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Kestrel
The male American Kestrel was hunting. Repeatedly flying down to the ground, the bird returned to this sign or another nearby, sometimes landing briefly in a tree before making another sortie. It was December 12, the temperatures in the forties. I could hear crickets, so there was certainly some invertebrate life to be had in…
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Wasp Nests, Part III
I don’t know how representative these are. The Dolichovespula arenaria is the only nest I’ve seen. The Dolichovespula maculata is brighter and more varied than other samples of this species’ paper I’ve seen. Would love to know the source woods.
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Wasp Nests, Part II
Here’s another, recently taken down, presumably by cemetery maintenance staff. Here’s what this looked like in its prime this summer: The nests aren’t used again–at least by the wasps, but other creatures may find shelter in here. Basically, the whole hive dies off every fall, and only the queen overwinters, emerging in the spring ready…
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Wasp Nests, Part I
“Aerial Yellowjacket” is a bit unfortunate for a term, because the most common Dolichovespula wasp we have here is the Bald-faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculate), which is black and white:
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A Visitation
Yesterday was the annual Brooklyn (Kings Co.) CBC, Xmas Bird Count, in which 128 species were seen. By others. It was a rainy day and I baked and cooked and read all day. Will link to the final count info when it comes out. The usual Sunday thing.
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Backyard and Beyond 