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r2junot.bsky.social
r2junot
@r2junot.bsky.social
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nyc wildlife
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r2junot.bsky.social
Human, why is the earth so dry?

Eastern Cottontail
9:24pm Tues 1/28
Bunny Hill
Central Park
#addMam
A young brown, gray & white Eastern Cottontail is shown at night on a hill covered w/mostly dry grass, partially illuminated by lamplight. Photo was taken w/low-light settings & no flash was used. This bunny sports a shaggy, winter coat of fur w/distinctive orange-brown highlights common to the continuing Maintenance Meadow family of Central Park. Bunny has taken a moment from foraging to sit up & listen w/tall, twitching ears to a passing snippet of music coming from the nearby East Drive. Like most New Yorkers, juv cottontails are curious thrill-seekers who just want to know what's going on. Bun appears against a blurred, brown background showing the gradual incline of Bunny Hill. I've been watching bunnies on this little hill since 2021 & it's never looked so dry that their agouti fur functions as camouflage.
January 29, 2025 at 11:34 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk seen 3:45pm 1/11 in Carl Schurz Park. This was the first of three days he spent recuperating from injuries on his feet, left leg & lower body, likely inflicted by one of the larger, territorial hawks. He slowly improved & left the park. I miss him. #raptors #birds
A young, light brown & white patterned hawk is shown perching on one foot on a narrow branch, favoring his injured left leg. His head is turned to his right to peer at something interesting in the near distance, one bright orange eye in view. Brown & white streaked head; mostly white breast; patterned brown & white fluffy belly band; barred brown & white tail feathers extending below branch; brown & white wings folded behind. He appears against a grey background accented by brick red from blurred buildings & punctuated by many bare branches. His beak shows blood from his work of tending to his wounds earlier. Signs of his discomfort are countered by his upright, confident pose signaling strength, tenacity & the will to survive.
January 28, 2025 at 6:47 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
House Finch seen at Carl Schurz Park on New Year's Eve 2024. He was part of cute little finch gang visiting the suet feeder by Gracie Mansion & raiding a nearby crabapple tree. #birds
A small, mostly red & brown bird is shown perching on a thin branch w/one foot clutching a delicate twig. He faces us in three-quarter profile meeting our gaze with a look of content, his thick silver beak showing traces of suet. Streaked red & brown head & breast; streaked light & dark brown below & behind. This finch shows against a gray winter background w/rusty highlights created by bare branches. He looks like he's posing for a class picture.
January 28, 2025 at 5:52 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Carl Schurz Park's beloved leucistic House Sparrow known as Grandpa was seen enjoying the snow at 11am on Mon 1/6. He's not elderly & acts more like a friendly sparrow kingpin, roaming the park w/a posse. I've just read that his large black bib signals his status as an older, dominant male. #birds
A puffy male House Sparrow borb is shown holding onto a thin bare stalk in a snowstorm the way a ship's captain might hold onto the mast during a blizzard at sea. He faces us & gazes into the distance (but was actually begging treats which I do not carry). Grandpa is set against a grey background punctuated by another bare stalk. He is grayish underneath & on cheeks per usual but has a bright white cap instead of the standard dull gray one (due to his pigment mutation). The back of his head is rufous but his nape is white. Grandpa's large black bib signals his Daddy status.
January 7, 2025 at 12:43 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Juv Big Blue Darter seen 11:22am Mon 12/23 on my block (UES lower 80s NYC). I'd been out birding all morning & saw this kid on my way home. Temp had climbed to apprx 18° by then & the cold air clashed w/warm air trapped by my lens hood to create wild distortion in the background. #raptors #birds
A young, medium-sized, brown & white hawk is shown perching in a small, bare tree on a city block in bright sunlight. This hawk is small for the breed, so is likely a male. He faces to our left & is visible in profile, if partially obscured. Small head, small hooked beak & one visible yellow eye peering forward. His streaked & barred plumage echoes the staccato pattern of the tree branches. His head, back & long tail blend in w/the tree but his puffed up breast & belly feathers do not. All the birds saw him, basically. The sky-blue windows & red bricks of the building in the background appear wildly distorted, an effect caused by warm air trapped by my lens hood clashing w/the cold air outside. Not unrelated: the hawk's puffed up feathers trap warm air against his body to block the cold. Winter is the best season for viewing raptors who are experts at hiding behind leaves. Seeing raptors like this takes the sting out of cold weather. If I can impart anything in this alt it's the clear, crisp way hawks look on a cold, sunny winter day. Writing alt text helps me see better.
