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.”

mthew

  • Raptor Wednesday

    Eastern Kingbird riding Red-tailed Hawk out of Sylvan Water airspace. The Kingbird in turn was harried by a female Red-winged Blackbird. Busy few minutes. Here’s a rare look at the Kingbird’s colorful head patch.

    Raptor Wednesday
  • Night Fliers

    Good variety of things coming to the ultraviolet light: beetles, flies, hoppers, wasps, caddisflies, ants, lacewings… …and yes, some moths for National Moth Week.

    Night Fliers
  • Wet Ravens

    A trio of wet ravens on the roofline. They probably bathed in some rooftop puddles somewhere around here.

    Wet Ravens
  • Twilight Chicken?

    Or Chukar, an escapee from a live poultry market. Was pecking away at the parapet of this four story building when I went up there to set up a bug light. Hop-flew onto the next building…

    Twilight Chicken?
  • Beetlemania

    Small Tortoise Beetle (I think). Slender Lizard Beetle (I think) Imported Willow Leaf Beetles defoliating willows. Crenate Cylindrical Bark Beetle (I think). Blackened Milkweed Beetle. There are a bunch of Long-horned Milkweed beetles in the genus Tetraopes, but only three range in the East. I’d only every seen the Red Milkweed here in NYC until…

    Beetlemania
  • Crescent Water Vibes

    Crescent Water Vibes
  • Raptor Wednesday

    Osprey harried by persistent songbird. Here’s one with a small fish being chased by a Red-winged Blackbird. June 26: awfully late for nest-building. Is this stick for maintenance, practice, hopefulness? Carrying a stick out of Green-Wood on July10th.

    Raptor Wednesday
  • Woodsy Birds

    A robust chiseling in the woods… —turned out to be a juvenile Hairy Woodpecker. Presumably hatched right here in Prospect Park. A Great Crested Flycatcher… also breeding? Event Alert: This Friday, weather permitting, I will be setting up some insect light “traps” for the Brooklyn Bird Club just inside Prospect Park at the 5th St./Prospect…

    Woodsy Birds
  • Mammal Monday

    Green-Wood rarely sees Eastern Chipmunks, but nearby Prospect Park has a population. You will usually hear them first. Same, with flash in the dark understory.

    Mammal Monday