March 2015
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Geese
A goosey alignment: Brant and Canada. Branta bernicla and Branta canadensis. The Branta genus also includes the Barnacle Goose and Cackling Goose, which have been known to hybridize.
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Remains of the night
Originally posted on Backyard and Beyond: Out Madaket way, a row of arbor vitae had been cut back recently because they were crowding the road. Underneath were dozens of bodies. Was it the work of a serial killer? No, some owls had been feeding. Pellets are what these regurgitated masses of prey vomited up by…
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Raptor Wednesday
Away-way out on the ice, a young Bald Eagle hangs out in New York Harbor. With so much ice on the Hudson last week, the birds were in search of open water and their favored prey, fish. This picture was taken from the pier at Bush Terminal Park; that’s New Jersey in the distance. The…
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Crawly
Originally posted on Backyard and Beyond: One must really keep the eyes peeled and rolling in a fine frenzy. Look out! Down on the sidewalk, a little under 1.5″ long, easily mistaken for a turd or cigarillo butt. But, actually, it’s the larva of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), that gloriously large yellow and…
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1843 All Over Again
Green-Wood Cemetery is large, its paths many. Recently I came across this and remembered I’d been here last May, but not since. The remains of the nest are still relatively protected. Robins will sometimes use old nests to build new nests atop of, so perhaps this coming May I’ll remember to return again and see…
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300 Year Old Tulip Tree
Originally posted on Backyard and Beyond: At the northern end of Clove Lakes Park in Staten Island is a Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) said to be 300 years old. I would not say it is extraordinarily tall, but it certainly is large-boled. That head on the right is a child’s, three others are hidden behind the…
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Still Watching
You can see, in the snow, the footprints of those who have been walking right up to this roost. I’m good from here, though, on the road, perhaps 50 yards away, and the very limited angle of view — a few feet either way would obscure us — where owl and I can stare at…
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Arctic Longing
What an amazing and awe-inspiring book. I’ve long heard about Barry Lopez‘s Arctic Dreams but have only just got around to reading it. I was nudged by a fellow conspirator, Erin of the Familiar Wilderness on the other end of the Long Island. And now I want to read it again. Combining human and natural…
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Icicle at Sunset
Originally posted on Backyard and Beyond: To celebrate the 5th Anniversary of this blog, I will be re-posting some classic posts from the last five years. Let’s begin with this sunset through an icicle from Feb, 2014: Backyard and Beyond View original post
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Airborne
A mass of gulls on Prospect Lake lift off in a cloud, swirling up high into the air.Most are Ring-billed, with the occasionally Herring and Greater Black-back, and sometimes something more exotic.
Backyard and Beyond 