January 5, 2025 at 4:51 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Juv Big Blue Darter seen 2:20pm Sun 12/29/24 in Carl Schurz Park. He's 1 of at least 5 Blue Darters hunting in this park: 4 juvs (2 small/likely male; 2 much larger/likely fem) & 1 adult f. This small but tough kid rarely shows re a larger juv fem chases everyone out. NYC wild life. #raptors #birds
A young, medium-sized, brown & white patterned hawk is shown stretching while perched on a thick, horizontal branch. Small head, one visible yellow eye, small hooked beak. His tail feathers fan out behind him on both sides & his left wing/flight feathers fan out below/ behind the branch. Raptor yoga. So much going on visually. His vertically streaked head & breast & his horizontally barred wing & tail feathers are set off against a hazy golden background punctuated by a few bare branches. The lump aka full crop appearing high on his breast shows that he's eaten recently. My friends & I loved the soft, otherworldly light in which he was bathed on this warm, cloudy day. He stayed till after sunset, cloaked in the shadows that had not yet crept in.
January 4, 2025 at 2:36 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Happy New Year ❤️

Northern Cardinal
Sunday 12/29/24
Carl Schurz Park
NYC
#birds
A small, bright red (male) cardinal is shown perched on a green metal fence post waiting for my friend to grace him w/a blueberry. His mate was nearby. He faces us, cap up, wings folded behind, long tail partially visible below. His one black eye is fixed on me as if to ask: why are you not feeding me too? They say birds can't smile but I could swear I see a smile emerging from his orange-red beak set off against the black square feathers marking his beautiful face. He is set off against the blurred gray wall of the Gracie Mansion grounds & a few blurred green leaves & brown branches of a small tree just behind him. When cardis appear, angels are near.
January 4, 2025 at 12:49 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Did you see the light this morning?
Sometimes there's this extra air
Sometimes I can keep my mouth open
I will stay if I dare.
-Fever Ray "What They Call Us"

[Cont juv Red-tailed Hawk, 12/21, Carl Schurz Park]
#raptors #birds @feverray.music-social.com.ap.brid.gy
A large brown & white hawk is shown through a tangle of bare branches perched in the sunlight against the pale blue sky. The patterned, vertical streaking of her belly band & the horizontal barring of her tail further activate this composition. She faces us w/wings folded behind & gives a curious look without staring directly which is a cool thing hawks do sometimes. She's puffed up her feathers to trap warm air against her body on this cold day. Her full crop (protruding bump on chest) shows that she's resting to digest a recent meal. She's also puffing up her chest to appear formidable to a nearby juv Big Blue Darter (not shown), whose territory begins only a few yards to her right. Later we hung out on the empty b-ball courts & she swooped me low to say hi. [TL;DR: In the days to come, the juv Darter became more aggressive & began to chase this juv RTH all over the park. The next day this juv RTH's head was bleeding but she's been flying well & holding her ground. Keeping watch. Grateful for the quiet time I spent w/her on that snowy day.]
December 29, 2024 at 3:35 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

Cont American Kestrel (L) & cont Northern Mockingbird (R) seen 11am Tues 12/24 by Carl Schurz Park's Hoop Garden. #raptors #birds
Close-up view of a small, adorable falcon sitting on a snow-covered conifer looking right at us. His slate-blue head, rusty cap & white face marked w/ two black slashes show that he's an adult male. Buff lines on the side of his head match his buff breast which is punctuated by black spots. His slate-gray wings are glimpsed folded behind. He looks at us with an impish look - he was being heckled by one of the local mockingbirds. This colorful little hunter stands out against the gray sky over the East River. He left to hunt all over the park but returned to catch a mouse here & when he tried to eat it the same mocker chased him off. This mocker's mate heckles this same Kestrel when he hunts on the park's North Lawn. Medium-sized, gray, brown & white bird with long tail & bright orange eyes shown in full angry librarian mode perched on a snowy conifer while heckling/mobbing a nearby kestrel. Mocker stands tall w/tail pointing out, mid-twitch with head turned partly toward us. Mocker has raised its crest & is flashing the white stripes on its dark gray wings to show combat readiness. Mocker's body has reached defcon 5 puff mode to warn the kestrel that its unbridled wrath will soon become an airborne attack which in fact happened. Day of wrath and doom impending!
