Natural History Museum at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center

Virtual Science Cafe: Adventures in Bird Parenting Thursday, Nov. 12th 6:30-7:30 PM Zoom:... https://psu.zoom.us/j/97266492972 See more

The Regional Science Consortium 16th Annual Research Symposium will take place online next week November 4-6, 2020! This event will feature presentations on cur...rent local research from researchers, faculty, and undergraduate and graduate students. All are welcome to join virtually at www.RegSciTV.com. See the Regional Science Consortium website (www.RegSciConsort.com) for more information. See more

Pennsylvania was a huge PIPL success story this year, fledging all 4 chicks. And it continues to be a super success with the recent sighting of 3 of those chick...s on the wintering grounds! Bdot and Rdot were reported in Pinellas county, FL by Danny Sauvageau. And Ydot was reported in Bay county, FL by Ricky Cassel. Thanks Danny and Ricky, for sharing the photos and sightings! And a big round of applause to all the folks in Pennsylvania especially those @PennsylvaniaGameCommission, and Erie Bird Observatory who monitored and helped keep this plover family safe! See more

The Regional Science Consortium welcomes Kelly Pearce, Ph.D., (Allegheny College Environmental Science and Sustainability Department) as part of the wildlife mo...nitoring team in the Wetland Restoration project funded by Sustain Our Great Lakes. Dr. Pearce is monitoring the bat populations of Presque Isle State Park to better understand their part in wetland ecosystems. With the help of undergraduate volunteers, Kelly is trapping bats using a triple-high mist net system. The bats are then processed to determine species, age, weight, sex, forearm length, and presence of white-nose spores. Approximately 20 Big Brown Bats (pictured below) have been captured so far. These are one of the largest bat species in PA and also one of the most common. See more

The spurge hawkmoth (Hyles euphorbiae) is a member of the family Sphingidae, variously known as the hawkmoths, sphinx moths, hummingbird moths, and hornworms. This species is native to Europe, and feeds exclusively on the leaves of plants in the genus Euphorbia, commonly known as spurges. It has been introduced into North America to control leafy spurge, an invasive species. It is now distributed from New York to the western United States and Canada, as far south as Colorado. Its usefulness in controlling spurge has been limited. The spurge hawkmoth was first recorded in Pennsylvania in 2014 at Presque Isle State Park, and it now appears to be firmly established there, where it feeds on invasive cypress spurge. Presque Isle is still the only place in the state where it is known to occur.

Presque Isle State Park is home to two species of toad, the American toad and Fowler’s toad. While the American toad is common in a variety of habitats, Fowler’s toad prefers sandy habitats. In Erie County, Fowler’s toad is only found on Presque Isle. Because it is uncommon throughout most of the state, it is considered a Species of Special Concern. The two toad species can be difficult to tell apart, but Fowler’s toads can usually be distinguished from American toads by the presence of three or more warts in the small dark spots on their backs, as opposed to three or fewer in American toads.