mthew

Back in April, I spotted a Grey Squirrel gnawing on a bone not so far from here.

But what was it? In the last picture, it looks like a cigarette, but it doesn’t look like a cigarette at all in in the other images. Thing is, though, it doesn’t look like insect prey, either. So what’s tumbling through the air up there. This was above Governors Island. There are an infernal and…

Last week, it was warm enough for these Red-eared Sliders. A species native to a wide swath of the midlands, from westernTexas to western Indian, and north to Illinois, these have been spread every damn where by the irresponsible pet trade and the fools who buy from them.

These are ALL Asian Lady Beetles (Harmonia axyridis). They come in different colors, different spot arrangements, and sometimes have no spots at all. The females are larger and rounder than the males. The big M pattern on the pronotum is a good indicator, but as you see from these, this is also some variety in this…

A late Osprey, seen passing over Green-Wood Cemetery on November 3rd. These big birds should be long gone south by now — birds who nest in Jamaica Bay have been tracked to Colombia and back — but look at that throat. Looks like trouble.

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Just a reminder: Even a not too elaborate telephoto lens can capture the four large moons of Jupiter. I always forget this. E pur si muove.