December 26, 2024 at 12:06 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Dispute btw 2 Big Blue Darters (adult L/juv R) seen 3-3:15pm Thurs 12/19 at Gracie Mansion in Carl Schurz Park. Juv flew into the mayor's backyard to heckle the adult who responded by knocking her off-perch. Juv fled across the E. River while the adult flew a victory lap overhead. #raptors #birds
A medium-sized brown & white hawk is shown perched on the branch of a London Plane tree, beak wide open while calling responses to a younger aggressor. She faces away from us, but is seen in partial profile. Under her dark cap, her face is orange-brown which IDs her as female. Her visible eye is orange, as are the horizontal bars on her pale breast, all features confirming that she's an adult. Her long, light & dark brown, horizontally barred tail hangs behind her below the perch. Background is grey activated by bare branches & twigs. This photo was taken moments before this powerful darter flew at & slammed into the aggressive juv heckling her close by. I watched them both tumble off the branch out of view & am amazed that both flew off without injury. Young, medium-sized brown & white hawk is shown perched on a branch, facing away w/head turned to the left to reveal profile. This hawk had just flown into the backyard of Gracie Mansion to perch in view of the adult (shown in L photo) who was perched on the Mayor's Lawn. The juv has turned her (?) orange/brown face to look back & heckle the adult - one yellow eye is in view. A bit of the juv's pale belly w/brown streaks is seen, while juv's brown & white patterned back + folded wings and barred, dark+light-brown tail are in full view. The brightly patterned juv is set off against a gray background punctuated by bare branches behind. This photo was taken moments before the adult flew into the mayor's backyard to slam this juv off-perch & out of sight. Seems a miracle that neither sustained injuries.
December 23, 2024 at 1:13 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Continuing male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker seen 2:35pm Wed 12/18 in Carl Schurz Park near East End Ave. The park is full of vocal sapsuckers drilling small sapwells into trees or drinking from them. This guy was enjoying some bug-filled sap while giving nearby birds the side eye. #birds
A medium-sized woodpecker clings to a tree marked by many small, round & rectangular sapwells which he or another sapsucker has drilled. His face is white (& a bit yellow) with black stripes accentuated by a red forehead (shared by males & females) & a red throat (which identifies him as male). True to his name, his belly is mostly yellow with some black & white patterning. His back is black & white w/some yellow & his visible black wing is marked by a long, white stripe. The visually activated patterning of his plumage looks symbiotically connected to the tree's chaotic patterning of sapwells & peeling bark. Where bark has fallen off, the tree is orange, revealing that it's compromised in some way. Sapsuckers love a gooey orange tree. A few bare branches show in the background which is mostly gray, setting off the tree's orange glow & the sapsucker's yellow belly & bright red accents.
December 22, 2024 at 12:46 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Cont juv Big Blue Darter seen 2pm Wed 12/17 in Carl Schurz Park. After resting & preening, she ran through her routine of wing stretches. She & other juv Darters are seen more often now that the territorial Red-tailed Hawk pair who police the park spend more time across the E. River. #raptors #birds
A young, medium-sized, brown & white hawk is shown perched on a horizontal branch facing forward & looking off to her left, bathed in bright sunlight accented by strong shadows. One yellow eye is visible. This hawk is large for its breed, so likely a female. Her head, breast & belly feathers are white w/brown streaking, plumage identifying her as immature. She's been doing wing stretches & is now fanning out her brightly lit, barred tail feathers while holding her wings slightly open & one foot off the branch to maintain balance. She is framed by three fairly thick, bare branches & set off against blue sky activated by smaller bare branches behind.
December 20, 2024 at 11:39 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
White-breasted Nuthatch seen 9:56am Tues 12/17 foraging for insects in an abandoned nest near E End Ave in Carl Schurz Park. Observed from a respectful distance but this acrobatic nuthatch playfully swooped me soon after. #birds
Close view of a small, gray-blue, white & black bird with a long tail & beak clinging upside down at 45 degrees on an abandoned nest with a ladybug in its beak. Seen in profile w/back arched, showing a white belly w/buff accents below and a gray-blue back, wings & tail (the tail has buff accents too). Cap & nape are black. This acrobatic forager is framed by bare branches & tangled twigs from the nest, all set off against a buff background provided by an E End Ave building behind.
