Week 24 - Green-Wood Cemetery

The early breeding bird species, such as robins, grackles and starlings, have finished at the nest and are mostly trying to teach their fledglings independence. Our young Red-tailed Hawk fledged last week, but remains in the general vicity of the nest tree. It will continue to periodically return to the nest to ask for food for another week or two. Meanwhile, several other species are still feeding tiny chicks or incubating eggs.

Fledgling Red-tailed Hawk

The Sunset Park Common Raven pair now have some very vocal offspring and have started leading them into the cemetery to teach them how to forage (or raid bird nests).

Common Raven family

There is at least one pair of Northern Flicker nesting in Green-Wood Cemetery. I hope to take some decent photos for next week's summary.

Northern Flicker

I've confirmed that the Great Crested Flycatcher nest has chicks as one of the parents was seen carrying a fecal sac from the nest.

Great Crested Flycatcher removing waste from nest

Here are some occupied nests from my weekend "Birding in Peace" walk. We also watched the activity at a Baltimore Oriole nest, I just didn't take any decent photos of it.

Warbling Vireo feeding chick

Red-bellied Woodpecker delivering food to nest

American Goldfinch on nest

Cedar Waxwing on nest

Mourning Dove on nest. Likely 2nd or 3rd brood

Northern Mockingbird chicks

Eastern Kingbird on nest

Some standout botanics from last week.

Tiger Swallowtail feeding of Privet flowers

Orange Daylily

Coreopsis, yarrow, beardtongue & Black-eyed Susan

Finally, the fruiting catkins of the Japanese hornbeam along the edge of Sylvan Water looks very much like something one would use in beer making. I wouldn't recommend it, however.

Japanese hornbeam (Carpinus japonica)