birding
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Creeper
The Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) is rare in Brooklyn because its habitat is woodlands. This particular fast-moving specimen challenged my photography skills recently in Prospect Park, characteristically circling up tree trunks and branches in a hopping-like motion as it searched for invertebrate prey. The bird’s down-curved bill and stiff tail-feathers help keep it close to…
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Birdtree
Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) in the late afternoon.
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Borough of Raptors II
A Merlin (Falco columbarius) was perched over the Long Meadow on Sunday.Too bad the light was so gray, since, true to form, the bird was there a long time.This bird seems much more heavily streaked and russet-tinged than the Green-Wood Merlin I photographed on a nice sunny day in November. * The thing about raptors…
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Borough of Raptors I
Brooklyn was once known as the City of Churches for its many houses of worship and the way the steeples rose above the generally low-rise city. By now, though, a host of unprepossessing if not downright ugly glass and steel slabs have overthrown the dominance of graceful spires. Nevertheless, steeples and their crowning crosses remain…
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Gull’s Eye
That’s not lipstick. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis), the most common gull in the city.
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Ravens Over Brooklyn and Elsewhere
I saw my first Common Ravens (Corvus corax) in the Highlands of Scotland. We had walked up to a cave that had evidence of human habitation stretching back thousands of years. The ruins of a nest, washed down by a storm, were strewn about the cave opening, alone with some jet black feathers. Picnicking soon…
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New Year’s Ravens
Two Common Ravens (Corvus corax) were hanging around Sunset Park’s coast yesterday.I first spotted one from a distance while I was in the new Bush Terminal Park. I followed 1st Avenue to its end at 39th St. to see if I could get a better view. Did I ever! Turned out to be pair, and…
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Saw-whet
Eleven owls, from five species, were tallied during the Kings County Christmas Bird Count a week ago. Pretty impressive! Here’s one of the two Northern Saw-whets (Aegolius acadicus).This is the smallest (8″ length, 17″ wingspan), and probably the most common, owl in the northeast. The bird’s common name is a real throwback: the tooting call…
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Wintering Hawk
I usually see immature Cooper’s Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) around the borough. Over the weekend, though, I saw this nice specimen of an adult in Brooklyn Heights. The russet-lined front is a give-away for a mature bird from a distance. In truth, I barely saw the bird, since it was so high up in a tree…
Backyard and Beyond 