A Morning of Zen

     I still had a half day of earned holiday time so I took last Tuesday morning off. It was slated the be the only full day of sun and mild temperatures. I planned to go to Green-Wood as it tends to be quieter than Prospect Park and I was looking for just that, quiet and nature. Green-Wood recently has been having much issue with folks taking advantage of their open gates doing all sorts of things that are quite disrespectful to the final resting place of many that includes members of my own family, my husband's, and many others who hail from Brooklyn; to the point GWC had to put out a statement threatening to close its grounds if folks don't shape up. Picnicking, dogs, tree-climbing, and recreational activities (bikes, scooters, jogging) are not permitted on grounds, really you are not allowed to do much more than walk, admire, and be respectful.
     I bird often here and try to be thoughtful when I see folks visiting a loved one, making sure to give them their space, especially when there is an active service and burial. I also enjoy learning about people and their past, I will often find a unique headstone or mausoleum and be able to look up those folks (google is a very powerful tool) and learn about someone historic, a tragic news story that did not play out in someones favor, or just find someone who was well loved and admired by their friends and family. I like to at least be mindful about who I am passing by and do my part in remembering someone lost while using this as a place to connect to nature.
     Green-Wood is also an arboretum and a natural space that hosts a variety of wildlife from insects to Groundhogs. Their collection of trees, many of which are ornamental are beautiful this time of year, while many of their native trees like oaks, tulips, and maples are hosts to migrating birds and the insects that they like to feast on. And it is just about that time, for spring migration, and for my baby to at any moment, be born. So this walk today was very needed, it was restorative, calming, and reconnected me to something I have missed a lot as I have isolated and avoided crowded parks and birding on weekends in trying to keep the social distancing thing going. While it wasn't a hugely birdy day (things are really starting to ramp up now), it was still perfect!

So the thing about spring, is that the birds coming in that everyone is dying to catch a sight of are warblers.... well, maybe not always this one, the yellow-rumped, but still this little butter butt gives us a good idea of what photos of most birds during this time look like. Many, many photos of blurds. Birds that are a blur, they move so damn fast, and if its a rarity, this may be the best record shot you get.  Thankfully there are tons of rumps, looking quite smart right now, so I'm not terribly worried that this one came out as a blur.

Another contender for copious blurd pictures, the "I-never-sit-still-for-more-than-2-seconds," blue-grey gnatcatcher! I took 20+ photos of this ONE bird... most were blurs, butts, flying out of frame, or a stick in the foreground perfectly in focus with maybe a bird behind it.

My favorite part of blue-grey gnatcatchers is that they always look to be so disapproving of you.

These little migrant birds are smaller than a sparrow, and as their name suggests, they love to catch and consumer insects.

This little gnatcatcher was busy catching insects hiding in the flowers of an oak tree, flitting and flapping and hovering next to the dangling flowers. Showing what absolutely gives them away, their dark tails flanked by bold,  white feathers.  I have already seen blue-grey gnatcatchers earlier this year when we visited the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, a place where they overwinter. I am always happy to see them again, they make me very happy. 

Chipping sparrows are a common sight among the grasses, their laser-bean calls ring out everywhere right now. They have a very strong hold on the grounds of the cemetery.

Their red cap and clean belly set them apart from our other local sparrows, also their call is pretty unlike that of others.

Another contender for blurd photos, kinglets, These small birds, just bigger than a ping-pong ball but nearly as round barely stay still. Not only did this one sit still, it chose a damn great backdrop....

Showing off its ruby crown, as a ruby-crowned kinglet should, this bird perched on one of the many cherry trees, in full bloom near the Sylvan Water.

Pin-pong ball.
This is a very small bird.
And also, very cute.

I always hope to get at least one bird and bloom capture. Thankful that this little bird was so obliging! 

Really working it there...

And then it does what kinglets do best in photos....

A palm warbler disregards your rules for proper table manners.

Scouring the hillside at the Sylvan water for food, this bird snagged an insect with extra long antennae!

Where there is the high pitched call of "oh-Sam-Peabodyyy," especially at this time of year, there is a sharp looking white-throated sparrow nearby!

Another great bird, that generally I find to be shy for pictures, a brown thrasher. Related to mockingbirds, I learned that these birds nest in Green-Wood!

I told you that there would be another yellow-rumped warbler! This one succeeded in catching a snack!

Later in the day, after work, I begged Tim to put on non-pajama pants and go for a walk at an undisclosed location. We found some birds, a palette of definitely stolen and dumped bricks, and this Eastern cottontail. I also found a deer tick later too. This bun is probably covered in them!

This day was so welcome, I felt like myself again and felt reconnected as I have not been immersed in nature since mid-March. I am hoping to find some strategic ways to get outdoors, avoid crowds, and soon have a little version of myself out there with me. I hope that despite the chaos of the world there is some light to be had in all this. Be safe, be well, and take care of yourselves!

Harbingers of Spring and Happiness

     Tim and I spent a full week working from home and thankfully we have plenty to do but still, my legs needed stretching and I feared the local parks. I heard about crowds making the park appear like a day in July versus March and that 6ft was not always easy to maintain.

