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Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Autumn Brings Birds of Prey

Posted in Wildlife on November 14 2013, by Matt Newman

KestrelOur Fall Forest Weekends may have passed for another year, but we can still show some appreciation for the Forest denizens that make homes and hunting grounds among our many trees. This past Saturday and Sunday, Visitor Services Attendant Pat Gonzalez was again on hand during our Live Birds of Prey demonstration to soak up some knowledge and snap a few pictures. The results went straight into this slideshow of owls, hawks, falcons, and other raptors found in our neck of the woods.

The birds were brought in for a visit by the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center, where many of them live as rehabilitated rescues that are no longer capable of surviving in the wild. But that hasn’t cramped their regal style any, as you’ll see below.

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Fall Forest Weekends: Raptors on the Wing

Posted in Around the Garden on November 4 2013, by Matt Newman

Great-horned OwlBig, small, fierce, or cute, the birds of prey that live out their lives in the northeast are an uncommon cadre of sharp-eyed hunters, though seldom seen by your average park wanderer. Here in the New York Botanical Garden, our most popular visitors are definitely the Red-tailed Hawks that patrol the skies around our grounds, as well as the occasional Great-horned Owl, but the many local species that you might not always see are equally fascinating! And I admit they’re also pretty adorable if you’re not a squirrel or a chipmunk.

As part of our Fall Forest Weekends events and activities, which kicked off this past weekend and run through the next, our friends from the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center stopped off at the Garden with a few clever companions in tow, among them an American Kestrel, an Eastern Screech Owl, and a Barred Owl—some of which you can see hunting around our grounds if you’re lucky. Many of the birds in the Audubon Center’s care are rescues, brought in to be rehabilitated after sustaining injuries that won’t allow them to survive back in the wild. But they do plenty of good in their downtime, educating people about the importance of raptors for a healthy, diverse ecosystem.

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Morning Eye Candy: Still

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on September 25 2013, by Matt Newman

Per Pat Gonzalez, our local shutterbug and Visitor Services Attendant:

“For the first time since I began photographing wildlife at the NYBG in 2008, I was able to get clear, close-up shots of one of the hardest fine-feathered friends to shoot. Say hello to a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.”

Ruby-throated Humming Bird

Ruby-throated Humming Bird (Archilochus colubris) — Photo by Pat Gonzalez

Splish, Splash

Posted in Wildlife on June 6 2013, by Matt Newman

Pat GonzalezSure, the first things you think of when hawks come to mind are probably hooked talons, beaks, and stealthy swoops on unsuspecting (and occasionally adorable) rodents. But beneath their noble profiles and well-earned heritage as the monarchs of the sky (sorry, butterflies), even our Red-tailed Hawks have moments of awkward indignation that border on the cute and fluffy. Bath time in particular—with all its flopping and splashing about—is usually cause for giggles. And lucky for us, this often takes place in the Fountain of Life just outside our offices in the Library Building.

Our resident hawk aficionado and Visitor Services Attendant, Pat Gonzalez, happened to be outside filming one of the local hawks as it fed, dodged resentful bluejays, and washed off the day’s exertions. I’ve bumped the video forward to the most comical bit, but you can catch the rest by dragging the cursor to the beginning.

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Morning Eye Candy: Ducks Up

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on February 28 2013, by Matt Newman

When the ice is away, the ducks will play! Pat Gonzalez was out and about with her bird-friendly camera recently, snapping pictures of the raptors and fowl that spend their days in the Garden. While on the prowl, she happened upon this Red-breasted Merganser, looking decidedly punk with his full mohawk. The mallards, meanwhile, wanted nothing to do with the poultry paparazzi.

Red-breasted Merganser

Mallards

Photos by Pat Gonzalez