Week 51 - Green-Wood Cemetery

The second to last week of 2024 the weather pivoted into what I remember as a child as being "real" winter. As Saturday's winter solstice approached, the temperature rapidly declined, the winds soared and Friday evening into Saturday morning saw our first snowstorm of the year. We've arrived at that point in the year where the local wildlife must be astute (or lucky) enough to avoid two perils: starvation and becoming prey to someone else trying to avoid starvation.

Gusting wind on the Hill of Graves

The Dark-eyed Junco's scientific name means "junco of winter". Appropriately, they are one of our most common winter visitors. Able to both find seeds and small insects in the leaf litter, or catch spillage beneath local bird feeders, these birds are survivors where other species might fail. In the cemetery, they currently outnumber the Chipping, White-throated, Fox, Song and Swamp Sparrows...by a wide margin. Our young Red-headed Woodpecker is surviving by stockpiling huge amounts of acorns in several, preferred horsechestnut trees. I've also been watching our "feeder" birds caching excess seeds in the flaky bark of a stand of River Birches adjacent to Sylvan Water. I knew they were carrying the seeds somewhere, but didn't realize their preference for this tree species until I stumbled on a group of birds here. The robins have mostly cleaned out the berries on the previously noted American Holly trees on Forest Avenue. Last week they were picking through the rotting fruit beneath the Common Persimmons on Alder Avenue.

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-headed Woodpecker caching acorn

Red-breasted Nuthatch caching seed in River Birch

Red-breasted Nuthatch caching seed in River Birch

Robins picking through persimmons

The water on most of the ponds have remained open, allowing waterfowl to stick around. A lone American Coot is still feeding on aquatic vegetation at Sylvan Water. A Bufflehead has been keeping him company. I expect to see other ducks and geese visiting this largest body of water in the cemetery throughout the winter.

American Coot

Bufflehead

To my amazement, a late Eastern Phoebe has managed to survive the snow and plummeting temperatures. I found it foraging for insects in the sunny leeward side of Chapel Hill between some Hemlocks and Cedars. It appeared to be finding enough to eat in that spot. I returned there over an hour later and it was still flycatching.

Eastern Phoebe

There are at least seven species of birds of prey hunting around the cemetery. A pair of Red-shouldered Hawks are fairly uncommon over the winter, but seemed to be finding enough to eat to stick around. If you look under the cover of yew trees or other dense shrubs and you will likely find the plucked evidence of one of these raptor's meals.

Pigeon feathers

Red-tailed Hawk with mouse

Red-shouldered Hawk

Have a happy holiday and look for my final 2024 Green-Wood Cemetery posting next week.