mthew
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Marsh Wren
A early evening walk in Brooklyn Bridge Park interrupted by a small, incessantly burbling bird at the northernmost of the Freshwater Garden ponds on Pier One. I spent quite a while listening and trying to get a picture of this elusive Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris), a bird fairly common in marshy areas, but not so…
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Manitoga
Making up the team “More is More,” my friend Sarah and I won second place in the Open House NY Modern Architecture and Design Scavenger Hunt earlier this spring. We claimed our prize last weekend: a guided tour of Manitoga, the Russell Wright Design Center, near Garrison, NY. I have to admit I’d never heard…
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Kerjillions
The tadpoles of a toad, I assume American Toad (Bufo americanus) rather than Fowler’s (Bufo fowleri), about a centimeter long. In the shallows of Doodletown’s Reservoir. The adult toads live inland but come to fresh water to reproduce.There were innumerable numbers of them. They follow the human sperm plan; produce a lot, a few will…
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After the Storm
They were still cleaning the shit of IdiotMooga out of the Nethermead late this afternoon.A strange legacy of this monstrous farce, now a bust two years in a row. These serving pans were sunk besides the Binnen Bridge, still full of what looked to be sausages on skewers, or “curated cured and bespoke meat” as…
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On Congress
Street, this morning.Along with the roses on the corner of Henry, pictures of which I showered my Twitter followers with, ‘cuz they probably needed a sweet start to the week.
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Ranger Robin Says: Busted!
The Googa Moola occupation of the park was cancelled today because of rain. Good riddance. This is the 2nd year this monstrous invasion of the Nethermead has been a bust. Three times is is not a charm: we’re going to fight any Googa Mooga III plans as hard as we can to take back the…
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Prince’s Bay, Part II
We went out to Prince’s Bay on the southwestern shore of Staten Island to look at the Purple Martin Colony at Lemon Creek Park. Purple Martins (Progne subis) are our largest swallow. On the East Coast, they pretty much nest exclusive in colonial human-made “houses,” which are usually patterned like little human mansions, or, this…
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Prince’s Bay
A journey into the eroding underbelly of Staten Island.These were a surprise. Peacocks, screaming their haunting woman-in-peril scream on the grounds of the Seguine Mansion. Flannery O’Connor, who lived on a farm with 40 peafowl, said about the carrying voices of these birds, “To the melancholy this sound is melancholy, and to the hysterical it…
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Hunkered Down
A Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), one of the three dozen or so species of birds that nest in Prospect Park. This one is hunkered down before the onslaught of the Googa Mooga bullshit that has taken over the heart of the park for a week and culminates in many full porta-potties this weekend. Farther away,…
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Blooms, Bugs, BBP
What might we discover on this Sunday’s New York City Wildflower Week walk in Brooklyn Bridge Park?You can register for this free walk via the link above.Blooms we have, insects are holding out for some warmer weather, so who knows what we will discover.OK, I cheated with this last image, because Watertower II, by Tom…
Backyard and Beyond 