City Nature Challenge 2022

     This past Friday through today was the City Nature Challenge, a nationwide engagement run through iNaturalist by way of the LA Natural History Museum and California Academy of Sciences. IT's a friendly competition between cities trying to log as much life observed into iNaturalist. The city-wide project also exists as a project on iNaturalist and any observations made in the NYC area go toward both of these initiatives.

    I contributed some plants and insects, but also a lot of birds. I participated in a CNC event at Calvert Vaux Park on Friday, did a little jaunt around Marine Park also on Friday, and then on Sunday got to do some birding in Green-Wood Cemetery.

Every animal that is not a pat or in human care counts, so Robins, Starlings, all got themselves a picture taken.

I also took crappy ID photos to submit on iNaturalist. Like this, of a red-tailed hawk.

Even this House Sparrow got himself a photo, too bad I cannot tell what kind of insect it is eating, could have been a two-fer to submit.
On iNaturalist, everything counts, dead or alive - so even prey would be something that one can submit as an entry.

This peregrine falcon caused a frenzy among all the gulls and also a nice one to add to iNaturalist!

A pair of Forster's terns fed right in front of us and did their hovering which makes it a touch easier to grab a picture. The light was not in favor or snapping photos of any birds over or on the water.

After Calvert Vaux, I had a little time to spare before picking up the kiddo. So I did a quick walk around the loop at Marine Park. 
I began with a wave "hello" to this greater yellowlegs.

It was a quiet walk, really, until I got to this.
A female ring necked pheasant just off the path. She had such excellent camouflage for the dried grasses.

And just a little further up, I ran into this strapping fella. He called in front of me and shook out his wings and chest.

Then he walked right toward me, crossed the path I was on, and headed right in the direction of the hen I just passed. Clearly other things are fogging his brain, enough to just walk out into the open just to pursue a female.

On Sunday I headed out "early," my new early is a birders late morning, to Green-Wood Cemetery. I ran into some friendly faces and joined them for some birding together. I came for the warblers and sure got what I was hoping for.

This blue winged warbler was the drop of sunshine that I needed.

I love ovenbirds and we saw a few. They are always in the shadows, creeping along the ground, so this perfectly captures their essence.

A bold and big bird, the great-crested flycatcher. Love these birds!

Will it walk up? Down? No. Sideways.
Black-and-white warblers just go where they please along the trees.

Very pleased to see two female rose-breasted grosbeaks foraging among the oak trees together. Oddly the oaks were bare of birds, normally for spring, they are hopping!

A red tail hawk was eyeing something.
It was the next place it was going to perch. It soared right over our little group and into the tree we stood below.

A late golden-crowned kinglet. I didn't realize I captured it preening this perfectly tiny feather.

Earth Day 2022

     Yesterday with Earth Day and so I got out, embracing the spring and what it brings with it, lots of life practically screaming for more life. The birds are singing, the plants are staring to wake up from their winter slumber, and insects are zooming through the air all signs point to spring. I think we should finally be beyond the second and third winters we have already experienced after some periods of warm.

    For Earth Day, I took to my bike all day - even hauled my week worth of groceries home on it, and I ventured to Shirley Chisholm State Park and Floyd Bennett Field. Then, today, I biked down to Fort Tilden to become a NYC Plover Project Volunteer, I saw two year birds after training and I am excited to lend a hand to these endangered birds.

    Before I lose you to photos, if you are interested in volunteering with NYC Plover Project and helping to protect Piping Plovers through education and engagement, please check them out, there is another training opportunity to come! 

Birds and buds!
A normally skulky song sparrow jumps up to the highest perch to belt out his song in the hopes of intimidating all rivals and wooing the hearts of the ladies.
Also, the barren branches come to life, with fresh green buds, ready to pop into something more lush.
This song, as well as the more buzzy version by the savannah sparrows, greets you as you enter the Shirley Chisholm State Park.

A real gem, is enjoying the iridescence of a tree swallow who treats you to a prolonged view from its perch. These swallows nest along Jamaica Bay, especially in the Wildlife Refuge where nest boxes provide them with comfortable places to lay eggs and raise chicks.

The winds were whipping, especially at the top of the Fountain Ave Mound. This crow took a few precarious landings to finally nail it. I do love the urban backdrop of East New York to counter the nature in the foreground.

Red-winged blackbirds also are the other dominant soundscape to the park, screaming over the Belt Parkway that flanks the north side of the park.

So I'm obsessed with birds on these amazingly textured twigs of the various plants waking up to the extended daylight.
A savannah sparrow uses this one as its stage to sing its song.

