Get Brooklynian.com by Email! 
Grab the Feed (RSS)Brooklynian » Forum » Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens »
-
I took a late night walk. On St. Charles, between Lincoln and St. Johns, there is a tree on that block where a bird -- I have yet to determine what kind -- sings a varied birdsong. It was so incredibly clear, and loud. One could almost feel the sound. It was truly amazing. In the mornings, around 5:30 or so, there is a sudden beginning of birds chirping outside my window. I wonder if anyone has had either a bird sighting, or hearing. I saw a couple of Blue Jays last year, and Starlings, and of course the ubiquitous pidgeon. Sometimes I even see sea gulls -- especially on garbage days. And of course there is that small brown bird; where I come from they call them Grasskwits, but I have no reason why. That seems to be a very successful bird in urban settings. But sometimes I see cardinals. First I hear them, which, if the sound is unfamiliar to your ears, is much like a cable being smacked against concrete. It's a short hard whistling sound. The bird itself is a shock of red-orange. Feel fortunate to see it. They are many of them in Prospect Park -- which has a tremendous variety of birds, for those who are interested. I've seen hawks in Prospect Park.
-
All of these birds come visit my backyard and I wake up every morning to their singing
"I'm 35 and I get to be single. I have money and can do what I want. When I was in my twenties and single, I was retarded."- Chelsea Handler -
We hear birds every morning, and we have a mockingbird that hangs out on our roof and our neighbors' roof. I love it. They now emulate cell phone ringtones and car alarms...
-
We are so happy to have the cardinals (even though their loud, pre-dawn calls wake us up), sparrows. mourning doves, robins, and the seasonal visitors like the the redstart, blue jays, chickadees and various woodpeckers. We even had a green budgie for a couple of weeks. We also had a banded turtle dove show up. The other doves tolerated it, but sternly rebuffed its amorous advances. It disappeared after about a year. It may have become a meal for the cooper's hawk that shows up every once in a while. The crows let us know when there's a hawk around. It's pretty amazing that our little block supports such a variety of bird life.Take the u out of neighbour.
-
I think what I heard was a mockingbird on St. Charles yesterday. Those are the ones with the many varied calls? I am going to put a bird feeder in the backyard. I love the sound of birds. It's calming, and I think it does the neighborhood some good; sooths the soul.
-
This morning I heard the birds begin their songs at precisely 4:38am.
-
Mockingbirds are very common in Brooklyn & I hear them a lot in Sunset Park. On occasion they will also sing at night, usually around the shortest days of the year. They can run through a dozen bird songs in short order as if there was an entire aviary singing. Mockingbirds are not red however, cardinals are.
-
Anonymous
Posts: 9,622Meet my friendly backyard woodpecker (can I still say pecker without getting a fluffy bunneh? Ha). -
Then I must have heard a Mockingbird. So apt.
-
Whoa! Love the woodpecker video! It took some time for my eyes to orient and see it. It's worth the wait. Here's an idea: Why not find some way of increasing the number of birds in the neighborhood? It could be as simple as installing birdhouses high amidst the tree branches, or something more gradual like planting perennial running plants which over time will create little clusters for birds to reside within. In the distance I hear chirps. It's such a pleasure to hear it.
-
Anonymous
Posts: 9,622^ that was as close as I could get with my little Flip cam. I kept hearing it and at first thought "woodpecker????" and then thought "nah".....he came back 3 days in a row and I finally figured out where he was. I have a TON of birds in my yard every day (and night) here in Windsor Terrace. Probably due to my proximity to the park and the cemetery -
I know further into Brooklyn --near the last stop of th enumber 2 train, there is an apartment building where some green parrots have resided for quite some time. I cannot recall where it is exactly; somewhere near Brooklyn College. I was walking around there, and I heard this happy racket. I looked up and there were about 5 or 6 green parrots clambering about in a space underneath an air conditioner. A passerby told me that they nest there (the area was filled with vegetation and small twigs) and the city had deemed it an enviornmental zone of some sort. I had a warm fuzzy feeling when I saw that.
