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.”

  • Spring Frolics

    Two frisky young Red-tails. A few minutes later, there were six hawks in the air above me over Green-Wood. All seemed to be Red-tails. There was also a Turkey Vulture. It was actually chased away by one of the RTs.

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  • Evidence

    Some pigeon-plucking sights.

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  • Raptor Wednesday

    As a large adult female (presumably, because it seemed larger) Red-tailed Hawk perched above the Dell Water… A bird about half a year old flew back and forth stalking the various bird feeders set up there. Well, yes, the hawk did lumber-dive the short distance towards the American Goldfinch, who flicked away effortlessly.

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  • Down The Shore

    The coast of Brooklyn is mostly inaccessible. But here and there… You can’t actually see the telling details in my pictures, but this is, by all accounts (dozens now on ebird), a Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). At Bush Terminal Park. Walking northwards on 2nd Avenue, as close as a civilian can get to the bay…

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  • Mammal Monday

    Ah, the winter orange! (Probably put out by bird-feeders.) Sciurus carolinensis/orange joins the rogue’s gallery: Sciurus carolinensis/nutella Sciurus vulgaris/ice-cream (Sweden)

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  • 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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