mthew

This was surprising. I’ve seen Red-tails eat feral Pigeons, but I didn’t know they bothered with such small fare as song birds. I mean, how would they even catch one? But this mature Red-tailed Hawk snagged what I think is a Song Sparrow on the ground. The prey was eaten in about two bites, with…

The Asian Mud-dauber/Sceliphron curvatum is a recent addition to the local fauna. As of this date, there have been 42 observations on iNaturalist for NYC, twenty of them this year. The oldest observation is from 2020. I saw one for the first time last year. Last year I also saw what I suspect was a…

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,…