Brooklyn
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Blue-winged Teal
A drake Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors). Surely one of the most handsome of all ducks.The species is a long-distance migrant, some heading deep down into South America. They’re also early birds, one of the first to arrive and the first to leave. I rarely see them in NYC.Here’s the hen. The pair were dabbling in…
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Formula
Catkin + glove = early spring. P.S. Tomorrow I’ll be leading a Brooklyn Bird Club walk in Green-Wood Cemetery. We will be on the look-out for early migrants and active year-’rounders. We’ll start at 8 a.m. at the neo-gothic gates at 25th Street and 5th Avenue. Everybody’s welcome and it’s free. Bring binoculars.
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Patriotic Oystercatchers
American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) are starting to appear on the coast. Here’s a pair from the weekend.Local nesters, they make nests on beaches and dunes, which isn’t so good, considering beach crowds, unleashed dogs, four-wheeled vehicles (not at DHB, tho’) and other slings and arrows.
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Cloak and Dagger
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) in the flowers of an early blooming crab apple (Malus). Actually, on second viewing, this seems to be a cherry (Prunus). The butterfly’s long tongue, rather like an oil derrick, or a dagger, plunging into the heart of the nectar. Seems like a good year for Mourning Cloaks. Note that this…
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Scoter Revealed
Now here’s something you don’t see in Dead Horse Bay everyday. This is a drake Black Scoter (Melanitta americana), a not uncommon sea duck, yet I’ve never seen one in any part of Jamaica Bay before. I’ve also never seen one alone, so I wondered if it was ill or hurt; but he seemed to…
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Leaves
Bud-break in the case of the Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is more of a peel. If you look closely here, you can see the first tiny leaves of the year. Also last year’s dried-out fruits, cone-like conglomerations of samaras with a central spike. Here’s another look at a bud with leaf:
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That’s Rough: The Stinkbug is a BMSB
Wednesday’s spike in temperature began the process of bringing the invertebrates back into action. Earlier in the day, I spotted my first butterfly. Later, back in the home office, I noticed this little armored critter on an inside window. I thought at first it was one of the rough stink bugs of the genus Brochymena.…
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Springing All The Sudden
This is the time of year when spring rushes in and overwhelms: your blogger ends up with a full heart and full camera and not enough days in the week.Silhouettes of Cedar Waxwings amidst the blooming maple. More Acer.Amongst the many signs (and sighs) of spring, the Eastern Phoebe’s pumping tail surely ranks near the…
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Nymphalis antiopa
My first butterfly of the year, the not unexpected Mourning Cloak, soaking up the sun in Green-Wood Cemetery today. The velvety wings dotted with blue/purple spots and edged in gilt are a most welcome sight.This may be our longest-lived species of butterfly, 10-11 months as an adult. They tuck themselves away somewhere to overwinter —…
Backyard and Beyond 