December 19, 2024 at 3:31 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Continuing female Red-bellied Woodpecker seen 2:15pm-2:20pm Sat 12/14 near Gracie Mansion in Carl Schurz Park. She's sassy, vocal & holds her own in a park full of cranky woodpeckers, nuthatches & creepers. Best upside-down forager on the UES. #birds
A medium-sized woodpecker is shown taking a brief pause while climbing up/foraging on a large tree trunk. She faces the tree but her profile is in view as she looks off to her right. Medium-length beak. Her head is mostly gray, accented by a red-orange patch above her bill & a red-orange nape, illuminated by a ray of sunlight. Her belly is gray too but her red-orange belly accent is not visible. Her back, wings & tail feathers are black & white, activated by barred patterning which kind of echo the patterning of the tree bark. The background is blurred gray w/a couple of branches. A medium-sized woodpecker is shown upside-down (at a 45 degree angle) clinging to a tree-trunk while she forages in a tree bole. Her profile, one eye & part of her beak are in view. Her head is mostly gray, accented by a red-orange patch above her bill & a red-orange nape. Her back, wings & tail feathers are black & white, activated by barred patterning which kind of echo the patterning of the tree bark. The background is blurred gray w/a couple of branches showing in the near distance.
December 19, 2024 at 2:25 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Two continuing juv Big Blue Darters seen btw 12pm-1pm Tues 12/17. The larger juv (L) flew in from the E River to hunt at Hillside Lawn & the Catbird Playground, then later circled above the smaller juv (R) by Gracie Mansion. Smaller juv scowled, called warnings & displayed vigilance. #raptors #birds
Large, brown & white young hawk is shown perching on a thick branch, facing away from us & looking right. One yellow eye visible. Wings & head patterned brown & white while long tail is horizontally barred brown & dark brown. Hooked beak. Juv is framed by yellow leaves. The juv looks intense, as she is scouting prey. (Large size suggests this is a female). Fairly large, young hawk (smaller than the first) is shown perched on a thick branch of a London Plane tree, engaged in a dramatic wing stretch with left wing & tail feathers fanned out below the branch. These stretches are usually done before hunting, but the lump on his breast shows that he's recently hunted. The larger hawk was circling overhead so this guy is serving samurai readiness. Juv faces forward w/an intense look on his face & is framed by bare branches all around & blue sky behind. Same basic plumage & features as the 1st juv but this one's smaller size suggests that he is a male.
December 18, 2024 at 5:46 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Juv Big Blue Darter seen 9:43am Sun 12/15 at Carl Schurz Park during @nycbirdalliance.bsky.social's 125th Christmas Bird Count. Juv dove moments later. #raptors #birds
Young light & dark brown hawk w/streaked head & hooked beak shown perched on a slightly arched branch, looking to its right & framed by yellow leaves. Its front is marked by vertical streaking & its long, horizontally barred tail extends below the branch. Hawk uses one foot to perch & has tucked the other under its loose belly feathers. One yellow eye is seen fixed on the ground in the near distance. Hawk dove in that direction moments later.
December 17, 2024 at 11:55 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Juv Red-shouldered Hawk spotted & identified at 10:16am on Sun 12/15 by birder Ed Gaillard @edgaillard.bsky.social at Carl Schurz Park's North Lawn. Ty to Ed for co-leading @nycbirdalliance.bsky.social's 125th Christmas Bird Count at CSP on Sun & for his consistent encouragement. #raptors #birds.
Powerful young hawk shown in flight directly overhead, wings outspread. Beautifully patterned light/dark brown underparts: streaked breast, barring on tail/flight feathers w/illuminated crescents leading to darker wing tips; underwing coverts have cool activated pattern that looks kinda calligraphic. Darker brown outer parts not in view. Solid yet compact, barrel chested (genus) buteo body. Feet tucked under lower body in flight. Grateful for this close look at a hawk not often seen in nyc.
December 16, 2024 at 4:59 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Another look at the cont juvenile Red-tailed Hawk seen Sun 12/8 at the E edge of Carl Schurz Park by the Hoop Garden. He seemed fascinated with (and alarmed by) the seagulls flying up & down the E. River. The juv who continued here earlier this fall used to watch seagulls too. #raptors #birds
A young Red-tailed Hawk is shown perching on a thick branch, gazing intently off to his right. He is brown & white with an evenly patterned belly band. This hawk is framed by a mostly brown background punctuated by a bit of green & activated by a wild pattern of partially blurred, criss-crossed branches.
