Audubon Society of RI, Bristol, RI

Bristol, RI

Visiting the Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Center and Aquarium on Hope Street in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Established in 1897, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island is the oldest environmental organization in the state. The society is one of the largest private landholders in Rhode Island, protecting nearly 10,000 acres of land.

The Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol opened in 2000, and includes a number of dioramas and exhibitions. The area around the Center is the Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge that has a wide variety of wildlife habitats; for example, woodlands, fields, meadows, salt marshes and shoreline.

A Red-tailed Hawk also known as a "chickenhawk", I know the tail does not look red, but they are on the upper feathers that do not show here.

Most hawks used for falconry in the US are red-tails, but only "passage hawks" may be taken legally, that is those that have left the nest but are less than a year old.

A horseshoe crab. They are the only surviving xiphosurans, and are not crabs or even crustaceans. Tthey are chelicerates which means they are more closely related to arachnids like spiders and scorpions.

I reckon that IS a crab!

Now we can see why they are called Red-tailed Hawks. It appears to have found a spot of lunch!

Visiting the Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Center and Aquarium on Hope Street in Bristol, Rhode Island.

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