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.”

  • Birds

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    Birds

  • Jumpy

    You really have to sneak up on the American Bull Frogs in the Dell Water. You could, after all, be a heron. They usually plop into the water before you even see them. In neighboring Crescent Water. Where, also, this conglomeration looked like a heroic bronze statue.

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    Jumpy

  • Total Eclipses of the Snapping Turtle’s Eyes

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    Total Eclipses of the Snapping Turtle’s Eyes

  • Raptor Wednesday

    First Merlin sighting of the season: October 8th. Luckily, Falco columbarius is known for perching for long periods. And favoring the bare branches. Second sighting, October 13th. The bird took off when… …a Red-tailed Hawk passed overhead. But then came back. Merlin atop tree on far left. Atop the historical Chapel is: our old friend,…

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    Raptor Wednesday

  • Late Bloomer

    A Bottlebrush Buckeye/Aesculus parviflora was in full bloom on October 5th, while the one next to it: was already well gone to fruit. A couple of skippers were after the nectar. But let’s get back to that bee:

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    Late Bloomer

  • Monarch Monday

    The journey is not without hazards. The erratic flight that makes them hard to photograph on the wing also makes them hard to catch in the bill. I haven’t seen any more of these butterflies since last Monday, but iNat had 5 observations in NYC this past Friday, with two on Saturday.

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    Monarch Monday

  • O, Wasp, Where Is Your Sting?

    I spend a fair amount of time around wasps and bees. Sometimes they get in my face, but in all these years I’ve only been stung three times: 1) on the hand by a Honey Bee in a Lower East Side community garden because we were coming for her honey; 2) on the ear lobe…

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  • Chipper

    Must be away from Green-Wood, right? Not so far away: Prospect Park has them in good numbers. The cemetery, perhaps because it is much less wooded, rarely sees them.

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    Chipper

  • Carolina

    One of at lest two yodeling and tsk-tsking.

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    Carolina

  • Red-tail Follow-Up To Raptor Wednesday

    A young Red-tailed Hawk atop the statue of DeWitt Clinton, NYC Mayor, U.S. Senator, and NY Governor. Mr. Erie Canal, etc. When he died in office in 1828, his remains were put in the vault of a family friend in Albany, for his family was practically destitute. By 1844, the family had raised enough money…

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    Red-tail Follow-Up To Raptor Wednesday