February Warmth!

     It's been an especially cold winter, so 42 degrees makes for a heat wave, after many days of the high temperature not making it above 20! So the temptation to get out was there, as far as layering went, all I needed was my jacket. No hat, no scarf, no gloves, no thermals, it felt great to be mobile and not constrained by layers upon layers of fabric.
     I chose a close location, Green-Wood Cemetery, even though it is literally around the block I drove to the main entrance in Sunset Park, on 5th Avenue. I was welcomed by the flock of quaker parrots that live and thrive there, even in the middle of winter.
     It's a great day for a walk, and even better when you still have feeling in your fingers after 2 hours!

Cooper's Hawk - a nice addition to the neighborhood if you are not a pigeon fan.

He told me he is rooting for the Seahawks tomorrow. 

Quaker parrot at the main entrance of Green-Wood Cemetery

A Mourning dove is being dramatic about the weather, it was not that cold out today...

I even found birds on headstones! I love this pigeon addition!

Raccoon Evidence

A dark-eyed junco with bad dining etiquette. 

This robin looked like it was sunning itself. It sat like this for a while with its wings spread. Robins were excited that it was well above freezing. It allowed them to forage in the leaves and soil.

Mocking Bird

I love the pigeon who is trying to move in...

Aside from the coniferous trees, the quakers were he only things that were green in Green-Wood.

Canada Geese take advantage of the patches of grass that are exposed on the lawn as you enter Green-Wood.

Winter Waterfowl

     I almost didn't go, because the grey sky and cold enticed me to just stay in a blanket on the couch. I knew I'd regret not getting out, so I just put on my thermals, bundled up and got out on my own for a bit. I headed out to Jamaica Bay and the waterfowl were plentiful. Among today's sightings were brant and Canada geese, Northern pintails, buffleheads, gadwalls, ring-billed gulls, herring gulls, black back gulls, black ducks, mallards, mute swans, and an unidentifiable raptor. Nothing super remarkable was seen, but I'm glad I made the decision to get up and out, before the weather turns super-wintry tomorrow with cold and snow.

A dapper ring-billed gull on the beach area when you first arrive on Broad Channel.

A northern pintail with some black ducks.

The Canada geese win for having the most personality and character today.

Mute swans are shadowed by the Empire State Building. If I were a mute swan I'd consider moving, NY may not be so welcoming.

This gull swears that his landing was actually much better than what it appears...

The Freedom Tower from Jamaica. A raptor sits on a platform on the lower left, I could not ID, even with binoculars.

My First Snow Day!

     This is my first year as a teacher and this is my first snow day experience! Last night we received about 6-10 inches of snow and I woke up at 5:30 and went right back to bed, since all New York City public schools were closed.
     I was of course lured outside to enjoy the lovely super-powdery snow. My husband and I walked to Prospect Park, up Lookout Hill, and back home. It was quite comfy, we were nicely bundled and the trees and buildings blocked most of the wind. It's beautiful out there today!

I thought the poor thing was stuck, but the swan was okay and just snuggled up all warm.

The lake is pretty frozen!

Gulls gather on the lake - it looks like further back there may be open water.

 A downy woodpecker forages on Lookout Hill.

A cardinal comes in for a landing

White throated sparrow foraging on some exposed shrubs and grasses.

House finch

Song Sparrow

The squirrel was calling out on Prsopect Park SW

Love the snow flakes on his face!

Farewell 2013

     On this last day of 2013, I indulged in a walk through Prospect Park. And on my walk there I thought about why I go off looking for wildlife when I can. My walks are the only time I stop thinking about life, it is the closest thing to meditation as I get. I stop thinking about school and only about what bird is making that call or what that flit in the tree-top was. I truly enjoy looking for wildlife, even if I don't see any, because I stop thinking about everything and just focus on my immersion in the natural world, soft foot steps, honing in on a particular sound, and observing.
     One thing I did think about on my walk was how it was my first walk through Prospect Park in 3 months! If you know me personally, you know what the last three months has been for me, but this walk felt so liberating and gave me another step forward in my journey back to normalcy. I felt like me again and that is the best way for me to end the year.
     My walk brought me sights of goldfinches, cardinals, blue jays, white-breasted nuthatches, black ducks, mallards, N. shovelers, hooded mergansers, ruddy ducks, coots, mute swans, Canadian Geese, house finches, hairy woodpeckers, mourning doves, juncos, white-throated sparrows, a brown creeper, mockingbirds, and a pair of sleepy raccoons. The park was quiet and cold, 27 degrees when I left on my walk, and perfect to indulge in solitude.

American Black Duck

Dabbling male mallard

An american coot

insert "bloop" sound here.  The coot goes down for a dive.

the "bloop" would be appropriate here, he was a diving monster!

A male Northern shoveler gives his best GQ look. And rightfully so!

These guys migrate down here in the winter and I love that they always congregate on the lake in Prospect Park. They are so gorgeous and so interesting in their looks.

A ruddy duck flaps after a good preening session.

I love birds in flight, and this shoveler gives us a nice look as to what those wings really look like.

love them!

The feeders are up and active. I found out the Brooklyn Bird Club puts these up and stocks them. I joined the Brooklyn Bird Club this year and hope I get to partake in some fun adventure.

Near the lullwater these raccoons were spending their night snuggled up and keeping warm- see the other ear in there? This guy has a buddy in there with him. 

This white-throated sparrow looks so tiny amongst the giant oak leaves.

the cutest kind of creeper you'll ever see, a brown creeper flew in and foraged on some trees checking out the nooks and crannies in the bark.

perfect coloration for such a lifestyle. 

Backlit hooded mergansers

I love that bird eyelids close upward, so they always have this look of pure bliss, like this Canadian goose preening and cleaning its feathers. (yeah, I know I anthropomorphize, but how can I resist?!)