Fieldnotes
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Who Wow!
Three Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) were recorded in Brooklyn (Kings Co.) during the Christmas bird count. Wow! Yes, this is one of the most common owl species in North America, found from backyards to deserts, but three of these big birds in the borough seems pretty good (I know of three others elsewhere in…
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Knotweed
An eight-foot high forest of Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) on Coney Island Creek.
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Mushroom Monday
A warmer atmosphere has more moisture in it, meaning our winters are getting wetter. If it’s not cold, then that precipitation will be rain. And if there’s one thing that loves damp weather, it’s the fruiting bodies of fungi.
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Purple
One of two Purple Sandpipers (Calidris maritima) spotted along the breakwater rocks of the Belt Parkway walkway from 69th to the Narrows the other day. Are these toes longer than your typical shorebird, to grasp ahold of the slick wet rocks that are their preferred habitat in winter?By now you may be asking what’s so…
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Springtime in Winter
Over the last week, the warm weather forced unexpected blooms. Roses in Sunset Park.One of half-a-dozen blooming cherry trees noted during a short walk in Green-Wood.The overcast light was definitely wintery, making these blooms look subdued and inducing melancholy in this flower-worshipper instead of the vernal joy of true spring.
Backyard and Beyond 