Best of the Fortnight

Here's are some of my favorite photos from the first two weeks of August.

Primrose Moth

Ailanthus Webworm Moth on Butterfly Weed

Puddle and Sky

Black-and-White Warbler

Female Zabulon Skipper

Monarch Butterfly

Golden Northern Bumblebee

Spicebush Swallowtail

Louisiana Waterthrush

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Wandering Glider

Zabulon Skipper

Wood Thrush

Ovenbird

Common Snapping Turtle

Week 32 - Green-Wood Cemetery

Week 32 saw another stretch of rainy days (with ocassional thunderstorms), which limited my time exploring the cemetery. I did manage to get out a few times, so have some observation from August 5th through the 11th.

Starting with the birds, I've noticed some of the locally breeding species are growing up an heading out on their own. Immature Chipping Sparrows are forming small flocks and foraging together. On Saturday I stumbled on a fairly large flock in the grass along Lawn Avenue. It was interesting to note that there were only two adult sparrows within a flock of about 20 individuals.

Immature Chipping Sparrows

Young Brown-headed Cowbirds were also seen forming flocks. Cowbirds are raised by other species and are typically seen being fed by their surrogate parents shortly after fledging. As teenagers, it appears that they now recognize other Brown-headed Cowbirds and are flocking together.

Immature Brown-headed Cowbird

Another immature species I've been seeing more frequently is Great Blue Heron. Locally they nest on islands in and around New York Harbor. There have been 2 to 4 young Great Blues, as well as, an immature Black-crowned Night-Heron fishing around the cemetery of late.

Immature Great Blue Heron

I missed the window for seeing Brown Thrasher chicks this year, but have been seeing a few immature individuals striking out on their own.

Young Brown Thrasher

An immature Cooper's Hawk has been terrorizing the birds around the cemetery. I don't know if this is an individual that was hatched locally or just an early migrant from farther north.

Immature Cooper's Hawk

The only change in south-bound migrants that I noticed last week was an increase in Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Black-and-white Warblers. The latter seen in greater abundance.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Black-and-white Warbler

I also stumbled on an Ovenbird in the dark understory of Pine Hill. This warbler, which seems to prefer walking to flying, is usually seen a bit later in the migration. Guess he's in a hurry to get to Central American.

Ovenbird

In the world of lepidoptera, Fiery Skippers were seen in greater abundance, but just barely. I discovered what I thought were butterfly eggs on a Dogbane leaf at Winter Walk. A little research (and scanning recent photos) revealed them to be Dogbane Tiger Moth eggs. This incredible moth is unique in that it can mimic the clicks of bats to avoid becoming dinner. Another moth that is fairly common, but I've never seen in Green-Wood Cemetery, is the Primrose Moth. I finally found one last week trying to stay camouflaged within a Primrose flower.

Dogbane Tiger Moth eggs

Dogbane Tiger Moth

Primrose Moth

I photographed two flowering plants last week that I still haven't identified. One is a grass, the other is a small ground cover. If you know, just post it in the comments. Thanks.

Bluestem grass sp. (?)

Thymus sp. (?)

One of my all time favorite trees is dropping ripe fruit now. Just don't stand under it. The Black Walnut's fruit doesn't look like what one might expect. In addition, they have a wonderful, citrus-like aroma. The squirrels love them and you can hear them from yards away as they gnaw through the nearly indestructible shell.

Black Walnuts

All the rain this week stimulated some fungi to emerge. My mushroom identification skills are seriously lacking, so if you feel like adding an ID in the comments, I'd be much obliged.

Chicken of the Woods

?

?

?

Finally, here are a couple of insects that caught my attention last week. The first is what I would have called a Daddy-Long-legs Spider, but now I'm not so sure, as that name has been used for several different species. Possibly best to just call it a Pholcidae species. There were lots of them hatching out along the edges of windows and doorways of several mausoleums. The second is a tiny wasp spotted by Jim on my walk yesterday. To give you an idea how tiny it is, whenever I'd look away, then look back, I'd think it flew off. I'm guessing it was about 10mm in length. The "stinger" is actually an ovipositor for depositing its eggs. Some wasps use the long, narrow ovipositor to place their eggs deep within rotting wood. This individual was hanging out on a pile of cut tree trunks. The best I've been able to ascertain is that it is a type of Braconid Wasp, of which there are thousands of species.

Unidentified Spider

Braconid Wasp sp.