-
Anonymous
Posts: 9,622They are called monk parakeets and are also in Green-Wood cemetery - usually near the building at the main entrance on 5th/25th street. They got loose from a container ship years ago and now live in several areas in Brooklyn. I just saw them last week - pretty amazing. They are Brooklyn College's unofficial mascot as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monk_Parakeet -
The common house sparrow does resemble the "grassquits" of the Caribbean and points south. They are very aggressive nesters and sociable. My son found one today building a nest under my old air conditioner while he was moving it for me. I'd been hearing the bird chirping loudly on the windowsill all week, though I couldn't see him because of the AC unit. He was probably trying to entice a female to lay eggs in his nest. Catbirds are also urban birds, they are skulking grey birds with black caps, and they sing many varied songs. Mockingbirds are the guys who sing at night, though.
-
i believe european house sparrows are the only bird in the country it is legal to kill whenever. they are ruinous to native bird populations. but they do tweet nicely. mockingbirds tend to repeat their calls in threes -- making them dead-on at car alarms. starlings also mimic, but less well. (they were once called the poor man's myna.) cat birds have several calls, including the very feline one they're named for. i think their black caps are very smart. if you want to increase bird populations, do what you can to plant bushes, etc., that provide winter cover and forage -- think evergreen things that have berries in winter.Bumping ancient threads with bot-like bullshit
-
sweet tea » mockingbirds tend to repeat their calls in threes -- making them dead-on at car alarms. starlings also mimic, but less well. (they were once called the poor man's myna.)
So funny story. Late one night/early one morning I'm awoken by family member telling me he can't sleep because of a car alarm going off HIM: Can't you hear that? ME: What? HIM: That. That car alarm has been going off for the last hour, ever since it started raining. Its driving me crazy. What kind of people just let their car alarms go off all night? ME: I think that might be a mockingbird. HIM: No, its definitely an alarm. ME: I don't think so. HIM: (getting more agitated) No, it is and I'm sick and tired of this shit. I'm going to put a stop to this shit right now. ME: Yes, you should do that. He gets dressed and walks out into the rain. I look out the window to see him stalking down the street. Five minutes later he is back, soaking wet. HIM: I can't believe you let me go out in the pouring rain, when you knew it was a bird. ME: (Innocently) Was it? HIM: You're evil. -
I would like to rename this thread. I would like to call it 'Brooklyn Birds and Other Forms of Wildlife.' There are other animals that reside with us. It would be pretty cool to have record of those anecdotes as well. Does anyone know how to do that?
-
Anonymous
Posts: 9,622^ since you created the thread, you can do it (otherwise you would need a mod to do it). Go up to your first post, and edit it (hit "edit" next to "quote") and you will see and be able to edit the title. As for other wildlife, I have plenty of raccoons. Am happy to relocate them to Crown Heights if you want them -
Thank you! Done. I have heard that someone has seen Raccons in an empty lot on Franklin Avenue between Sterling and Park Place. I have gone running in Prospect Park and I have seen them there all the time. Also I have seen hawks, rabbits, and possums in the park. I heard a story through a friend of mine that some pest control people surreptitiously do animal releases of raccoons in Prospect Park (and I guess in other parks) because they don't have the heart to kill the animals. As the guy said to me, 'How can I kill a creature that has hands?'
-
Anonymous
Posts: 9,622I don't believe they are allowed to kill the raccoons unless they are thought to be rabid. I hear they also relocate to Green-Wood cemetery. My neighbor had a possum in their garbage can. Scared the shit out of them and stayed there even after they tilted the can on its side. After a few hours it finally got out and ran down the street. I have seen the hawks in the park as well. I also like the black squirrels (well, really dark brown) which are seen in the park sometimes....but I don't want this to become another racial thread
-
Hey, I LOVE the Black squirrels. I throw them the fisted BP (not British Petroleum)salute everytime I see them...
