Fieldnotes
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Silver Maple Key
The wind has deposited a couple of keys of the large Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) growing in the middle of the inside block the Back 40 faces. These keys are some of the largest produced by any maple species. This one is 2 and a quarter inches long.
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The Scrape
A Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) looking out of the Brooklyn Bridge. Note the whitewash of bird waste below, streaking the jutting stone. The birds simply turn around, point their tails out, and let loose. Virtually nobody on the bridge notices. New York City’s bridges (e.g., Verrazano, Throgs Neck, Marine Parkway), buildings (see 55 Water Street),…
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Five Nests
A male House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, perches outside his tangled nest. The species typically nests in and under human-made structures, but in a pinch will weave a large ball like this. A male Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus, carving out a nest hole cavity. I saw a couple of other Red-bellied working on holes in Prospect…
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Night Sights, Night Sounds
Red-winged Blackbirds at magic hour. Loud. Last night we went to Floyd Bennett Field and looked to the wandering stars, which is what “planetes aster” meant in ancient Greek. Nate was trying out his brand new telescope. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were visible, even with the glow of the city, JFK, and the sports…
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Trees on the Street
With all the new trees planted around the city, there’s just a lot more eye-level detail to be seen. As the trees bud out into leaves and flowers, we can get a lot closer to these saplings than we can to many a tall, trimmed up, mature tree. These pictures were all taken along two…
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Prom Dresses
Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Japanes Flowering Cherry (Prunus) on Pacific Street.
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Is Now the Time?
Is this the year you’re finally going to become a bird-watcher? Spring is a great time of year to jump on the birdwagon as the birds return north by the millions. You’ll need binoculars. There are lots of buying guides on-line, but I think a trip to a store like B&H, where you can actually…
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Leaves of Three
Prospect Park’s Poison Ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, has leafed out. This is only one version of this very variable plant, which can be a shrub, a trailing vine, or a climbing vine. Old vines snaking up trees are hairy beasts, often with horizontal twigs. All parts of the plant can cause severe inflammation, so remember the…
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In Green-Wood
The great Victorian necropolis of Green-Wood Cemetery comes into its own in spring-time when the ornamental and specimen trees start their blooming into glory.A trio of turtles were sunning themselves around the Valley Water. In the pond itself, a thumb-sized bullfrog tadpole emerged from the murk and then quickly descended back into the obscurity. There…
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Weekend Update
On various errands this rainy weekend. Still, there was no stopping the sights to be seen as soon as I walked out the front door. The tulip, that bulb-bundle of joy, is one of the few store-bought flowers I actually appreciate.The Amelanchier is in bloom. Traditionally, this means the ground is thawed out enough to…
Backyard and Beyond 