Snapshots of Nature: Spring Songs and Warm Welcomes

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Spring Songs and Warm Welcomes

I feel like I have not gotten a real good spring birding in yet since it has officially been spring. I had the chance today to report into work late and did some "quick" birding with my car in Green-Wood Cemetery, hitting up a few of my favorite areas before driving to work.
What a sweet morning it was, the birds were singing all around, my first of the year NYC Osprey flew overhead, and little yellow warblers flitted about feeding- it felt like spring arrived, despite the 40-something degrees F it was this morning. In the little over an hour I saw 30 species, the complete list is here.
Enjoy the sights:

I wish the people who are buried here knew how much vibrant life continues on above them in a place that is often thought of as full of death and sadness. I adore Green-Wood, it's quiet, beautiful, and an oasis for living creatures- with accessible solitude from the hectic nature of the urban spaces surrounding it.

So birds move... fast. Really fast. I was so happy to get this lovely shot of this tiny little guy. This is a blue-grey gnatcatcher and I have never seen one before today. So I'm really happy not only that I saw this little dude, but also got a pretty little capture of him to remember him by. Because the photos before and after this one are blurs moving between branches, as gnatcatchers and many other small birds do

A song sparrow sings his little song to announce his awesomeness to the ladies and the great territory that he has around Sylvan water.

Another song sparrow sings his song to announce he has some good space to offer too. I love watching them sing because they are not shy about it, they get up high and are easy to see as they perform.

Again, little birds move fast. I was determined to get a photo of this amazing golden crowned kinglet, who donned a flaming orange crest as opposed to the usual yellow-gold. What a flashy little guy, heck, he impressed me! I hope he gets a nice girlfriend or two.

So I was pretty stoked to see some warblers- today's included palm, yellow-rumped, and this guy, the pine warbler. In the coming weeks more and more species of warbler will show up and brighten up the trees with their flashy little feathers. The pine warblers were like little rays of sunshine on this very grey day.