I was walking in Brooklyn Bridge Park last week, descending the north-most path in the water gardens. I heard plop plop. Two ducks had slipped from the little bridge into the water. They were two of three almost fully-grown immature mallard ducks with an adult female. They all looked at me for a moment, then […]
Author: Julie Feinstein
I am a Collection Manager at the American Museum of Natural History, an author, and a photographer. I live in New York City. I recently published my first popular science book, Field Guide to Urban Wildlife, an illustrated collection of natural history essays about common animals. I update my blog, Urban Wildlife Guide, every Sunday.
Eastern Towhee
I always hear towhees before I see them. In spring, males sit conspicuously in treetops singing what birdwatchers think sounds like: “Drink your teeeeeeee!” The first note is sharp and the last is a musical trill. Click here to watch and listen to a towhee singing the famous towhee song. Or I hear them scratching […]
Cicadas !
I walked through a large swarm of cicadas today in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. Everywhere I looked, cicadas were flying from perch to perch in the trees. Plants were covered with them, or with their empty skins. Their whirring chirping songs were as loud as New York City traffic on Broadway at rush […]
Baby Robin !
Last week I found a robin‘s nest in the garden behind my home in Brooklyn. The nest was placed under a lamp, where it was sheltered from rain, heated from the light at night, and supported on a sturdy pole. Clever! I tiptoed out after dark and found a vigilant parent motionless on the edge […]
Common Grackle
The common grackle looks uniformly black from a distance, but when you get closer, and especially in the sunlight, you can see its glossy purple head and iridescent bronze back. Grackles are common in New York City. Grackles forage in low bushes or on the ground for insects, seeds, and fruit. They sometimes show up […]
Twig-Mimic Caterpillar
I was walking on the path that circles Pakim Pond in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in New Jersey last week. I walked into a gossamer thread that I thought was a spider web. I turned out to be a caterpillar’s silken support line. I looked down and saw a “twig” sticking out of […]
Snapping Turtle!
I saw this big snapping turtle sunning himself on the shore of The Reservoir in Central Park on one of the first warm sunny days of the year last week. The snapping turtle is New York’s official state reptile. Big ones can grow to around 18 inches long and weigh about 35 pounds. Wild snappers […]