mthew

I will be leading a couple of my famous insect tours in Green-Wood Cemetery on May 17th and 18th. The 18th is a walk specifically for kids. Green-Wood charges for these tours (and pays me). My Bugging Out events often sell-out, so reserve early. On June 14th, I will be leading an insect and the…

Over an hour and a half last Saturday, we observed the Kestrels mating three times. This second time was the most spectacular from our cameras’ point of view. According to my camera clock, this particular copulation lasted 8 seconds. About 20 minutes later, the male captured a Northern Italian Wall Lizard. Which he then gave…

Like Carol Kane’s “beautiful spaghetti” hair, these Purple Passionflower/Passiflora incarnata tendrils catch the eye.

This perch was very popular with American Kestrels last fall. This day, this Merlin was lord of all they surveyed. How many Merlins are around? These last two pictures were from a very overcast day; when we had three sightings of Merlin. The first two sightings were probably the same bird, being in the same tree…

Yes, that’s a songbird leg. Typically, Kestrels will eat everything, down to the prey’s toes. She took her meal with her. (The difference in photo quality between this last shot and the previous ones is that the first four photos here were shot from farther away and through wire fencing; I’d already turned the corner…

Here she is! Here he is. (The pigeons bolt each time the Kestrels fly in or out, but then they return with nonchalance.) Just below and to the left of the Kestrel is the entrance to the cavity nesting site the pair used last year and will presumably use again this year. From this angle,…