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  Veery in the Ramble, Central Park, NYC, on May 5. #birds #birding #biodiversity #urbannature #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon

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  With massively swarming termites and the largest influx of migratory birds this season, I figured things would get interesting in The Ramble in NYC's Central Park last Tuesday (5/5). I was not disappointed. Here are a few of the Wood Warblers (Parulidae) present. Wood Warblers get their name due to early naturalists' confusion due to the "New World" group's similarity to "Old World" warblers, although they are not closely related and...

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  Female or juvie American Goldfinch and Northern Flicker foraging at Grant Park, NY. Flickers are woodpeckers with a penchant for drilling into the soil to eat ants. 4/8. #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity

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  Mosquitoes reach Iceland for the first time as the Arctic heats up https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mosquitoes-iceland-arctic.html #climatechange

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  Purple Plovers sometimes share rocky habitats with Dunlins and Sanderlings, although the former favor marshes and the latter prefer sandy beaches. One of the ways they avoid competition is through their ability to feed on nearly vertical rock faces in the intertidal zone. Spiderman peeps! #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity #shorebirds

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  An American Oystercatcher at Pt. Lookout, NY, on 4/12. The bird is thermoregulating, not injured. Note the band. If you see a banded bird (and can determine the color and read the code), it is important to report the information, as it is critical for conservation efforts. They can be reported here: https://amoywg.org/banding-re-sighting/ #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity #shorebirds

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  A friendly Wood Thrush in The Ramble, Central Park, NYC, yesterday. This American Robin cousin has been on my bucket list for a few years now. I've never been able to photograph one, although I've seen them and heard them. They have declined (50% losses over the past 50 years), largely due to habitat loss and degradation, but they're not a rare species. This one seemed to be trying to make up for the elusiveness of their brethren, as they posed patiently for me. Well, the...

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  Leucistic Gray Squirrel in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, 4/29 #nature #biodiversity #wildlifephotography

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  A few more birds from our 4/29 visit to Prospect Park, Brooklyn #birds #birding #biodiversity #urbannature #birdphotography #wildlifephotography

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  Red-tailed Hawk with a captured Rock Pigeon on the Pratt Inst. campus in Brooklyn on 4/29 #birds #birding #biodiversity #urbannature #birdphotography #wildlifephotography

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  A Hooded Warbler (aka "Monjita") in Prospect Park, yesterday (4/27), a seasonal migrant, like most wood warblers, but not a common bird in our area. Like most songbirds, this ground foraging warbler is in a decades-long decline, but is not considered endangered. This little guy didn't make it easy to get a clear shot, but, hey, you take what you can get. He was one of my relatively few observations for this weekend's City Nature Challenge. The Challenge ends t...

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  I dare you to stand on one leg on a wet jetty rock amid the crashing surf and scratch your nose. Purple Sandpiper Pt. Lookout, Lido Beach 4/12 #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity

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  Tree Swallows are back up here, and setting up shop, this one taking a break from jostling with rivals and wooing mates, today at the Lido Beach Passive Nature Area, NY #silentsunday #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity

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  Hooded Merganser on 3/19 at Marine Nature Study Area on LI. Note, this is a distressed bird. The erratic and circling movement seen in the video clip posted at the same time as the photo indicate infection with H5N1, Avian Influenza. 😭 #birds #birding #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #H5N1 #AvianFlu

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  Hooded Merganser on 3/19 at Marine Nature Study Area on LI. Note, this is a distressed bird. The erratic and circling movement seen in this video clip indicate infection with H5N1, Avian Influenza. H5N1 is taking a heavy toll n waterfowl and other birds in this area, that on top of a harsh winter in which many starved due to heavy snow cover. Should you encounter birds showing these symptoms, the best course of action would be to contact wildlife conservation personnel. #birds #birding #birdp...