December 12, 2024 at 4:52 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Continuing young Great Blue Heron seen 2:25pm Sun 11/17 at Central Park's Turtle Pond. #birds
Partial, 3/4 profile view of a large, maturing young Great Blue Heron showing its right side: shoulder, part of r wing, long neck (not extended), head, beak & yellow right eye. Plumage is a mix of blue-gray & rusty light brown, typical for juvs. Heron appears against a partially blurred background of yellow reeds at the water's edge.
December 11, 2024 at 1:58 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Continuing juv Red-tailed Hawk seen 1:53pm Sun 12/8 in Carl Schurz Park. He'd just flown off after perching by me for 25 minutes. I chose this image because it reminds me that time spent w/wild creatures is fleeting & precious. #raptors #birds
A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk is shown perching at middle distance on a thick, bare branch against a blurred orange background. The juv is brown & white with light & dark brown tail feathers. Juv is shown looking back at me over his shoulder, while his body faces forward. He'd just flown off after visiting w/me but still looks curious here. His nictitating membrane partially covers his eyes (mid-blink?) which adds to the intensity of his gaze. This juv looks like organic part of this autumnal scene. Due to his small size, I believe this juv is male.
December 10, 2024 at 3:18 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
OG Red-tailed Hawk Ginger seen 3:55pm Sat 12/7 hunting in the Central Park Ramble. She was seen circling high over Belvedere Castle at sunset. ❤️‍🔥 #raptors #birds
A large, female Red-tailed Hawk is shown perching on a branch w/one foot while holding the other foot close to her body. She faces front & looks down to scout prey on the ground. Her dark brown head, white breast streaked w/orange, brown & white belly-band & orange eyes are complimented by framing bare brown branches w/a few orange leaves. This older, beloved hawk appears fiery like the woods at sunset.
December 9, 2024 at 1:59 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Juv Eastern Cottontail seen 6:05pm Sat 12/7 on Central Park's Maintenance Meadow. This juv favors its father's unusually compact profile while most juvs seen here are lankier like their mother. This is my 1st low-light photo taken on the meadow away from lamp posts. 300mm, 1.6s at f/2.8, ISO 800.
A cute young Eastern Cottontail shown standing on its stubby little legs out on a green meadow, framed between a blurred, brown-orange autumnal background & foreground. The bunny has paused its frantic foraging to look up & listen for danger. This photo was taken without flash in the dark so the bunny's eyes are dilated, adding to the intensity of its expression. The bunny's mouth shows that it's chewing on grass.
December 8, 2024 at 3:52 AM
r2junot.bsky.social
Juv Red-tailed Hawk (L) + cont Northern Mockingbird (R) seen before sunset Fri 12/6 by Carl Schurz Park's Hoop Garden. Not the same juv often seen prev (who was being evicted by the cont adult RTH pair). This mocker waits every sunset to mob the adult male but mobbed the juv instead. #birds #raptors
Light brown & white juvenile (1st year) Red-tailed Hawk perched on the flimsy branches of a bare tree which is a classic juvie RTH move. While dispersing from their nest area, juvs test limits like middle-schoolers & will do stuff like hang upside down just for fun. This juv did not have a full crop (no lump on upper chest evidencing a recent meal) but was playing more than hunting till sunset. Medium-sized gray & white bird with slightly buffy breast & bright orange eye trained intently on a nearby juv Red-tailed Hawk. This is one of two continuing Northern Mockingbirds who often fly & perch close to much larger raptors to try & chase them off. This one always waits on this very tee at the E River Esplanade above the Hoop Garden to mob the continuing male Red-tailed Hawk so was ready for the juvie.
December 7, 2024 at 2:21 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
It's way better at Bluesky.

#birds #shovelers @bsky.app
Northern Shovelers seen swimming from a circling group shrouded in darkness (symbolizing the cesspool of disinfo & hate speech that is X) over to a circling group illuminated by sunlight (symbolizing the haven of kindness & fair-minded discourse that is Bluesky). When Shovelers circle together like this they maximize food availability so the entire community can thrive. Seen recently on Central Park's Turtle Pond.
December 6, 2024 at 12:46 PM
r2junot.bsky.social
Cont Great Horned Owl seen Saturday 11/30 in Central Park. Thanks to Bruce Yolton for showing me this GHO which he found by tracking sign (whitewash). #raptors #birds #owls #birdphotography #urbanwildlife
December 4, 2024 at 6:33 AM