Check out my Green-Wood sponsored tours on their calendar pages here. You can also find me on Bluesky here
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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Best of the Fortnight (extended edition)

It has been a while since my last fortnight posting, so decided to make this a double. Went out of town, so some of the pics are not from NYC and vicinity. Enjoy:

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Fledgling Red-tailed Hawk & stranger

Nestling Red-tailed & mom

First summer Glaucous Gull

Common Tern

Fledgling Northern Mockingbird

Osprey with fish

Fledgling Eastern House Wren

Immature Chipping Sparrow

Nestling Red-tailed Hawk

Nestling Red-tailed Hawks sharing food

Young Groundhogs

Bald Eagle calling

Kestrel & flicker conflict

Eastern Bluebird

Field Sparrow

Blue Grosbeak

Pipevine Swallowtail on teasel

Turkey Vulture

Nestling Red-tailed Hawks

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Screaming Immature Red-tailed Hawk

Fledgling Bald Eagle

Red-tailed Hawk

Nestling Red-tailed Hawks

Fledgling Northern Mockingbird

Laughing Gull

Osprey on Parachute Jump

Red-tailed Hawks ready to fledge

Eastern House Wren calling

Monday, June 29, 2026

Upcoming Trips

Below are the birding/nature trips from Saturday, July 4 - Sunday, July 5, 2026:

Green-Wood Cemetery

Birding in Peace
Sunday, July 5, 2026, 6:00am – 7:30pm
Description: Before our gates open to the public, this early morning walking tour provides special access to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home, some temporarily. Throughout the season, you’ll witness an ever-changing display of wildlife. April brings pine warblers, woodpeckers, and thousands of migrating songbirds among the blooming magnolias and dogwoods, while herons gather at the glacial ponds. May and early June offer peak birding with over 163 species passing through, including ruby-throated hummingbirds and wood warblers. Summer sees young red-tailed hawks taking flight, along with abundant butterflies and dragonflies. By late July, the first migratory birds begin their journey south.
View Details


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Linnaean Society of New York

Staten Island, Purple Martins Plus
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Leader: Seth Wollney
Description: On this summer trip to Staten Island, we will visit several areas with nesting birds, which may include Bank Swallows at Great Kills Park, Purple Martins at Lemon Creek, and possible Clapper Rails, Little Blue Herons, and other marsh birds at Oakwood Beach Tidal Marsh. Another possible park is Mount Loretto Unique Area for nesting Bald Eagles, plus Willow Flycatchers, Orchard Orioles and Indigo Buntings. There will also be opportunities to observe a variety of butterflies and odonates.
Registration: Lisa Kroop — lisakroop2@gmail.com
View Details


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Urban Park Rangers

Sunday, July 5, 2026
Birding: Beginner Birding at 165th Street and Edgecombe Avenue (in Highbridge Park), Manhattan
1:00pm–2:30pm
Learn a new skill and take up a new hobby as we help you identify some of the most common birds found in our parks.
Free
...Read more

Best of the Fortnight

Here are my best photos taken during the second two weeks of June 2026. Let me know in the comments if you like them.

Monk Parakeet

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Italian Wall Lizard

Baltimore Oriole feeding nestling

Magnolia Warbler

Northern House Wren fledglings

Eastern Tailed Blue

Red-tailed Hawk chicks

Brown Thrasher with food for young

Red-tailed Hawk fledgling

Young Bald Eagle

Young Striped Skunk

Coneflower Mining Bee

Bumblebee on Mountain Mint

Fledgling Mourning Dove

Cedar Waxwing chick in need of rescue

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Upcoming Trips

Below are the birding/nature trips from Saturday, June 27 - Sunday, June 28, 2026:

Gateway National Parks
Birding for Beginners at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Saturday, June 27, 2026, 2:00pm — 3:30pm
Leader: Park Rangers
Description: Interested in birds, but feel intimidated about getting into birding? No problem, this is birding for beginners! Together we will take a nature walk, talk about what makes Jamaica Bay such a great place for birds, and give you the tools to learn the basics of bird identification and appreciation. Bug spray and sunscreen are recommended, binoculars available.
Registration: Reservation or Registration: No
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"Ranger's Choice" Guided Walk at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Every week on Sunday at 10:30 AM from June 07, 2026 to June 28, 2026
Leader: Park Rangers
Description: Join us for a park ranger-led program highlighting the nature and history of Jamaica Bay. For more information about a week's tour, call the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 718-318-4340.
Registration: Reservation or Registration: No
View Details

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Green-Wood Cemetery

Birding in Peace
Sunday, June 28, 2026, 6:00am – 7:30pm
Description: Before our gates open to the public, this early morning walking tour provides special access to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home, some temporarily. Throughout the season, you’ll witness an ever-changing display of wildlife. April brings pine warblers, woodpeckers, and thousands of migrating songbirds among the blooming magnolias and dogwoods, while herons gather at the glacial ponds. May and early June offer peak birding with over 163 species passing through, including ruby-throated hummingbirds and wood warblers. Summer sees young red-tailed hawks taking flight, along with abundant butterflies and dragonflies. By late July, the first migratory birds begin their journey south.
View Details

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Hudson River Audubon Society

Nickerson Beach, Lido Beach NY
Sunday, June 28, 2026, 7:00am
Leader: Michael Bochnik
Description: Look for nesting Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher and Black Skimmer.
Registration: bochnikm@cs.com
View Details

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society

Caumsett State Park - Huntington, NY
Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 7:00am
Leader: Roxana
Description: Join Roxana from the Huntington Oyster Bay Audubon Society for a guided morning bird walk at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve. The bird walk will run approximately 1.5 hours. All ages and birding skill levels are welcome! Please bring binoculars if you have them.
Registration: Registration page
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"Birds & Bugs" at the Cranberry Bog Nature Preserve
Sunday, June 28, 2026 - 9:00am
Leader: Dr. Coby Klein
Description: This former cranberry farm in Riverhead is now home to a variety of rare plant and insect species that can be found on Long Island only in the Pine Barrens.
Registration: Call Dr. Coby Klein 585-880-0915 to register in advance.
View Details

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NYC Bird Alliance

Birding in Midtown Esplanade
Saturday, June 27, 2026, 10:00 am — 11:30am
Leader: EsplanadeFriends
Description: Join NYC Bird Alliance and EsplanadeFriends to discover the Esplanade and its adjacent green spaces. Expect to see many water birds right off the coast.
Registration: Registration page
View Details

Governors Island Bird Tour
Saturday, June 27, 2026, 2:15pm — 3:45pm
Leader: _____
Description: Did you know that nearly 240 bird species have been spotted on Governors Island? Whether you’re an expert birder or a beginner, these tours will help you discover what makes this island an excellent place for birding.
Registration: Registration page
View Details

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Urban Park Rangers

Saturday, June 27, 2026
Summer on the Hudson: Birding Tour at 116th Street and Riverside Drive (in Riverside Park), Manhattan
8:00am–10:00am
Monthly walks through birding hotspots in Riverside Park, led by Riverside Park Conservancy Field Staff.
Free

...Read more

Monday, June 15, 2026

Best of the Fortnight

Here are my personal favorites taken during the first two weeks of June 2026. Comment always appreciated.

Female Blackburnian Warbler

Ruby-throated Hummingbird on nest

Bald Eagle yelling at me

Groundhog peeking

Gray Squirrel napping

Turkey Vulture molting

Pollock-like pond surface

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Red-bellied Woodpecker bringing food to nest

Great Crested Flycatcher calling

Red-tailed Hawk lifting off

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Kestrel harassing Red-tailed Hawk

Northern House Wren at nest