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.”

Raptor Wednesday

The Cooper’s hawks are definitely back. This one was being screamed at by Blue Jays and…
…dive-bombed by a female American Kestrel.

Later that same day, Sunday, I had two more sightings of Cooper’s around my apartment. Also had Cooper’s sightings on Monday and Tuesday. While Cooper’s hawks have been breeding in Prospect Park for three years now, fall and winter is definitely a time when we see more of them. Some are passing through, others seem to take up residence before departing in the spring.

This The City article is about rodenticide killing birds of prey locally. At the end, it notes that people who feed wild animals are also feeding rats, so they’re part of the problem.

Spotted this the other day, right off 4th Avenue. A vacant lot set up as feral cat camp. Lots of cat food left out. But cats don’t control rat populations. This cat-feeding paradise is also a rat-breeding ground.

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