Fieldnotes
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Barn Swallow and Others
Finding a swallow isn’t so hard, but finding one taking a breather sure is.Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) breed in various places in the city; this female was at Bush Terminal, so I’d be willing to bet there’s a nest nearby. A couple of years ago, I watched another pair gathering mud for a nest under…
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In The Rain
Aster-family something. Spiderwort (Tradescantia). Juneberries (Amelanchier)
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You Don’t Need To Be A Weatherman To Tell Which Way the Wind Is Blowing
Last week, we had some nice views of the more common Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax. This is a Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea).If you squinch up your eyes, you can sort of get that creamy yellow crown color the birds are named after… remember that a lot of birds got their names from a…
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Marine Park Heaven and Hell
Rails are elusive, secretive, reed-habitat specialists, blending in quite nicely in their saltwater and brackish marshes in their thin-as-a-rail way. Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans) less so than the others. For one thing, they can be quite vocal: their namesake “clap” is more of a “kek.” Recently, we heard several at Marine Park and saw three…
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City Life
A scene from Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY. My friend Traci Paris has launched a beginner’s guide to noticing and exploring nature in the five boroughs of New York City called Slow Nature Fast City. You should check it out. (It’s inspiring me to shake up the design of this blog, now in its…
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Raven Family Over Sunset Park
The sound of Fish Crows made me look out the window late this morning. This was my view (well, with a little help from my camera) from up here on the Harbor Hill Moraine. And those are the crows on top of each of the neighboring water towers.Which makes these huge midnight figures on the…
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House Wren
Troglodytes aedon, the House Wren. Don’t think I’ve so noticed or appreciated the yellow of the lower part of the bill before.Hard to miss when they’re singing, characteristically from an open, exposed spot above their territory. This year, I’ve seen/heard them in Jamaica Bay, Native Flora Garden, and Prospect Park. Last year a pair…
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A Perfect Day for Night Heron Fishing
Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, the world’s most wide-spread heron species.Of course we have them in Brooklyn. This was a morning low tide at Bush Terminal Park.They tend to be most active at night, as per their namesake, but if the foraging is good… A greenish tinge in the lores on this one? Have never…
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Sturnus vulgaris
Third day in a row of young’uns, because it is the season. Starlings. Eating leftover school lunches with that wonderfully prying bill. This one was having trouble keep a grip on the plastic bag, toes sliding out from under…
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Eyas of the Gowanus
A correspondent let me know that there was a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) nest on a fire-escape in Gowanus. I headed over as soon as I could. When I lived in Cobble Hill, I often crossed the Valley of the Shadow of the Gowanus by foot and sometimes saw RTH soaring overhead or on top…
Backyard and Beyond 