Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Borough of Raptors I

Falco sparveriusBrooklyn was once known as the City of Churches for its many houses of worship and the way the steeples rose above the generally low-rise city. By now, though, a host of unprepossessing if not downright ugly glass and steel slabs have overthrown the dominance of graceful spires. Nevertheless, steeples and their crowning crosses remain excellent raptor roosts. You should always keep an eye on them.

Trips on the F train require me to pass St. Paul’s at Court and Congress; this is a regular lookout for the Prison Peregrines.

The 2/4/R trains mean I pass St. Borromeo on Sidney Place. That’s this picture, and this was the first time I’ve seen an American Kestrel up there.

One response to “Borough of Raptors I”

  1. […] — voilà! — this female Falco sparverius was perched atop St. Borromeo. This is a fine falcon perch; the accretion of droppings up there suggest other birds like this venue, […]

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