A rising tide lifts all boats, but also covers over this seal rock off Staten Island. Good timing here… An hour earlier, at the nadir of the tide. There were a couple of these Atlantic Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) around.

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A growth on a Tuliptree trunk. With evidence of several others that have broken off. Or, uh, been broken off, as in this case. I grabbed it and it snapped right off. Meanwhile, on an oak. What are these things? Burls of some kind? Root tissue? On beech. Same type of growth or different?

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I’ve written a lot about birds and ornithology for Jstor Daily over the years, and so have my co-workers. The editors compiled all these bird-stories this week. Enjoy!

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Two days of very cold weather over Christmas weekend froze up Sylvan Water. By Wednesday, a little patch was open. To be continued… (FYI: temps this week reached towards 60F).

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The low winter sun is murder on the naturalist’s eyes, but whenever I’m heading home and turn the corner onto 5th Avenue I always glance up at the tall antenna tower at 40th Street. A female American Kestrel has been up there at last once a day all winter so far. Anyway, this old TV…

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Horse-chestnut. Conifer. European Beech. (Sluggish at the start of the work-week after a holiday weekend.)

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While we’re overrun with Tufted Titmice, there are definitely fewer Dark-eyed Juncos in my patch this year. Here are two, one individual above and one below:

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And this just in: Happy New Year from the first raptor of 2023, a Coopers high atop the Peregrine perch! (Above and below 7:26 a.m.)

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Three different times over the last month and half, the same tree. This was one of two male American Kestrels seen at the same time. Yup, it’s that Falco linden again! The birds LOVE this perch. And now for some Peregrine… There are some remains of prey on that butcher’s block top.

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