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.”

  • Tulipmania

    These photos were taken last April 16th in the gardens along the Brooklyn Promenade. I’ve been hoarding them since for a heart-of-winter day, like today. Enjoy.

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  • Tree Sparrows

    American Tree Sparrows (Spizella arborea). They breed in the tundra, and visit us during winter. These were seen at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Rufus-caps and sides, white bars on the wing, and a dark central spot distinguish them from the other little brown jobs that are the New World sparrows. (The omnipresent House Sparrow is…

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  • Downy

    A Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) working the bark for delicious invertebrate prey. The stiff tail feathers of a woodpecker help her (this is a female, lacking the red patch on the back of the head, trust me on this) balance on the vertical. Her feet have a zygodactyl pattern, two toes forward, two back, also…

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  • Sandy’s Effects, Continued

    Nothing remains the same; this is the lesson of the earth. And it is particularly the lesson of humans on earth, having reached a stage where we are transforming the planet in unprecedented ways. Here’s the USGS’s 1898 map of Jamaica Bay, crossed by a railroad down to Oceanus and Hammels. (“Oceanus” has disappeared from…

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  • Right Now

    On the Promenade. Update: and your anecdotal experience is backed up by the experts, noting the record-breaking earliest flowering times for the Eastern U.S.

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  • Ring-billed Gull

    Larus delawarensis.

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  • Sere

    Middle English, from Old English sēar dry; akin to Old High German sōrēn to wither.

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  • After Sandy

    A spring tide, springing back, in this case, at low tide. When I was looking at this feature of Brooklyn Bridge Park from the Promenade as Sandy approached, the water was curved high up to the bushes on the right; that night, the water would overflow this area and flood much of the park. I…

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  • Extreme Birding

    Extreme in the sense of the abilities of my camera, that is. These birds were all seen on the piers or de facto bays between the piers at Brooklyn Bridge Park.A comparison of the size difference between Ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) on the left and a Herring gull (Larus argentatus) on the right.A Red-throated Loon…

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  • 18th Avenue Eye Candy

    The D train line is one I rarely find myself on, but the elevated stations on its southern, Brooklyn end, have some intriguing glass art. Recently, I got off the train at the 18th Avenue station take a closer look. This is Bensonhurst Gardens, by Francesco Simeti. These are made of laminated glass.Stay tuned for…

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