Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

  • All the way down the block

    Eight years ago, I saw my first Brooklyn Ravens at this very spot. They were grooming and cavorting on this building. Last Friday, this one flew towards me down what must surely be called Raven Street by now. The bird turned at 1st Avenue.

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  • Ospreys Return

    Last Monday I saw three Ospreys in a two-hour walk, my first sightings of the year. The bottom two photographed were high over Green-Wood heading northeasterly at the same time. The first pictured was rather lower; the bird circled around 4th Avenue and then headed back water-ward (west) towards the bay. That’s the direction of…

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  • How Like An Owl

    Feb 1st February 12th. March 5th. March 12th. (It takes about 30 days for incubation, so there could be wee tinies in there today.)

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  • Snail Safari

    I’ll be leading a Snail Safari on Earth Day, April 22nd, in conjunction with artist David Colosi’s Snaileidolia exhibition at Open Source. The exhibition is April 15-May 26, 2023. The snails pictured above are Cepaea nemoralis, the Brown-lipped or Grove Snail. At 3/4s of an inch across, this is the biggest land snail you’ll find…

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  • First Warbler

    Pine Warbler/Setophaga pinus hunting insects in a Red Maple/Acer rubrum. The bird was also eating seeds from the bird feeders in the Dell.

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  • Pachypsylla venusta

    Recently, I glanced up at a sidewalk Common Hackberry/Celtis occidentalis I pass almost everyday. I noticed this for the first time. Turned out there were a few others. These are the galls created by Pachypsylla venusta, the Hackberry Petiole Gall Psyllid. This is only the second time I’ve seen this species here in Brooklyn. There…

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  • Raptor Wednesday

    March 2nd. March 3rd. March 4th March 9th. March 12th. March 19th: circling with another adult as a third Red-tail checks out the romance situation. Not seen by myself, but the group I was with described the bird to a T (or a V): March 26. Going through my picture files I see I have…

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  • First Bee

    My first wild* bee of the season. This is an Unequal Cellophane Bee/Colletes inaequalis. The species is one of the earliest to emerge out of the ground of winter. Reports had them showing up further out on Long Island and in New Jersey in February, but this sighting was March 21. A fast mover, rarely…

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  • Elm

    The great American Elm in Sunset Park a few years ago. During 2015 and 2016, I photographed this tree through the seasons. Note that incredible branch on the right; it swooped down, it swooped up. Last Thursday, that long, serpentine, branch was cut off. It was longer than the tree is tall. So low, people…

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  • Incidentally

    Whilst slurping up nectar from Virginia Spring Beauty flowers, this fly gets some pollen stuck to its hairs. Still the same flower, but should the fly venture into another VSB flower, some of that pollen may contact the stigma…but will it?

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