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.”

  • Raptor Wednesday on Thursday

    First of all, remember yesterday’s images of a partially russet-tailed American Kestrel male? This one, found about ten blocks away, has the more standard full panoply of russet tail feathers.He’s also not as russety on the chest.In these images, you can also just see a claw peeking from his chest. He’s doing the one-footed stand…

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  • Raptor Wednesday

    Let me introduce you to two different American Kestrel males, who have been spotted several times ten blocks apart along the western edge of Green-Wood in the last few months. First up today is this one, with a nicely russet chest. Rather more prominent, however, is his tail:The male standard, for both adult and juvenile,…

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  • Ravens

    I usually hear them before I see them. Brooklyn’s Common Ravens regularly fly across the bow, the view from here down to the coast of Upper New York Bay. They are generally quite vocal, which helps to distinguish them from the crows from afar. In this case, the somewhat swine-like krongking was right overhead. The bird…

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  • Mammal Monday

    If it’s quiet enough, not generally a condition found within the bounds of NYC, a squirrel gnawing on a walnut will ring throughout the area.The eating of buds, on the other paw, is much more subtle. You may only notice when things start falling on your head.

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  • Superb Owl Sunday Extra Point

    Blue Jay points the way. Or, more accurately, calls “jay! jay! jay!” to the way.I heard the Jays from afar. Couldn’t see anything in the tree, so I walked underneath it to look for owl sign (whitewash or pellets) or feathers from a raptor kill. Nothing but cones and raccoon poop. Well, Jays do yell…

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  • Superb Owl Sunday Halftime Show

    Some large owl pellets spotted recently in the Borough of Kings.Considering I previously saw a Great Horned Owl in this tree, it’s a good bet these belong to that critter, although I saw no sign of the bird when I found these.To recap, owls gobble their food whole or in chunks — bones, fur, feathers,…

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  • Superb Owl Sunday Kick-off

    On the next to last day of 2018, we saw three Saw-whet Owls in Central Park.I’ve been saving them for today, international Superb Owl day, which transforms something toxic and commercial (“Superbowl”) into something delightfully non-corporate and much, much shorter.It’s been a bumper winter for Saw-whets here in the city, but in a sad way:…

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  • Groundhogs!

    You will not, I suspect, be surprised that I think the idea of hustling groundhogs out from their cells for the cameras in the name of a stupid tradition is a form of animal cruelty. Please enjoy groundhogs/woodchucks/whistlepigs responsibly. Here are a few highlights from the archives: Windfall apples! Teef. The earliest encounter.

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  • The Flow

    The initial sign. Seven days later. About right on time (see last year).

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  • Cold Koi

    In winter, koi drop down to the bottom to chill out. Literally. They barely move, their metabolism powers down, they wait.Here, the rippling surface abstracts them.

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