What is the one thing that could preempt our regularly scheduled broadcast? Bluebirds! There were two, a female and male. The female caught something yummy, looks like a caterpillar.

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This time of year, a Mourning Cloak is the likeliest sighting. But this White M Hairstreak/Parrhasius m-album turned out to be the first butterfly I’ve seen this year. These are unusual here: I’ve only seen one once before, and there are only 22 observations for NYC. And is it early! In flight, the insect flashes…

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Suddenly last Thursday it warmed up and up. The bees started to emerge. This Brown-belted Bumble was going after the nectar of Japanese Andromeda. Sometimes the brown belt is readily apparent. That tongue!

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The Solar Building downhill used to host the local American Kestrels. Plenty of other birds have alighted on it in the past, but this was the first time that I can recall a Common Raven on it. Yum! Something scavenged, something good. Anyway, the big bird attracted a couple of American Crows who yelled and…

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Flies don’t get much credit for pollination, but there’s Veronica pollen on each of these.

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This heavily-marked Red-tailed Hawk was trying to break off a branch for nest material as a lone Blue Jay registered a complaint.

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Turkish Hazel/Corylus colurna *** In other news, I suspected Oppenheimer would win a bunch of Oscars in the industry’s own award-itself-fest, so I delved into the history in more detail.

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Sad. This was a mighty Quercus alba. Half way down the slope, so one of its branches nicely aligned with naturalist’s level at the top of the hill. I documented half a dozen gall wasp species on this grand old tree, plus handful of other lifeforms. That wasn’t even a drop in the bucket.

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