birds
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Night Singing
The other day, I heard an American Robin (Turdus migratorius) singing at 4:09 a.m. Another night-singer you might hear in our parts is the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), pictured here in full diurnal aria. What you definitely won’t hear here is the “Blackbird singing in the dead of night” of the Beatles, because that’s Turdus…
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Gateways
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) absolutely owning the place.There are a good number of Songs nesting at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, which is part of Gateway National Recreation Area.Another was singing on top of this Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nest box. There’s probably a whole family of swallows in there behind the parent seen poking out.The…
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Through The Window
The point of this blog is to celebrate the wildlife right outside our doors, wherever we are. Sometimes, of course, we don’t even need to leave the house. I was alerted to those Ravens by vocal Fish Crows (Corvus ossifragus). Here’s one from that morning, on a pole at the back end of the row…
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Chimneys and their Swifts
Brick chimneys are things of beauty, old utilitarian architecture made pleasing by shape and material. Bricks, made of clay, sand, shale, and heat, have a particularly earthy appeal. I’m posting this today to remind us of the Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica) overhead now. I see and hear them regularly both on top of the Harbor Hill Moraine…
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Barn Swallow and Others
Finding a swallow isn’t so hard, but finding one taking a breather sure is.Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) breed in various places in the city; this female was at Bush Terminal, so I’d be willing to bet there’s a nest nearby. A couple of years ago, I watched another pair gathering mud for a nest under…
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You Don’t Need To Be A Weatherman To Tell Which Way the Wind Is Blowing
Last week, we had some nice views of the more common Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax. This is a Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea).If you squinch up your eyes, you can sort of get that creamy yellow crown color the birds are named after… remember that a lot of birds got their names from a…
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Marine Park Heaven and Hell
Rails are elusive, secretive, reed-habitat specialists, blending in quite nicely in their saltwater and brackish marshes in their thin-as-a-rail way. Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans) less so than the others. For one thing, they can be quite vocal: their namesake “clap” is more of a “kek.” Recently, we heard several at Marine Park and saw three…
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Raven Family Over Sunset Park
The sound of Fish Crows made me look out the window late this morning. This was my view (well, with a little help from my camera) from up here on the Harbor Hill Moraine. And those are the crows on top of each of the neighboring water towers.Which makes these huge midnight figures on the…
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House Wren
Troglodytes aedon, the House Wren. Don’t think I’ve so noticed or appreciated the yellow of the lower part of the bill before.Hard to miss when they’re singing, characteristically from an open, exposed spot above their territory. This year, I’ve seen/heard them in Jamaica Bay, Native Flora Garden, and Prospect Park. Last year a pair…
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A Perfect Day for Night Heron Fishing
Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, the world’s most wide-spread heron species.Of course we have them in Brooklyn. This was a morning low tide at Bush Terminal Park.They tend to be most active at night, as per their namesake, but if the foraging is good… A greenish tinge in the lores on this one? Have never…
Backyard and Beyond 