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  When you've been hankering for a good bath this whole lousy winter, you've gotta make a long trip in a couple of weeks, and you finally get a warm-ish day. White Throated Sparrow Hempstead Lake State Park 3/26 #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity

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  You know that spring is here when our two species of Kinglets show up with their non-stop hyperactive acrobatics among the twigs in search of small arthropods. Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Hempstead Lake State Park 3/26 #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity

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  Small (about 5" in length) Field Sparrows are found throughout the eastern half of the U.S. -- nesting in the northern part of that range -- where they prefer open, grassland habitats with some trees. They avoid -- and will not nest near -- human settlements, although some, like this one, may visit during migration. They are uncommon in the NYC/LI area. Field Sparrows are threatened by habitat loss, particularly the expansion of suburbs (such as we are seeing with the last gasps of the...

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  A rather friendly American Crow today at Grant Park, our local recreation spot. Flew in about 30 feet from me and just perched and did some preening. I took a lot of photos and came closer, and they just looked at me, perhaps hoping I had some peanuts. When I left, the Crow left. #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity #corvidae

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  We don't usually see Red-bellied Woodpeckers feeding at the tips of twigs, although feeding behaviors can seasonally vary according to abundance of foods, and this was a very harsh winter for residents. This woodpecker's attention seemed to be focused on this flower bud. In the last shot, you can see the woodpeckers' distinctive barbed tongue, used for extracting larvae from tree-trunks. Hempstead Lake State Park 3/26 #birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlifephotograp...

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  From an "Other 98%" post on fb: "Minneapolis isn’t “responding” to ICE anymore. Minneapolis is organizing to OUTLAST ICE. After weeks of escalated federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, the Twin Cities are doing something the rest of the country keeps saying it wants but rarely builds: an everyday, neighborhood-level infrastructure that makes state violence harder to pull off in silence. Here’s what that infrastructure looks like on the ground: Signal chats t...

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  Beautiful Mallard pair at Marine Nature Study Area yesterday on the first mild day since our extreme winter began. The Mallards were scarfing up birdseed at the feeder, the two making like small dust-busters, only interrupted by occasional playful nips by the male at his bff. #birds #birding #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #Mallards

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  A few more birds during a gorgeous day at the Marine Nature Study Area, on March 10, but very quiet. As though the marsh residents had been shell-shocked by this winter's intense cold and major snow cover. Winter Ducks are moving out, and soon spring migrants will arrive. A day later, Ospreys arrived. #birds #birding #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity #naturephotography #wildlifephotography

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  “Mobilize Everybody”: Minneapolis Organizers Share Lessons From Their Struggle ttps://truthout.org/articles/mobilize-everybody-minneapolis-organizers-share-lessons-from-their-struggle/ #abolishIce #fascism #maga #minneapolis

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  Another Jones Beach, NY bird last Saturday, an unseasonal Piping Plover. They usually don't return from their winter range in parts south until March or April, but in recent years, as the climate has warmed, a rare few have remained up here all winter. This winter that may have posed a problem for pipers lime this one, as the polar vortex brought weeks of intense cold and major snowfalls. Food became scarce. This Plover was out and about foraging on this first mild day in a while, and s...

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  Common Loon at Jones Beach, NY, on 2/28. Symbol of Minnesotan resilience and persistence in the face of ICE repression! #birds #birding #birdphotography #birdsofmastodon #biodiversity #naturephotography #wildlifephotography

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  Some photos of Purple Pipers at Jones Beach, NY, last Saturday (Feb. 28). Unusually there were dozens if not more of these shorebirds present, and not only on their favored rocky habitats, but running around on the beach in multitudes with Sanderlings and Dunlins. I suspect the intense cold and snow storms we've had over the past two months affected their food supply on the jetties, leading them to forage with their cousins. These birds nest in the Arctic tundra and overwinter in our m...

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  From an "Other 98%" post on fb: "Minneapolis isn’t “responding” to ICE anymore. Minneapolis is organizing to OUTLAST ICE. After weeks of escalated federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, the Twin Cities are doing something the rest of the country keeps saying it wants but rarely builds: an everyday, neighborhood-level infrastructure that makes state violence harder to pull off in silence. Here’s what that infrastructure looks like on the ground: Signal chats that spread s...