-
Whimbrels
My sweetheart and I are back from a magnificent, spectacular, ten day trip around Iceland with a group from the American Littoral Society. Posts about the trip begin here, randomly, at Day Two: these pictures are from Gardar (my apologies to Icelanders for my being too hot and humid to try to find the eth…
-
-
Islenska Fugla
Here’s a list of the birds of Iceland. I am especially looking forward to seeing haforn, falki, and, of couse, one of my favorites, hrafn.
-
Eastern Cottontail
The mammal’s eye. Some bird seed encouraged this one to get closer. Three others grazed the yard. That’s a rabbit-blood-bloated tick on the ear there. The flash gave it a red-eye effect like a wild sunset. As if it was guarding the Cave of Caerbannog. “Oh, it’s just a harmless little ‘bunny’ isn’t it?”
-
Banding Osprey
Last week I had the good fortune to attend an osprey (Pandion haliaetus) banding on Nantucket island with people from the Maria Mitchell Association. There were three youngsters in this nest, one down from the original four hatched earlier. Unfortunately, it has not been a good season for nesting osprey on the island; fish, the…
-
Mosaic Reflections
The “Departures and Arrivals” mosaic at the Jay St./ Borough Hall subway station (A, C, F trains) here in Brooklyn. Artist Ben Snead’s notion here, as explained on the plaque, is that species come and go, just like peoples. “The artist is interested in how the natural world mirrors our local population; in both great…
-
Ant swarm
Last night about 3:30 I was informed that the Back 40 (inches), my little piece of Brooklyn backyard, was swarming with ants. Last week, I missed a twig-shaped caterpillar eating one of my plants around 4 a.m. I regretted not getting out of bed to see that. So last night I did get out of…
-
Do you roll your own?
So do some insects. There are what seem to be eggs inside of these.
-
Hymenoptera
It’s National Pollinator Week. The membrane-winged insects, order Hymenoptera, encompass the bees, wasps, and ants (the queens and males of the ants have wings but shed them after mating). Unlike the flies, and there a number of flies who mimic bees, hymenoptera have four wings that merge together with a sort of natural velcro, so…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Backyard and Beyond 