So as I was coming down from the Fountain Ave Mound, I stopped at a small drainage basin. First glance, it seems to have a whole lot of nothing. But a scan with my binoculars revealed something hiding in plain sight.
A sleeping Wilson's snipe! Had zero expectations to find one and this really made my day!

I fought the wind to get a not-so-blurry picture, but I even got lucky that at one point it even woke up to show off that impressive bill it (somehow) hid in those feathers.

Dang, what a cool bird!

When song sparrows are singing, I can't resist them. It's like you're being treated to a limited time engagement. Enjoy their little melodies and the show they put on...

... as they toss their head back and belt out loudly, their song. How lucky are we to witness them, as they risk it all, making themselves vulnerable to everything as they move up high and tall to scream their song into the world. I will never ever get sick of a song sparrow.

And for all the beauty and joy of spring, there is also some death. I love raptors, but I also love snakes. From where I was standing I had a really hard time making this prey item out-- and once at home I realized it was a snake. Red tails are most known for eating small mammals, but they will take snakes, lizards, and birds too. 
With the weather being so warm, the snakes come out to bask and can expose themselves to danger, looks like this was one of the unlucky ones.

But, this little snake could be nourishment for a young bird in a nest somewhere, so with death there is also life. I'm also always stoked for there to be snakes around. Plus, this is probably a safer food option than a potentially poisoned rat.

Taken from my phone today, I am excited to help Piping Plovers here in NYC but also, other beach nesting birds, like these American Oystercatchers. We got to walk the beach after training today and saw these birds, plus a piping plover!

Areas are already roped off at Ft. Tilden as birds have arrived and are already starting the nesting process. Please share the shore with these lovelies.

As I was juuuuust about to exit the beach with some others, I spotted a gull who appeared to be a white-winged gull. It looked to be a first winter Iceland gull! What a treat, I've been needing one for the year, so this made me very happy.
Please consider joining NYC Plover Project, a part of me also joined because I figured I can sit and complain... or I could do something and make a difference! And do that something and make a difference, at the beach. 😎

South Brooklyn in April

     I consider myself fortunate to have the chance to bird once a week. In the last two weeks I have kept it close to home and it's been nice because it has given me back some time in my weekend. Also, before the mosquitoes swarm in for the season, it's prime time to take advantage of the spaces close to home!

    Two weeks ago I biked down to Floyd and having the pedal assist, oh man, it was so nice to bike down the runways and it's better than the car. And this last week I biked to Marine Park and enjoyed a sight that was not a bird!!!

At Floyd last week I ventured around the north 40, that after a certain point becomes impenetrable just because of the mosquito factor.
The trails were fairly quiet, but there were plenty of song sparrows, but more than them were plenty of a recent migrant that arrived to town...

There were plenty of Eastern Phoebes to go around, to the point where they felt to have moved along the trail with me until joining up with another set of phoebes foraging along the trail edges.

These sweet little birds are just such a pleasant addition to spring.

As I was heading out of the north 40, a merlin came swooping through the trail and took my breath away. Then, moments later, a juvenile bald eagle, just so large and slowed by the winds soared by, fairly low.

I love being able to see wild raptors here in New York City, this eagle was just so gorgeous and perfect.

At Marine Park, the Osprey were taking up residence on both platforms. This is one from the pair at the first platform.

Happy to spot these little tail twerkers, palm warblers and others are rolling in from their southern winter homes.

Love seeing these birds arrive, it gives me hope for warmth, sun, and long days.

As you walk, you hear what could be a dinosaur.
It IS a dinosaur.
It's a ring necked pheasant singing his love song.
This one I was lucky to spot from the trail, he laid low but would pop up to call out for a hen's attention.

As I was leaving, right where they were doing construction-- I came upon a ribbon snake. I LOVE SNAKES.
I was originally a herp nerd before I became a bird nerd, and I do happily (and calmly) freak out with extreme joy.
One of the workers even came over to see what I was looking at and he didn't quite expect to see a snake!

I love love this little snake among these petite white flowers, what a sweet.
This made my day on Friday, please don't tell the birds I said that! 😬

New Birds for a New Birder

     So Covid made for some interesting times, to the point where I had coworkers that I hired, worked with, and only interacted with over Zoom. I also learned that in working so closely, but from remote circumstances that my colleague was interested in looking at birds in having had met me through or remote work situation. We had recently reconnected and she told me she became a birder, especially after having herself some new binoculars and has been actively birding.

    Of course in learning this, I had to invite her to go birding and also just actually hang out in real life. We met at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, her first time, and even collected herself some lifers, including spotting a very early snowy egret that she saw and called from quite afar! It was a great trek out together, and surely won't be our last!

