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.”

Duck Roulette

Or maybe a slot machine? Three ducks, all winners:

Common Merganser (not common here), Red-breasted Merganser, and Wood Duck on Sylvan Water (and ice).

Merganser size-comparison. The last Common Merganser I saw in Green-Wood (which was also the first I saw there) was in

February 2025.

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