Week 35 - Green-Wood Cemetery

Here are my observations in Green-Wood Cemetery for the week of August 26th to September 1st. I've tried to be disciplined and post updates every Monday, however the Labor Day holiday this week threw my schedule off a bit. That said, here's what was going on.

Beginning with everyone's favorite songbird family, the warbler status and abundance last week remained about the same. I feel like somewhere to the north of us are massive flocks of colorful songbirds champing at the bit, anxious for north winds to help carry them to their winter grounds. That change would ultimately happen, but I'll save that for next Monday's update.

Last week I tallied 12 species of warbler, with most in the low double-digits to single numbers. Of those birds two were new for me for the fall: Prairie Warbler and Black-throated Green Warbler. The complete list was Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Black-throated Green Warbler.

Black-throated Green Warbler

Flycatchers were still only seen in dribs and drabs. Eastern Wood-Pewee was the most abundant, with a few unidentified empidonax flycatcher species, Least Flycatcher and a single Great Crested Flycatcher.

Empidonax flycatcher "at rest"

Increasing numbers of Northern Flickers continue to migrate through the area, as do a handful of Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers. I've also been seeing a few Green Herons stopping off to rest and fill up on frogs and small fish. With raptor migration beginning I wasn't surprised to see a Bald Eagle heading south over the cemetery on Friday.

Flickers harassing a kestrel

Spotted Sandpiper

Bald Eagle

Green Heron grabbing a bite

A short update on our only Red-tailed Hawk offspring: She has finally learned to hunt and has stopped making that whinny, whistled "feed me" call to her parents. I watched her hunting a squirrel at the Dell Water. The squirrel managed to escape, but only by inches. Her plumage looks good and she appears to be well fed. The first year is always the most difficult for Red-tailed Hawks, but she seems to be off to a good start.

Immature Red-tailed Hawk

Many of the skipper butterfly species have moved from the flowers to laying eggs in long grasses. The Hill of Graves has been particularly active. Monarch butterflies continue to increase and I've been noticing a lot more Red Admirals.

Red Admiral

I've written about the non-native Kousa Dogwood fruit attracting wildlife, now the "American" Flowering Dogwood is starting to fruit adding another much needed food source for southbound birds. In addition, I just noticed a large patch of unidentified viburnum near 35th Street providing a massive amount of berries for the birds. Native Pokeweed is also a magnet for hungry birds. One tree that I was amazed to see attracting birds was the American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana). Unlike the aforementioned, this tree has keys that enclose a very small nut.

Flowering Dogwood fruit

Chinese Fringe Tree fruit

Viburnum sp.

Pokeweed

American Hornbeam

I would remiss if I didn't touch on the oak trees in Green-Wood Cemetery. As I wandered the roads, paths and hillsides last week it was nearly impossible to put my foot down without crunching fallen acorns. It was almost as if all the different species of oaks had a secret agreement on their fruit's ripening date. I say "almost" as I noticed that the Sawtooth Oak's fruit were still developing and wrapped in their cap's long bristles. It took some creativity, but I searched the cemetery's tree database and determined that there are an astounding 55 species of oaks on this 478 acre oasis in Brooklyn. Universally revered, the mighty oak is steeped in mythology and folklore worldwide. Here's a link to one essay about their lore.

Sawtooth Oak acorn

Finally, I discovered an unusual insect that was new to me (but not particularly rare). It is called the Magnolia Leaf-footed Bug (Leptoglossus fulvicornis) and was climbing up the square, blocky bark of a Common Persimmon tree. The location was directly across the road from a towering Cucumber Magnolia tree. Perhaps this magnolia fruit specialist had just finished laying eggs (or eating) and was taking a stroll.

Magnolia Leaf-footed Bug