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.”

  • Fixed in ocean reveries

    “Circumambulate the city of a dreamy Sabbath afternoon…,” sure it’s only the bay, but…

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  • Winter Robin

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  • Cooooot!

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  • Raptor Wednesday

    Sunday began chill and damp. We started in Prospect and saw this Merlin. A Red-tailed Hawk flew over Prospect Park West in Windsor Terrace and landed here. As we got even closer to Green-Wood, a Red-tailed landed on the big radio tower at the school complex. It may have been the same bird. Nearing 5th…

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  • February Flowers

    Dandelion/Taraxacum Common Groundsel/Senecio vulgaris Fingered Speedwell (Veronica triphyllos); rare in the city. (Most of these early bloomers are introduced species.) Henbit Deadnettle/Lamium amplexicaule Red Maple Woodsorrel/Oxalis Hairy Bittercress/Cardamine hirsuta Ozark Witch-hazel/Hamamelis vernalis (indigenous, but also also introduced to the city) Persian Ironwood/Parrotia persica Red Deadnettle/Lamium purpureum First insect/flower interaction I’ve witnessed this year: Honeybee on…

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  • Mushroom Monday

    Fallen from a Pin Oak.

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  • Sea Girt

    At low tide, you can walk around the western end of Coney Island. There’s also a lot more of Coney Island Creek Park, seen here from adjoining Kaiser Park, at low tide. Those posts are part of the ferry dock that isn’t. There were a couple homeless people’s fires in the dunes, filling the air…

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  • Buffle

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  • At a feeder

    The long-time feeder hanging in the Callery Pear tree above Sylvan Water lost its home when the tree was cut down this winter. The feeder was moved to a pine nearby. Here are highlights of some ten minutes watching of the rapid-fire action among half a dozen Tufted Titmouses, Three White-breasted Nuthatches, one Red-breasted Nuthatch,…

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