birds
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Bills IV
Get a load of the schnoze on this Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata). This is one of the dabbling duck species, straining tiny crustaceans, plankton, and seeds from the surface of the water. These long bills have comb-like filters on them. This is a male, but not yet in full breeding plumage, which, like the large…
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Bills III
The Black and White Warbler (Mniotilta varia) has a very slender bill for foraging for invertebrates amidst the bark and knots of tree.The bird’s hind toes/claws are unusually long, too, for getting a grip on vertical trunks. This one, a female, had just bathed and was grooming. This is not a shy species: I watched…
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Merlin
In the last week, I’ve seen 9 raptors, nearly half of them while I was walking down various streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan. My best day was Sunday, when I saw five birds of four different species in Green-Wood. This Merlin (Falco columbarius) was the highlight. Merlins are falcons, just slightly larger than Kestrels. I…
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Bills II
This male Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), in his subdued non-breeding plumage, was capturing wasps on Lookout Hill during fall migration. These birds are usually pretty high up in the trees, but this one was acting like a flycatcher not so far above eye-level.
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Red-Headed, Nearly
An uncommon visitor to Brooklyn, this Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) has been hanging out in Green-Wood Cemetery this winter. This is a juvenile bird, on its way to getting the bright red head of an adult. The adult bird looks like a flag: red, black, & white.
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Bills I
Our most common birds give us great opportunities to examine them in detail. Here’s a close up of a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). The bony upper and lower mandibles of birds are covered with a horny sheath of keratin, which is why it reminds me of unkempt fingernails, since it’s essentially the same material. The…
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Ice
Yesterday, as the temperature rose up to the freezing point, the bays between the piers at Brooklyn Bridge Park were filled with undulating pancake ice. These Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were putting their succulent layer of fat to good use.And, Dear Reader, a mystery. The gentleman cleaning the area said a woman had been sitting for…
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Sumac Robin
10* yesterday. This is one of four American Robins who were scouring the Sumac berries. Not all Robins head south for the winter. These could also be birds from further north, this their south. Wintering Robins tend to flock and change their dietary habits, since there are few earthworms to be had now.
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Hoodies
Drake Hooded Merganser, (Lophodytes cucullatus).The hen. Both sexes can extend their feathers into a top-heavy-looking “hooded” crest.Although this day, only the two males were doing so. Keeping up appearances.
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Hawking Around
Just before the storm, a friend who lives in Manhattan’s Chinatown sent me this phone picture of a raptor she saw on a playground on the edge of the Al Smith Houses. She wanted to know what it was. When I first started to bird-watch, I found the raptors a challenge. Still do. Some are…
Backyard and Beyond 