Green-Wood
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Tuliptree Flowers
Liriodendron tulipifera: these are usually so far up these tall trees that they’re hard to see.But not all of them. Blooming now. They smell like some childhood candy I can never place…
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Mystery With Distraction
So I’m trying to figure what this little warbler is hopping along the side of the road near the grave of Peter Cooper and family in Green-Wood. Female something, right? It flies out of my binocular vision, so I glance away from the glasses and see:A Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) just hanging out on a…
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All the Birds
This was my Big Day, on foot through Prospect, Green-Wood, and then down to Bush Terminal Park. Train to park, bus home. In chronological order. Yard Birds: seen from apartment or on way to subway House Sparrow Starling Rock Pigeon Osprey (on nest) Chimney Swift Herring Gull American Robin Blue Jay In Prospect Park: Gray…
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Monk, Oriole
Checking in with the vocal Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) of Green-Wood. Still hollering, in general, although this one was quiet for the photo. Year-around residents, they were introduced from the Andes. There are little clusters elsewhere in Brooklyn, but I believe the colony at the Green-Wood gate and the ConEd substation across the street is…
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Spotted Sandpiper
Yesterday, there were half a dozen Spotted Sandpipers (Actitis macularius) around Green-Wood’s Sylvan Water. Another was spotted at the Dell Water. Along with Solitary Sandpipers, this is one of the few sandpiper species that you will find on inland, fresh, waters. I’ve never seen this many at one time. From much farther away, but this…
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A Man, A Plan, Stranahan!
Where are my manners? I’m only just getting to letting you know that I’ll be doing a Jane’s Walk tomorrow, starting at 11 a.m. at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park. We meet at the feet of the statue of James S.T. Stranahan, tucked in just to the left of the drive. A…
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O You’ve Got Green Lores
The space between the eye and nostril of a bird is known as the lore. During breeding season, the lores of Great Egrets (Ardea alba) turn an iridescent green.
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Right Now
Redbud Cercis canadensis.Hawthorn (Crataegus)Dogwood (Cornus)Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), after flowering.Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora).
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Wood Ducks, Heron Fisher
I found a trio of Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) in the Dell Water on Saturday. These birds nest in tree cavities or nest boxes, rather atypically for our ducks. And they have nested in Brooklyn before.The Dell Water was busy with three species of warbler, woodpeckers, and jays hooting and hollering in the distance, and…
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Malus Aforethought
The ornamental crab apples are luxurious right now. These were all found on the byways of Green-Wood.
Backyard and Beyond 