Upcoming Trips

Below are the birding/nature trips from Saturday, August 17 - Sunday, August 18, 2024:

Gateway National Parks

Birding for Beginners at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Every week on Sunday, August 04, 2024 to August 25, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
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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Great South Bay Audubon Society

Jamaica Bay Nature Walk
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 8:00am - 10:00am
Leader: Mike Cooper, John Gluth
Description: Please join us as we head out to Jamaica Bay for an early morning adventure.
Registration: __________
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NYC Bird Alliance

Governors Island Birds & Bees Tour
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Leader: NYC Bird Alliance and The Bee Conservancy
Description: The Bee Conservancy has established a Bee Santuary on Governors Island, complete with native flower beds, honey bee hives, and native bee homes. In additiion to bees, nearly 240 bird species have been spotted on Governors Island, which provides excellent habitat all year round.
Registration: No registration required. Free.
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Accessible Birding in Carl Schurz Park
Saturday, August 17, 2024, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Leader: Alex Wang
Description: Found in the Upper East Side, Carl Schurz Park is a picturesque green space, with promenades, lawns, and peaceful sitting areas. Located right on the coast of the East River, this park offers beautiful sights and sounds of waterbirds. Warblers, sparrows, raptors, and more also use this park as a stopover during migration.
Registration: Registration page
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Birding by Boat with the Bronx River Alliance
NEW DATE: Sunday, August 18, 2024, 9:00am - 12:00pm
Leader: _____
Description: Join NYC Bird Alliance (formerly NYC Audubon) and the Bronx River Alliance for a special birding by boat event! This guided tour takes paddlers through the lower saltwater portion of the Bronx River (to the river mouth and back), featuring a duality of estuarine and urban habitat. While on the way we will get the chance to look at a wide variety of shorebirds, as well as other wildlife. Binoculars and other equipment will be provided.
Registration: Registration page
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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods

Southern LaTourette Trails
Sunday, August 18, 2024, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Leader: Don Recklies
Description: We’ll meet at the entrance to the “bike path” beside the old Saint Andrew’s Church (at the Old Mill Road and Richmond Hill Road).  We will make a loop following the trail downhill and left of the bike path, returning by the Blue Trail uphill of the bike path. (Note that there is a steep downhill on the return to the parking lot.)  The low trail is unique: some ruins, a pine grove, views of Brookfield Park across Richmond Marsh. Boots and tick spray are advised, and since this is still summer, bring water! Inclement weather, but not a light drizzle, will cancel this walk.
Registration: For information call Don Recklies at (718) 768-9036.
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Queens County Bird Club

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Sunday, August 18, 2024, 7:45am - 12:15pm
Leader: Eric Miller (917) 279-7530
Description: This is expected to be a "mini trip" covering Jamaica National Wildlife Refuge, both East and West Ponds, and perhaps other nearby hotspots.
Registration: Please confirm with trip leader whether packing a lunch is necessary.
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South Shore Audubon Society

Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Leader: Members of SSAS
Description: From the Meadowbrook Parkway, use the Merrick Road M9 east exit. Enter the Department of Sanitation entrance immediately on right (if you’re driving west on Merrick Road, make a U-turn after Central Boulevard and before the Meadowbrook Parkway). Look for signs to Levy Park and Preserve parking lot.
Registration: Registration is required by calling Joe Landesberg at 516-467-9498
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Week 31 - Green-Wood Cemetery

Week 31 in Green-Wood Cemetery felt like the first real doldrums period of the year. Much of that seasonal stagnation can be blamed on some excessively oppressive heat and humidity over the past 7 days. Due to those conditions, I needed to get out early, spend only a couple of hours exploring, then return to my airconditioned home. Normally I don't mind the summer heat, but to put this in perspective, there have been public heath alerts nearly daily regarding heat and air quality. That said, here are some of my observations from July 29th through August 4th.

Until we see some fairly consistent North winds, the southbound birds have merely been trickling into the area. I spotted my first returning Eastern Phoebe of the season early in the week. It was still in the vicinity of the Hill of Graves as of Saturday. The only warblers I saw were Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler. The black-and-white being the first I've seen so far this "fall". There are still a few noticeably young birds in the cemetery with several catbirds and Chipping Sparrows still relying on their parent's assistance. In addition, it appears that the Red-tailed Hawk parents have completely cutoff the free food supply to their offspring as I heard it whinning everytime I visited Green-Wood. On Friday it was particularly upset as a family of American Kestrels relentlessly harassed it.

Eastern Phoebe

Solitary Sandpiper

Juvenile Gray Catbird

Louisiana Waterthrush

Northern Waterthrush

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel

Mouse Garlic, Rough Blazing Star and Feverfew were in full bloom and attracting a lot of pollinators. The garlic at Cedar Dell was incredibly active with butterflies (mostly skippers), bees and wasps feeding on its abundant nectar.

Mouse Garlic (Allium angulosum 'Summer Beauty')

Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera)

Feverfew (Parthenium integrifolium)

Butterfly diversity and abundance continued to increase with a couple of first seasonal sightings for me. Monarchs continue to decline with the eastern butterflies seeing their second worse year yet. If you'd like to help the plight of this amazing species, I recommend starting here.

Monarch

Tawny-edged Skipper

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Eastern Tailed Blue

Spicebush Swallowtail

Fiery Skipper

Still seeing lots of dragonflies, many migrating, a few mating and ovapositing on the ponds. There was a large uptick in both Spot-winged Gliders and Wandering Gliders, but by the end of the week many seemed to have moved on.

