Conservation at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center
February 2024 RTPEC Bird List
43 species
Canada Goose • Hooded Merganser • Common Merganser • Red-breasted Merganser • Herring Gull • Great Black-backed Gull • Black Vulture • Turkey Vulture • Red-tailed Hawk • Red-shouldered Hawk • Cooper’s Hawk • Bald Eagle • Mourning Dove • Downy Woodpecker • Hairy Woodpecker • Red-bellied Woodpecker • Pileated Woodpecker • Northern Flicker • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker • American Crow • Fish Crow • Blue Jay • Common Raven • Black-capped Chickadee • Tufted Titmouse • White-breasted Nuthatch • Brown Creeper • Carolina Wren • European Starling • American Robin • Eastern Bluebird • Gray Catbird • House Sparrow • American Goldfinch • House Finch • Song Sparrow • American Tree Sparrow • White-throated Sparrow • Field Sparrow • Dark-eyed Junco • Red-winged Blackbird • Yellow-rumped Warbler • Northern Cardinal •
Check out our eBird Hotspot to see a full list of species seen at the center for every month!
Check out our yearly bird lists at the RTPEC!
2023
Monitoring air quality at the RTP Estuary Center
We’ve installed a PurpleAir monitor at the RTP Estuary Center as part of our ongoing commitment to environmental conservation. The monitor allows us to track local air quality and add to a community database, which can be used by weather tracking organizations, climate scientists, and the general public to learn more about the air around them.
PurpleAir monitors measure the concentration of air pollutants, providing real-time data on air quality conditions. By placing these monitors at our centers, we aim to educate about pollution and its impact on both human health and the environment.
Air quality is a critical component of environmental health, as poor air causes respiratory issues to people and wildlife. Birds are especially susceptible to poor air quality, but natural spaces like wildlife sanctuaries provide a pollution buffer and improve the overall health of the area. These monitors will allow us to better understand local air pollution levels and how green spaces impact them.
You can see the real-time data in the green box below. There’s more on the PurpleAir website.
We thank CT DEEP and PurpleAir for donating these monitors to our centers.
Click Here to Check Out Some Of Our Past Articles
October 3, 2018 – A study of Old Lyme’s Tree Swallow roost by Cornell, UMass and others could revolutionize scientific understanding of the species
August 7, 2018 – Student scientists from Mount Holyoke uncover important habitat changes in the Connecticut River estuary
Roger Tory Peterson Science Advisory Board
Senior Scientist and Department head, Applied Physics and Engineering,
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Dr. Hans Guerro Dam
Professor, Department of Marine Sciences, UCONN Avery Point
Dr. Christopher Elphick
Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCONN Storrs
Dr. Melanie Fewings
Assistant Professor, Department of Marine Sciences, UCONN Avery Point
Professor, Department of Ecosystems Ecology, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University
Dr. Julie Rose
Research Ecologist, Northeast Fisheries and Science Center,
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Dr. Joop Vararekamp
Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Sciences, Wesleyan University