Arthropods are your creatures with jointed legs- there are a many different kinds and its one of, if not the largest group of animals on this planet. Arthropods include insects (there are a lot of those), crustaceans (lobsters and crabs), chielicerates (spiders, scorpions, ticks, horseshoe crabs and sea spiders), and myriapods (millipedes and centipedes) - all these animals have an exoskeleton, segmented bodies and of course jointed legs.
We usually don't think much of arthropods except perhaps mainly as nuisances, let's be real, I HATE roaches - but without arthropods, this place would fall apart. Filling so many niches and being such an important part of the food web they serve a heck of a lot of purposes; from small pollination gigs to filling in the local keystone species role arthropods are pretty amazing.
This morning there was a report of a hatchout in Prospect Park, this is when the termites take their nuptial flight- they disperse, breed and begin a new colony on a prime piece of real estate, a fallen log. This brings birds in for the all you can eat buffet- this is an important meal for birds who wish to continue northward in their migration. A high protein, high energy meal was erupting from Lookout Hill and the swifts and swallows flying and diving above it were a sure sign something delicious was happening...
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Magnolia warblers were everywhere- but in general, birds were brought down from the trees to catch flighted termites rising from their birth site. |
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Lovely to have this black-throated-blue warbler entirely too close for photos, I had to step a few feet back! |
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In flight, that little white hankie on their primaries turns into more of a scarf- such a large flash of white when flying! |
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And then he asked for some "beeeer, beeeer, BEEEER, BEEEEER!" (that what he sounds like...) |
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A super sweet surprise was this low bay-breasted warbler. Such a beautiful merlot-colored bird. |
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I was suspecting a hatchout would soon occur, the weather felt right - had some rainy days previous, and it's always around this time of year- I time it with the Brooklyn Half Marathon which is happening on Saturday. The first time I witnessed a hatchout was during the half, I got into the park and had logs covered in termites and birds treating themselves to the feast. It was so memorable that I get super excited when they happen. It truly is a treat for the eyes and a super important event for the birds-- see, even termites are important! |
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An interesting view of a chestnut-sided warbler. |
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Normally up high in the canopy- this black-throated green warbler feasted just a foot and a half off the ground. |
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Also, when it comes to photo shoots- it's not this birds first rodeo... |
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This bird was super cooperative and a real treat to observe. |
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It also had its eyes on many prizes, taking off in small hops so that no insect could escape its beak. |
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A moment that feels like far longer in photos, this was such a wonderful 15 seconds observing this bird on this tiny plant. |
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The bay-breasted warbler wasn't done- another flew onto the small trees growing up out of Butterfly Meadow- super close, giving superb looks. |
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What a treat! |
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Northern Parulas were practically falling off of trees... |
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This is a male parula, but I also saw a female today, super beautiful, colors a bit more subdued but she totally caught my eye and confused me for a moment, she still has the tell tale yellow-olive patch on her shoulders that the males also have that cued me in to her true identity. |
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I also saw a lot of Canada Warblers. They are one of my faves, I love those spectacles and that dainty necklace- but... THEY. ALWAYS. LAND. BEHIND. LEAVES. or their photos come out blurry... until. |
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This was the best part- right before leaving, I got a few clear views of a Canada who just came out of a scuffle with another Canada warbler. |
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Seriously.
How stunning is this animal?! After a long (really long) and cold (also, really cold) winter, these little birds really brighten up our local habitats. |
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Thanks for making my day, lil guy! |
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And one last look at those super cooperative Bay-breasted warblers...
Tonight (as long as the weather cooperates) I am off to take part in monitoring an arthropod that helps many local and migrating shorebirds survive, the horseshoe crab. It's a new moon and as long as the thunderstorms stop by 8pm, we'll be counting and maybe tagging! I look forward to doing this with NYC Audubon every single year! |
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