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.”

  • Old Nests

    The nesting season is already upon us, especially for such early nesters as owls, some raptors, doves. So, here’s one last look at some of the previous year’s nest. These have all made it through the winter, in one form or another. Above, the rough pottery suggests American Robins, who line the inside of their…

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  • Wood Frogs

    A year ago on April 1st, 2018, we heard Wood Frogs and saw their spawn floating here. It takes about a week for their eggs to rise up from below, where they’re laid. This year, on March 30th, we heard the frogs and saw them both mating and egg-laying for the first time. Male Wood…

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  • At the end of the bath…

    And so our saga comes to an end. I had walked around a corner and there was this Red-tailed Hawk on the edge of the water. A large weeping willow was near by, so I used it as cover to get a bit closer. I got this look. It wasn’t as if the bird didn’t…

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  • Raptor Wednesday

    There’s no mistaking the white head and tail of a mature Bald Eagle. The white-black-white pattern is visible from quite a distance. This is better practice, though. This is another Bald Eagle, but a young’s, without the white head and tail feathers yet.But what’s this? A Common Raven, one that seems to be missing the…

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  • How To Bathe, Part 5

    Grooming.Never forget your surroundings.Air dry. Part 4. Part 3. Part 2. Part 1.

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  • Plane, Crows

    You know I spend a lot of time in Green-Wood Cemetery, which is virtually right next door. But what you may not know is that the cemetery archives are a fascinating trove of material about those interred there. Recently, I had the privilege of looking over some of the material with archivist Helena St. James-Rotwang.…

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  • More Spring

    Red maple flowers. Eastern Phoebe.These are wind pollinated trees, so early spring emergence isn’t predicated on insects.An early arriving migrant, this bird is dependent on insects.Speaking of which, beetles and flies are emerging.A millipede in a leafy liverwort. Interesting similarity of shape…And here’s a frog-sex teaser. There’s some amplexus in the water…

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  • More Whitman

    “Nature marches in procession, in sections, like the corps of an army. All have done much for me, and still do. But for the last two days it has been the great wild bee, the humble-bee, or “bumble,” as the children call him. As I walk, or hobble*, from the farm-house down to the creek,…

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  • How To Bathe, Part 4

    And repeat: P.S> the 55 Water Street Peregrine nest camera is back on. (Two eggs yesterday.)

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  • How To Bathe, Part 3

    You have, I hope, noticed this.This Red-tailed Hawk has a single red tail feather. The bird is less than a year old, and with luck will celebrate its birthday this summer. Right now, it’s maturing, a process that includes losing its old tail feathers and growing new and rather different ones. By its first birthday,…

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