures. And perfect for getting out of the house with the kids . . . even toddlers can run around safely and burn off
I predict this will be hit, whichever version is selected. And one reason is that the artwork and design is so good, which is not always the case. The Atlantic Shark Institute is making a bid to become one of the new charity plates with an image of the endangered shortfin mako shark. The state
I will never get used to this. City folk in search of wild turkeys in a bucolic setting can just head over to Swan Point Cemetery — they are pretty easy to spot. For people of a certain age, the sight of a rafter, or flock, of turkeys strolling about town is just nutty. There
(10.2) Attention birders: Meet at the Museum of Natural History this Sunday for a guided bird walk. Join us for guided bird walks in Roger Williams Park. Although many of our breeding birds have flown south, plenty of year-round residents can be seen in the park! Please wear comfortable shoes and bring binoculars if you
From egg> hatchling> nestling> fledgling> clean up your room! Not sure if ‘teenager’ is a recognized ornithological term but we all know it when we see it. The slugabed in the lower right has been giving me the stink-eye all afternoon. A little preening would go a long way. I keep missing the feedings but
Friday was banding day for the young peregrines (eyases) in the nesting box atop the Superman Building. This is a full-contact sport for the experts from the Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI) and they always include urban wildlife photographer Peter Green of Providence Raptors. The peregrine parents do not enjoy this process and respond
The peregrine nestlings, known as eyases, spend much of their time these days huddling, staring into space, and sleeping. I was unable to catch a feeding time today which might have created a more dynamic image. So here they are, all downy fluff and black eyes (sometimes one of them will stare straight into the