Wandering Glider

A favorite bee, the Golden Northern Bumblebee, is suddenly being seen in greater numbers, especially at the Mouse Garlic. I like this bee because it reminds me of a tiny teddy bear.

Golden Northern Bumblebee

The increase in the number of small skipper butterflies, as well as, other minuscule pollinators has been a windfall for some of the predatory species. Two that I observed last week were the Robber Fly and Hump-backed Beewolf.

Robber Fly with prey

Hump-backed Beewolf

One insect I wasn't happy to see was Japanese Beetle. This species of scarab beetle is introduced in North American and has few natural predators. I've been seeing them primarily on the primrose plants, where they will devastate the leaves. Thankfully, some birds will eat them and they are also preyed upon by Robber Flies and some spiders.

Japanese Beetle

We found a deceased cicada along Central Avenue during my walk yesterday. It's either a Linne's Cicada or Dog Day Cicada. From what I've read, the two species are extremely difficult to tell apart visually. Like some bird species, however, it's very easy to separate them by their songs. Check out this great website on cicada songs (and other insects) by Lang Elliotte and Wil Hershberger.

Linne's or Dog Day Cicada

I had a couple of interesting tree observations last week. The first is regarding the Katsura tree. In the fall, as its leaves begin to turn, it releases maltol into the air. To my nose, it smell like caramelizing sugar or cotton candy. It may only be the Dog Days of summer, but as I walked down Central Avenue last week I was suddenly hit with that amazing aroma. I quickly located the tree (only one Katsura at that spot) and stood downwind getting drunk on the sugary fumes. I don't know why it would be emitting maltol now, but if you are in the vicinity of Central Avenue, between Vale and Myrtle Paths, check it out. The second observation was of a pair of blooming Franklin Trees near Twilight Dell. Extinct in the wild, this native tree from Georgia now only exists as an ornamental. Check it out before it drops its flowers.

Katsura tree

Franklin Tree

There have been many inky cap mushrooms sprouting up around Green-Wood, possibly because of all the damp weather. Last week I watched a Chicken of the Woods blossoming at the base of a Red Oak along Oak-Leaf Avenue. Curious to see how large it gets over this week.

Chicken of the Woods

Finally, here are the fruiting plants I noticed last week:

Southern Magnolia

Elderberry

Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Blackberry

Upcoming Trips

Below are the birding/nature trips from Saturday, August 10 - Sunday, August 11, 2024:

Brooklyn Bird Club

Southward Shorebirds on the move: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Leader: Tom Stephenson
Description: The early wave of shorebirds and water birds, marsh species.
Registration: Peter Dorosh, email Prosbird@gmail.com or Prosbird@aol.com.
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Freshkills Park Alliance

Wings Over Water Walk
Sunday, August 11, 2024, 10:00am
Leader: Rangers
Description: The Freshkills Park Alliance invites you to learn about our winged friends who love the water! On this guided walk, we will be on the lookout for different winged creatures at Freshkills Park, which include osprey, egrets, herons, dragonflies, and more. Join us in learning about various wetland species, the threats wetlands face, the importance of wetlands to our world, and how we can protect them.
Registration: Registration page
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Gateway National Parks

Birding for Beginners at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Every week on Sunday, August 04, 2024 to August 25, 2024, 10:00am — 11:30am
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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Green-Wood Cemetery

Birding in Peace
Sunday, August 11, 2024, 6:00am - 7:30am
Description: Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful early morning walking tours to discover the many birds that make Green-Wood their home—at least temporarily. In July we should see the offspring of our resident red-tailed hawk bravely preparing to leave the nest. Warbler songs will be replaced by chirring cicadas and the tweets of fledgling birds. Butterflies and dragonflies are abundant. By late-July, expect the arrival of the first southbound migrants.
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NYC Bird Alliance

Governors Island Bird Tour
Saturday, August 10, 2024, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Leader: _____
Description: Nearly 240 bird species have been spotted on Governors Island, which provides excellent habitat all year round. Whether you’re an expert birder or a beginner, these tours will help you discover all of the birdlife the island has to offer. Binoculars are available to borrow.
Registration: No registration required. Free.
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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods

Dragonfly Talk and Walk
Sunday, August 11, 2024, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Leader: Paul Lederer
Description: Join naturalist Paul Lederer and explore the lives of dragonflies, insects that have inhabited our planet millions of years before dinosaurs walked the earth. Paul will discuss the biology, life histories, and identification of these creatures of wonder and then conduct a “dragonfly safari” to the shores of Lake Ohrbach.
Registration: Spots are limited so call Paul Lederer at (718) 354-9200 to confirm your registration.
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Urban Park Rangers

Sunday, August 11, 2024
Birding: Raptors at Freshkills North Park Entrance (in Freshkills Park), Staten Island
11:00am – 12:00pm
Join the Urban Park Rangers as we explore Freshkills’ marshy ecosystem and determine what kind of raptors make it their home.
Free

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