-
Yeah raccoons over here too along with a buncha rats but last year there was a grass snake in my garden, no idea how it got there"I'm 35 and I get to be single. I have money and can do what I want. When I was in my twenties and single, I was retarded."- Chelsea Handler
-
I am happy to see a number of stray cats in the evenings. I recall an old timer in Harlem telling me that the presence of stray cats was a good sign for any urban environment. This made no sense to me because if you have ever heard cats howling at night, it is one of the most grating things on the planet. He said that with cats on the prowl, it keeps rats at bay. There are plenty of rats to keep at bay, let me tell you. At night, I often see rats scurry about digging through garbage containers. Also, if you have a car, BEWARE. I have seen rats climb up tires and then presumably find their way within the innards of the car. My guess is that they are entering the inside of cars in the same way mice might insinuate themselves within a home; by traveling along openings where pipes are. I saw a beautiful pair of cats on Eastern Parkway betweden Bedford and Rogers on the most northen side of the street; first one, and then the other. My hunch is that they are a mating pair. One of the cats looked like one I saw on a poster around the neighborhood. Sometimes neighborhood people leave out cat food for some of the cats, but rats have no regard and often eat it. I saw this quite frequently last year. I have not seen that as yet this year.
-
We have plenty stray cats too who drive the dogs NUTS!!!!! Still there are BOLD ass rats around! Did I mention all types of butterflies?"I'm 35 and I get to be single. I have money and can do what I want. When I was in my twenties and single, I was retarded."- Chelsea Handler
-
What's interesting is that since this discourse, I am more aware of the birds that I hear.
-
I wonder what wold happen if there were birdhouses built for the trees in the neighborhood? Would that foster a larger bird population?
-
I saw two butterflies yesterday. One of them was definitely a Monarch butterfly (thanks PBS!) and the other was a small, white one with a yellow undertone. Both flitted about. The Monarch danced around my head, and the smaller one I saw later in the day just flitted about! There is something joyful in the way butterflies fly. It's the fluttering and the rollicking they seem to do as they go through the air. It made me feel better just seeing them. I'm sure butterflies have bad days too -- but gosh, those two I saw made me appreciate the green of the world around me. I think I've said this before but writing about nature in the urban setting we live in has made me more aware (and appreciative!) of the birds, the bees and all the critters in the trees... Despite the sirens and the helicopters and all of the aggregated tragedy, there are birds and butterflies in Brooklyn.
-
MHA: I really like reading your posts about wildlife/birds in the neighborhood. There is a group that goes bird watching in Prospect Park, and while I have never gone myself, I hear from others that it is great. If you haven't already, you might want to check it out. http://www.brooklynbirdclub.org/
-
Thanks, I will look into it.
-
Last night I saw a most beautiful cat on Prospect Park between Classon and Washington -- closer to Classon. It was a black cat with just a touch of white on its chest; I believe it was male. He was quite friendly, and approached me with little hesitance. His eyes seemed to dilate in front of me and I was so taken with the gaze. There was no fear whatsoever. "You are such a beautiful cat," I said as he walked by just about an inch away from my legs. I felt tempted to touch his coat, but decided it was better to be safe than sorry. His coat gleamed in the streetlight. It made my evening.
-
MHA » Last night I saw a most beautiful cat on Prospect Park between Classon and Washington -- closer to Classon. It was a black cat with just a touch of white on its chest; I believe it was male. He was quite friendly, and approached me with little hesitance. His eyes seemed to dilate in front of me and I was so taken with the gaze. There was no fear whatsoever. "You are such a beautiful cat," I said as he walked by just about an inch away from my legs. I felt tempted to touch his coat, but decided it was better to be safe than sorry. His coat gleamed in the streetlight. It made my evening.