     So I am only opting for remote locations or cemeteries to walk and maybe see a bird or two. Yesterday I hit Green-Wood Cemetery. There were far more people in there than usual but nothing out of control. Thankfully, their strict rules on what you can/can't do there in the cemetery keep the crowds away.

     While I was really hoping to lock eyes with a timberdoodle, instead I found other birds that made me smile just as much. It stinks that this spring may be a big miss in birding during migration, but for now, I'll just embrace what I can.

Spring brings robins down from the trees. They spent the winter foraging on winter berries on trees and in bushes, right here in NY. They shift their diet back to insects and worms as the ground warms and this food becomes available again. SO robins re not a sign of spring - but their diet change is a sign of spring.

A little ray of sunshine? Yes.. but no -- it's a Pine Warbler! The warbler that tells you: ALL THE OTHER WARBLERS WILL BE HERE SOON! 

This one tree was full of 6 or more pine warblers, and they were all so brilliant and bright.

Also, serious bonus bird- the bringer of happiness, an Eastern Bluebird! I have only seen them at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn so this was a very welcome surprise!

These birds are closely related to robins, they are in the Thrush family!

This bird, appears to be female, the males are more bright in their hues.

She is beautiful none the less.

Also, tulip trees with the past remains of their flowers make for really great scenery.

The pine warblers were not socially distant, they would get really close as they foraged along the branches.

Hoe perfect are these little golden floofs?!

I have a feeling I'm being observed just as much as I'm observing them!

But I am far less interesting than potential food.
Despite being more chilly than I'd enjoy, the insects were still flying and the birds were busy hunting them.

Was delighted to see one of the whistle pigs enjoying some snacks.

For the whole winter there was one Eastern Phoebe, the there were two for some time. Then today they were everywhere, those two survivors are now among a crowd and impossible to pick out.

I don't care if there were hundreds of them around, I like them and their funny wheezy song.

A very floofy song sparrow, there were also quite a number of these birds out too. It gives a nice chance to see the large amount of variation in their hue. Some very bold, some more softer and faded. Song sparrows can vary quite a bit in their appearance.

One of the many resident mockingbirds, and yes, they are 100% judging us all.
I fear that I may not be able to do a whole lot of birding, just looking out for my health and the health of others. I hope spring bring some good visitors to our yard. We had a singing wood thrush for a number of days frequenting the yards behind and adjacent to ours, so I'll just hope for moments like that to occur.

A week+ of birds.

    I'm anxious, I'm pregnant, I have a chronic cough (it's not the virus) that I just can't shake, there is a pandemic - so how do I escape? Birds. Here are birds. Migration is just starting, nothing is stopping nature from doing its things, I can feel somewhat relieved to be outside and not among the havoc (have you walked into a grocery just to do your regular shopping?! Ugh, what an awful mess).

And now. Birbs.

Friday, 3/16, Green-Wood Cemetery:

I really wanted to see a fox sparrow (and a woodcock), and I got a fox sparrow.
Trying to keep the year list growing as much as I can.
Each outing this week I added another year bird, today was fox sparrow.
I love these chonkers.

A male belted kingfisher in its usual spot on the Crescent Water, making all the noise.

A close (and cropped) white-throated sparrow. I saw some chipping sparrows too, but got no photos.

Monday, 3/9, Floyd Bennett Field:

Today's year bird to add on was wood ducks. There were many to be had. The Return-a-Gift pond was full of them. Actively calling and puffing up their heads, many males with two females.

They make a funny upward nasal whistle call. The averge human being probably expects ducks to quack, a-la mallard, but ducks make some funky noises depending on the species.

Wednesday, 3/11, Marine Park Salt Marsh:

I had a late start to my work so I walked at the Salt Marsh Nature center. This downy woodpecker was soaking up the sun.

Everyone was singing - and among the cardinals, the males were scuffling a bit too.

A song sparrow singing its song.

I love how they jump up onto a high branch to belt it out. It is one of my favorite signs of spring.

Another sign of spring, are the "ONK-a-REEE's" of the red-winged blackbird.

Three killdeer gathered on the field. The field was devoid of the trees that were sprouting taller each season so they are back to grassland.
Year birds added today were swamp sparrow and black-capped chickadee, a bird I've been seeing less and less each winter.

Friday, 3/13, Green-Wood Cemetery:

An Eastern Phoebe on the Sylvan water, a second bird remained all winter on the Dell water.
I love these little birds. We will see more as spring progresses!

I was on Battle Hill, the highest point in Brooklyn and was surprised to be so close to a black vulture, that was traveling with a second bird just overhead.
Todays year bird was fish crow.

Saturday, 3/14, Prospect Park:

There are far less American Coot out in the park, I'll miss these goth babies.

Speaking of goth, I was really hoping to run into a rusty blackbird.... and I did! This is today's year bird!

I also love looking at the face on, because...

That.

FACE!

This bird's population has declined steeply since the 1960's habitat loss has likely been a contributing factor toward this.

I really like these birds, I hope we can keep them around.

One sleepy downy woodpecker before calling it a morning.
Birds are great :)