Backyard and Beyond

Some fifty Mallards were hanging out on the Superfund canal last weekend. Prospect Park’s Lake was mostly frozen, but this tidal, briny, self-heating (?) water remained open to waterfowl.

It was a rather active morning: I heard American Crows in the distance and shrieking Blue Jays closer, which made me wonder if there was a raptor about. The Red-tailed Hawk I posted about Wednesday floated by, so that may have explained that (there was a Red-tailed on the very top of St. Agnes yesterday afternoon, too). While I was on the Union St. Bridge, which is where the picture above was taken, the sky filled with Ring-billed Gulls, who roost on the flat roofs in the area. A single Crow flew amongst them and then proceeded to make three swooping dives over the trees on the left middle ground. Usually Crows work in family units, but this one had no back-up and was silent. I’m not sure what it was harassing; a smaller bird did move in the trees on the third pass, but I was too far way to make it out. It may have been a small falcon or hawk. Can’t think what else a Crow would bother with, besides owls, which are unlikely here, and feral cats. The canal’s foaming mire, corralled by the boom, looks grim-ugly; the ducks were floating through it.