Sounds like the cat from the convenience store on the corner of Classon and Park....not that there's anything wrong with that. -
Whyfi, I believe you are right. I walked past the convenience store yesterday and I saw the same cat again, and another one beside him. They were strolling about on the sidewalk. Kinda cool... On another note, On Sterling and Franklin, it's like Rat City late at night. I had so many experiences with rats scurrying to and fro ahead of me, I nearly got used to it. I am convinced that some of these rats are burrowing into cars, because I see them climb up the tires and disappear within. Check your cars for holes!
-
MHA » i am convinced that some of these rats are burrowing into cars, because I see them climb up the tires and disappear within. Check your cars for holes!
You are correct. When they started construction on the nasty house (not anymore) next door to me there was about 5 rats running around our block. I saw one run under my upstairs neighbor's car. I stayed a few minutes to see where it would go but I thought I missed it. The next time he used the car he felt something wrong and the took his car immediately to the garage. He was told that something gnawed through a cable under the hood. He didn't believe the guy and when he came home and told us I told him about the rat under his car. While talking about this another neighbor heard us and told us that he has the same thing happen to his a few days before my neighbor. -
bored rats eat the wiring in cars.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
-
I'm reading a book about the history of rats in New York and the author quotes someone who says that rats like chewing on vines, and animal behaviorists theorize that's the reason why rats like chewing on wires. He makes the point that the danger rats pose is more than hygiene related ones, because if there is a rat infestation within the walls of a house they have the potential to chew the insulation off wires and therefore there presence poses a fire hazard. Rats scurry all over this neighborhood. The author makes the point that the key to their elimination is not extermination, as they have the capacity to breed very quickly. What keeps their numbers in check is their access to food. It is therefore very important that garbage is stored in a fashion that prevents them access; the more food, the more rats.
-
which brings to mind the great hamster story of whynot's childhood .... My brother and I (age 8 and 6) were forbidden to play with my sister's (age 10)hamster. Needless to say, we did anyway. So, we had it out of its cage and were playing with it on the floor, when it ran under a dressor. We tried to find it, but could not. "OMG, our sister is going to kill us!" Cleverly, we decided to make it look like the hamster escaped by bending the little bars on its cage with a screw driver. Yes, while the sister was at her friend's house, THE HAMSTER HAD GAINED SUPER HAMSTER STRENGTH and escaped! Although the sister was very suspicious upon our feigned surprise of learning of its escape, thankfully, she was also not real bright. Remarkably, we were spared a beat down. ....time passes. The hamster is replaced with a new hamster. Literally, months go by. Then one day, we went to move a record player (the plastic kind with built in speaker), and there, hanging from the cord it had chewed on... ....was the electrified skeletal remains of hamster #1! It was gruesome and excellent at the same time. The sister was horrified at our delight. I, laughingly, theorized that the smell of my bother's shoes had covered up the smell of the decaying pet. ....all of which made us (for some reason) tell the truth about how it had escaped. Which made her, predictably, give us the beat down we had not gotten several months ago, but deserved.For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
-
In what seems like another lifetime I recall accompanying a friend to get hamsters in a pet store. This was a time and a place when most Black kids and sorta Black kids didn't have pets. If anything, one kept animals for later slaughter at best; any sentimental attachment towards them was your emotional undoing. Anyway, we got the said hamsters and were on a bus back home. The pet store packaged the critters in this nifty little cardboard box with tiny holes to ensure air circulation. We took turns holding the box on the crowded bus and remarked loudly to each other how little these things seem to weigh as they scampered to and fro within. My buddy held it from underneath, and suddenly he sort of jerked and said, "Ow," really loud: The darned things were eating their way through the box. We spent the whole ride using our finger tips to lightly smack the box where they made attempt to make holes, and panicking what on earth would we do if one of them got out on this sardine-packed bus. They have really sharp teeth. Thankfully, they didn't. Another animal sighting. There is an adorable kitten that gambols on Franklin Avenue between St. John's and Sterling. Apparently it resides in the nearby corner grocery store, but spends time becoming acquainted with passers by and making mock attempts to catch grassquits which peck about. In the same way that Feng Shui sooths the mind, the sight of this little kitten doing its thing day in and day out creates the allure of intimacy for me. It's as if he's the neighborhood's kitty. I've seen grown folks actually halt the momentum of their no doubt busy lives to stop, pick up, and pet the cat; It's a velvety grey animal with splotches of white about the face. Definitely coo-worthy.
