mthew

Cooper’s. Not the first I’ve seen this raptor season, but the first fair-to-middling pictures. Three different American Kestrels within a few blocks of each other. Distant Osprey, with fish prey. And Red-tailed Hawks.

Best foot forward: Common Snapping Turtle/Chelydra seroentina. There are actually two snappers here. The one on the lower left is about the size of a serving platter. The other is the size of a table.

Two more Monarchs spotted in Brooklyn, on October 14. This one was favoring the nectar of Spotted-Horse Mint/Monarda punctata. There are not that many other options now. I don’t think they do much with the fall asters.

You really have to sneak up on the American Bull Frogs in the Dell Water. You could, after all, be a heron. They usually plop into the water before you even see them. In neighboring Crescent Water. Where, also, this conglomeration looked like a heroic bronze statue.

First Merlin sighting of the season: October 8th. Luckily, Falco columbarius is known for perching for long periods. And favoring the bare branches. Second sighting, October 13th. The bird took off when… …a Red-tailed Hawk passed overhead. But then came back. Merlin atop tree on far left. Atop the historical Chapel is: our old friend,…

A Bottlebrush Buckeye/Aesculus parviflora was in full bloom on October 5th, while the one next to it: was already well gone to fruit. A couple of skippers were after the nectar. But let’s get back to that bee:

The journey is not without hazards. The erratic flight that makes them hard to photograph on the wing also makes them hard to catch in the bill. I haven’t seen any more of these butterflies since last Monday, but iNat had 5 observations in NYC this past Friday, with two on Saturday.