    Also, it's always fun to bird with someone who is really getting into it, experiencing them getting lifers is invigorating! So exciting! On this outing, she got four! I learned that she could use some warblers in her life, she has a very exciting spring ahead!

We saw a lor of these, yellow-rumped warblers! Looking forward to more arriving soon!

One of her lifers were the snow geese, still lingering around in smaller numbers than they have been. Also, the snowy egret mentioned previously was a lifer for my friend!

I also think these may be some of my most favorite snow geese photos I have captured.

Also welcome back, to this goth overlord.

I love boat tailed grackles, their sheen, their size, and their repertoire of insane vocal abilities. A few males were gathering and stretching their syrinx, hoping that when the females arrive they can impress.

Winter in to Spring

    I'm glad I'm out getting to see birds while making sure there is plenty of time for my family and some quality time with my daughter. The fact that it isn't rainy and gray 24/7 also helps. So here it comes, a photo dump:

After a cruddy, rainy morning, I knew later the sun would come out and knew I could get out and perhaps have a landscape to myself. And I was correct. I hate seeing snowy owls among crowds of people surrounding it, so i got my year snowy owl and won't try looking for another until next year.

And what luck, I got two for the price of one, all within 150 feet of one another.

All owl photos are taken using a 200-500mm lens at 500mm, images are cropped. Bird were observed from a distance, not for longer than 10 minutes, and left undisturbed.

This month, birds have been cued in to the spring feels, lots of song fills the air... like that of this song sparrow, at Marine Park Salt Marsh.

Fresh new arrivals from their migration north, Killdeer!

I was dazzled by the eyes of this hooded merganser, normally the females have brown eyes, this looks to be an immature male!

When it coems to Marine Park, my birding is usually done at the nature center and trails on the south side of Avenue U. But when I noticed a pair of snow geese grazing on the ballfields, I took a seat in the outfield and enjoyed them among the Marine Park, Brooklyn backdrop.

A week ago I met up with a friend at Green-Wood Cemetery to look for birds. Upon walking in, there are always plenty.
The parrots were everywhere but their nest, because...

...Someone was on it.

This juvenile red-tail was just soaking up the sun with zero cares about whose nest it was on.

A fun surprise find at the cemetery, a merlin looking like it just had a meal recently with its bloodied talons.

Two weeks ago (I think), I went out to Nassau County hoping to see Harlequin Ducks, and I saw them!

And this harbor seal saw me. The seals always stare at you, had about two or three poop up, and just look. Funny little ocean-faring, pups.

The harlequin ducks were very snoozy, mostly posting up on the rocks to rest, but these long tailed ducks were quite fun.

They were calling and diving and popping up again, very enjoyable to watch.

Things only got better as I sat on the rocks at Point Lookout where I hoped to (and saw) Harlequin Ducks....
Some little peeps flew in. A mixed flock of, from left to right, sanderling, dunlin, sanderling, and purple sandpipers!

Was happy to have a nice amount of the purple sandpipers in the group, I really love them.

The Harlequins were far less cooperative than every other bird around.

Like I said.

In heading to Nassau, I also hoped to see a Lapland Longspur I noticed that was reported. Well, saw that too.
Life bird.

It was surrounded by very cute snow buntings.

It was on the move, and quick, so I'm amazed I even got any identifiable photos.

Yesterday, I went to Green-Wood Cemetery, hoping to see some Woodcocks.
The weekend prior, people were reporting them in the double digits, serious FOMO, so I was hoping I'd have some luck.
Plenty of American Robins around.

Checked in some of my go-to woodcock spots, and coming up empty. I got a tip from a birder I ran into while there. And they told me where they had seen one earlier.
On my way there, I saw a plucky little Golden-crowned kinglet.

And Bingo.
To get an unobstructed view of this bird I moved slowly, kept my distance and then laid on the ground and rolled, took some photos from laying on my belly....
And then rolled back to leave them be.

I love their big eyes, and when you can catch the landscape in them.

I walked over to another spot where I've found these before and I found one more.

If you weren't looking, you'd walk right past these potato size birds with their cryptic patterns.

They also can see you from behind. If you live and feed on the ground, not such a terrible adaptation to have.

A very perfect potato.

Was wondering why the feeders at the Dell Water were empty.... looked up and saw why.

A house finch give a great big yawn.

This time an American Kestrel sat over the main gate, the parrots see him as no trouble, they are just about the same size.

Some decent birding the last few weeks, looking forward to more spring arrivals coming soon!