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Sunset Park Elm ~ Breaking
A reddish tinge about the great tree means that the buds have started to break.Just barely anyway. For a fine old specimen, it’s low swooping arm — how has it survived generations of hangers-on? — means you can get unusually close.These photos were taken yesterday on my lunch break. It was in the high 50s.I’ve…
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Turtlelicious
The afternoon shine off this wet carapace alerted us to this Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) at Great Swamp NWR.The swamp is waking after its winter slumbers.Not even any Skunk Cabbage in evidence, but was it ever mild, nearly 60. That sun must feel good to a turtle. And the frogs, too, were starting to celebrate.…
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The Red-Shouldered League
There are more Buteos in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in our philosophy. Or at least here on earth, which is graced with some 29 species. These are, generally, medium-to-large hawks with broad wings and short tails who typically soar overhead. The Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis) is the most common in North America.…
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I Dream of Winter
Winter this year consisted of two brief cold snaps and a couple of snowfalls. One storm was substantial, but it had no follow-through, and was preceded by spoiling absurdities of municipal and media hype. Yesterday, when I took this photo on Union Street, we’d had a little bit of snow, but it was mostly gone…
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6th Anniversary Highlights
Just a smattering of posts from the 1,925 I’ve published since March 3rd, 2010. That time a Bald Eagle broke the branch in Green-Wood. The Ladybug Who Came Home, but didn’t stay. The Case of the Headless Mouse, A Central Park Mystery. Yeah, we got whales: a big-winged New Englander in the Bight. Ouroboros. Some…
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In the beginning
Originally posted on Backyard and Beyond: “We must tackle and grasp the larger, encompassing themes of our universe, but we make our best approach through small curiosities that rivet our attention — all those pretty pebbles on the shoreline of knowledge.” — Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life Chrysemys picta
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Atlantic Sturgeon
I recently added this reduction print by Lisa Studier to my natural history art collection. This is not a bad representation of the colors of the original: the combination of blue fish in purply water on black paper is winning. I once saw a yard-long dead Sturgeon on the Far Rockaway beach. It was all…
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Honey Bee
Spotted my first Honey Bee of the year on the sidewalk by the bus stop, on the sunny side of the street. (Shadow provided by me for better definition in the photo.) Crocuses are out and willows have cracked open their buds to reveal the fur within. You don’t need a Farmer’s Almanac to tell…
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Pigeon Hawk
Originally posted on Backyard and Beyond: A really nice and extended look at a Merlin (Falco columbarius) yesterday in Green-Wood. The bird gave me the big, beady eyes, too.These falcons are known for perching for a long period of time, eyes on the lookout for the prize. The surroundings were busy with Blue Jays and…
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Backyard and Beyond 