Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on October 24 2012, by Matt Newman
November’s Fall Forest Weekends aren’t far off. Flip your calendar to next month and block off November 3, 4, 10, and 11 to join us in exploring what makes autumn in New York such a poignant experience. That said, you might want to register for our featured canoe trips through the Garden’s stretch of the Bronx River sooner, rather than later…
Photo by Pat Gonzalez
Posted in Around the Garden on June 29 2012, by Matt Newman
This might be a bittersweet Saturday for birders. Why? Well, truth be told, we’re bidding adieu to the Bird Walk! But don’t sweat–it’s only for a couple of months. As if the heat hadn’t already driven the point home, the calendar tells us it’s summer, and that means it’s time for a hiatus. Saturday marks this season’s last opportunity to don your boots and binoculars for an expert-led bout of birdwatching. (I am on an alliterative roll today.)
Debbie Becker has been at the head of these outings for over 25 years, making her the absolute authority on the NYBG‘s hawks, owls, and Pileated Woodpeckers (now resettled in the Garden after over seven decades). We can’t wait to have her back on September 1! But there’s no reason to make yourself wait that long, right? Come out tomorrow for the last walk of what I’m still stubbornly calling spring.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography, Wildlife on May 31 2012, by Matt Newman
Look to have a bird-brained afternoon as we set aside this beautiful Thursday to celebrate the treetop tweeters of The New York Botanical Garden! We’re flora people, yes, but there’s a majesty (and, at times, comedy) to the diverse fauna of the Garden. Nothing speaks of elegance and grace quite like a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk fumbling its lunch all over Tulip Tree Allée.
If you’re looking to get better acquainted with our feathered friends, stop by on Saturday mornings for the weekly Bird Walk with resident expert Debbie Becker! Binoculars, cameras, and gasps of awe welcome.
Photo by Pat Gonzalez
Posted in Around the Garden, Wildlife on April 2 2012, by Matt Newman
It’s a rare day when you can step out under the trees of The New York Botanical Garden without the cry of a Red-tailed Hawk ringing overhead. We usually owe the pleasant racket to Rose and Vince, along with the many hatchlings they’ve reared since setting up shop in the Bronx years ago. And Pat Gonzalez–Member and Friend of the Garden–can point out that a solid number of the hawks hunting in the skies over our 250 acres are directly related to the celebrity pair.
But Rose and Vince aren’t loyalists–while the birds may hunt at the NYBG, they tend to waffle on which site they call home. In the past, the two have occasionally settled down in the upper reaches of the Garden’s architecture. Fordham University across the way has often been called home, as well.
Posted in Around the Garden, Exhibitions on February 10 2012, by Matt Newman
It almost felt like winter this week. Almost. With a breezy evening of light flurries in the city (I actually had to use my ice scraper for once) the temperatures dropped just enough for us to pretend we weren’t leapfrogging one of the year’s most obvious seasons. And this weekend’s weather report suggests more of the same.
Now going into our third week of the photography contest, the competition is picking up the tempo. The first week’s competitors were joined by several more talented shutterbugs this time around, and all together the group produced a stack of fantastic pictures that had us poring over the results for some time. Turns out that the more brilliant pictures you have to shuffle through, the longer it takes to come to conclusions on who won–it’s worse when the judges can’t seem to entirely agree! It was like Twelve Angry Men in here. But we came up with a fresh batch of eye candy we think will inspire you to try for yourself.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 27 2012, by Matt Newman
News for birding fanatics! The owls are making themselves known again at the NYBG, or so recent sightings would suggest. Friend of the Garden Pat Gonzalez informs me that a birdwatching group caught a glimpse of our Great Horned Owls mating (that’s a good sign) in the Forest near the hemlocks, meaning that we may have another small parliament of owls (I maintain that collective nouns are the most fun you can have in language arts) terrorizing our chipmunk population in the near future.
Despite often being year-round residents at the NYBG, we generally see neither hide nor feather of these airborne hunters due to their nocturnal habit–at least up until breeding season when diurnal hunting becomes more common. Having the leaves off the trees at this time of year also makes spotting these raptors more of a cinch. But when a storm toppled the birds’ favorite nesting tree, it made locating them something of a challenge. Seeing the owls going into 2012 has proven a hit-or-miss endeavor for our local birders.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 15 2012, by Matt Newman
Might that be our good friend Junior, 2010’s hatchling of the year? Perhaps local hawk aficionado Pat Gonzalez will chime in with a clarification.
Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Members, Photography, Wildlife on March 21 2011, by Plant Talk
Remember this guy standing guard over his nest? Well, it turns out, he’s a father now! For the first time since 2009, The New York Botanical Garden‘s Native Forest is home to at least two baby Great-Horned Owl chicks! First word on the nest came to us from NYBG member, Plant Talk contributor, and amateur wildlife photographer Pat Gonzalez, who says she has confirmed the existence of the chicks with New York City bird expert Dr. Robert “Birding Bob” Candido.
As Pat puts it, “Little white faces peeking out through the hole in that tree is a good thing” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!
Posted in Wildlife on July 17 2019, by Patricia Gonzalez
Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.
I am happy to report that for a third straight year, a pair of Red-tailed Hawks has chosen to nest at The New York Botanical Garden. A brood of three scrappy, inquisitive raptors was born in 2019, and each is now exploring the Garden.
For Garden staff, this was an opportunity to observe an exciting natural event.
Like many of my colleagues, I like to walk the grounds during my break. Quite a few of our employees venture out with binoculars, in hopes that they might spot a fluffy little head peering out into the world, or perhaps one of the adults feeding their young. This proved a challenge, as the parents reinforced their nest to the point where it now stands much taller and wider than it was when they first constructed it in 2017, making it difficult to see what was going on.
For weeks, all many of us could spot was the backside of the parents as they leaned forward into the nest bowl. Eventually, their three offspring made themselves known.
I encourage everyone to take the time to explore the 250 acres of The New York Botanical Garden. Hawks aren’t the only residents. This time of year, frogs, turtles, butterflies, and other birds call this place home.
Speaking of birds, if you prefer a group setting, join the Bird Walk that takes place every Saturday at 11 a.m. The group meets at the reflecting pool, and it is always a good time.
Posted in Wildlife on April 23 2019, by Patricia Gonzalez
Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.
On Sunday, April 7, the Garden enjoyed sunny skies and 65-degree temperatures. The crowds of visitors weren’t the only ones out on that glorious day. During my lunch break, I headed out in the hopes that our reptile friends would make an appearance—and they did not disappoint. There were literally piles of red-eared sliders and painted turtles getting their tan on. I’m not sure how many, as I stopped counting after 40. And they say it’s not easy being green!
Photo by Patricia Gonzalez