-
I just spotted a baby raccoon on my back fence. I'm on the north side of Midwood, between Bedford and Rogers. I know that raccoons are nocturnal and seeing them during daylight hours is a possible sign of rabies, but this little fellow just seemed curious.
-
There has been raccoon sightings on Franklin between Sterling and Park in times past. I recall seeing raccoons in Long Island late at night. I think they commute -- much like rats -- through the sewers.
-
They're all over the Northeast, to be sure. There certainly are a ton of them all over the place in Central Park and also a ton of them in (and venturing out all around) Prospect Park as well. Odd that one rarely if ever sees the effects of late night-time roadkill on Flatbush though, given what a mad stretch of road that is. Or any of the other major roads nearby. (note: yeesh. YouTube just changed their embed code and now it looks soooper sloppy across various browsers. )i extend my battery life by turning down the brightness
-
I saw a healthy-looking rat streak across the southern sidewalk of Sterling Place. There are at least two empty buildings on that block, and I believe that the rats find safe harbor in both. Head to tail it had to be 10 to 12 inches long. It was well fed.
-
On my way home with all the black bagged garbage on the street, and the ripe stench of it cooking in this heat, I thought of the rats that were no doubt feasting. All of a sudden one rushes right by my feet. I cry out for the good lord, full name and all, not once, but twice! Jesus! (the first one) Christ!(the second). I resorted to necessity and walked down the middle of the street.
-
On Park Place, beneath a loaded mulberry tree, squinting despite shaded prescriptives, a rustle made me jump. Brown furry movements; thank god, not rats. Doves. A beautiful pair, their necks ringed with black, their feathers seemed soft as a beaver's pelt. They like mulberries too.
-
Given the large amount of starlings that flit about, I was surprised to see in Robert Sullivan's book, "Rats..." that starlings were introduced to America by a dude by the name of, Eugene Schieffelin, in Central Park, in 1890. Mr. Schieffelin was the chairman of an organization called the American Acclimatization Society -- which was a group of scientists and naturalists who had as their objective to introduce certain animal species into North America. Interesting... Gotta find out more about these guys...
-
Bats! Tonight I saw what I believe to be four bats flying rather low right at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Sterling Place at around sunset.... Anyone else ever seen this?
-
Anonymous
Posts: 9,622I don't live near there, but there are plenty of bats in the park and I know several people who have spotted them in WT/PS -
Yeah, I 've seen them in Prospect Park too.
-
Hmm, a herd of buffalo, a flock of birds; a pack of dogs and a _ _ _ _ of butterflies? I don't know what to call a grouping of butterflies I saw fluttering from flower to flower on Saturday, but I saw them. Monarchs, I think.
-
Several folks with whom I've spoken recently have mentioned large, flying insects on the lawns that they describe as "cicada wasps." I was out on the Nethermead for a while early this morning and a person pointed up to the rise of the hill and said that they move around a lot as a group and they were currently located up there, on the top of the hill. They said if one were to walk up the grass there one would soon be surrounded by these creepy flying things. Here are pics from Google images:
More about the species, also known as cicada killer wasps:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecius
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef004.asp
Anybody run into or otherwise been surprised by any of these?i extend my battery life by turning down the brightness -
Hey! Nearing the end of summer at Prospect Park periodically there are tremendous groups of cicadas, and they all sing a piercing monotonous shrill -- I believe -- shortly before they die. I think there was an article in the Times a few years ago about them. Can't recall the detail; something about how they pop up periodically in astronomical numbers. Their sounds can be so overwhelming when they are in large groups. I think they make that sound to meet a mate, procreate, and then die.
Welcome! Please log in to post, or register a new account!