Forgive my late posting, I was distracted by New York Mets post-season excitement. That said...
We just finished week 40 at Green-Wood Cemetery, which means we are a little over 3/4 of the way through 2024. Here are a few of my observations from last week.
Diversity and abundance of sparrows has steadily increased, with many more Swamp, White-throated and Chipping Sparrows arriving. I've also heard and seen a few Eastern Towhees. Indigo Buntings have been in the area and I spotted my first Fall Blue Grosbeak.
|
Eastern Towhee
|
|
Song Sparrow
|
|
Swamp Sparrow
|
|
Indigo Bunting
|
|
Blue Grosbeak
|
As the days become shorter and the temperatures drop less insects become available for warblers to eat. More seed eating species arrive and the insectivores depart. There were still a few warbler species around, and the only species that increased in abundance were the hardier Yellow-rumped and Palm Warbler. In addition, the diminutive Ruby-crowned Kinglet is suddenly plentiful.
|
Yellow-rumped Warbler
|
|
Palm Warbler
|
|
Blackpoll Warbler
|
|
Cape May Warbler
|
|
Pine Warbler
|
|
Bay-breasted Warbler
|
|
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
|
Brown Creepers have arrived and will be seen through much of the winter. Veery and Swainson's Thrush have left the area and have been replaced by the hardier Hermit Thrush. A small number of the Hermit Thrushes will actually stay the winter. Eastern Phoebes have also increased in number, but will head south once the weather gets colder. I was surprised to see a Marsh Wren foraging at the wildflower meadow. As the name suggests, they are primarily found in wetland habitats.
|
Brown Creeper
|
|
Hermit Thrush
|
|
Eastern Phoebe
|
|
Marsh Wren
|
The cycle of fruiting plants and the animals that eat them continues to evolve with the season. The last of the fruiting dogwoods have been exhausted but the two Winged Euonymus trees in the cemetery are still feeding the hungry birds. Some of the crabapple are the focus of the birds and, in coming weeks, they will switch over to the Green Hawthorns.
|
Red-bellied Woodpecker
|
|
Northern Flicker
|
|
Scarlet Tanager
|
|
Red-eyed Vireo
|
|
Gray Catbird
|
|
Green Hawthorn
|
|
Crabapple |
Raptors are heading south, with some stopping off at Green-Wood Cemetery to spend the winter. At least one Cooper's Hawk has been hunting pigeons around the periphery of the cemetery. I've spotted several Bald Eagles passing overhead and a few Turkey Vutures. Merlins are on the move with Green-Wood being a favorite stop off. We usually see one or two overwintering here.
|
Bald Eagle
|
|
Turkey Vulture
|
We've seen the last of most species of butterfly, but I still encountered at least a few Monarchs heading south.
|
Monarch butterfly
|
There was still a profusion of asters, Goldenrod, Boneset, White Snakeroot and other wildflower in bloom.
|
Assorted wildflower behind chapel
|
|
White Wood-Asters
|
|
Smooth Blue Aster
|
Finally, two trees that were flaunting their fruits were American Chestnut and Blue Atlas Cedar.
|
American Chestnut
|
|
Blue Atlas Cedar
|
No comments:
Post a Comment