mthew

The year-in-review here on the blog would have to include: The uncommon Red-shouldered Hawk. Mating ants. The rapid finding of a new nest for the local American Kestrels. As it turned out, they actually nested in another cornice hole. The Evening Grosbeak. Groundhog pair-bonding. Brood X Magicicadas in New Jersey. Ravens nesting on the Brooklyn…

E.O. Wilson RIP: the paper of record’s obituary.

I realized after the fact and in some surprise that I’d flushed this heron from underneath a nearby pine. And that the bird wanted to get back under there.

The male American Kestrel was hunting. Repeatedly flying down to the ground, the bird returned to this sign or another nearby, sometimes landing briefly in a tree before making another sortie. It was December 12, the temperatures in the forties. I could hear crickets, so there was certainly some invertebrate life to be had in…

I don’t know how representative these are. The Dolichovespula arenaria is the only nest I’ve seen. The Dolichovespula maculata is brighter and more varied than other samples of this species’ paper I’ve seen. Would love to know the source woods.

Here’s another, recently taken down, presumably by cemetery maintenance staff. Here’s what this looked like in its prime this summer: The nests aren’t used again–at least by the wasps, but other creatures may find shelter in here. Basically, the whole hive dies off every fall, and only the queen overwinters, emerging in the spring ready…