MICROSEASON — NOV 11 - NOV 17
The Noticer's Monthly #36 — Taoist farmer, winter birding, ducks, and more
A farmer relied on a beloved horse to help his family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away. Neighbors gathered. “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”
The farmer replied, “We’ll see.”
A few weeks later, the horse returned, alongside two wild horses. The neighbors shouted, “Your horse has returned, and brought others with him. What great luck!”
The farmer replied, “We’ll see.”
Later that week, the farmer’s son was thrown from one of wild horses, and broke his leg. The neighbors cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!”
The farmer replied, “We’ll see.”
Days later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting uninjured men for war. The neighbors shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!”
We’ll see,
—B.C.S.
MICROSEASON — NOV 11 - NOV 17
"My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind - without selective interest, experience is an utter chaos." —William James
Current Japanese micro-season: "Land starts to freeze". As for McGolrick Park, New York City and perhaps even larger swathes of the eastern US, we notice—
Goldenrods go to seed · Crape Myrtle leaves redden · Gingko, Kentucky yellowwoods and Tuliptrees go bare · American Woodcock visits · Black-eyed Susans wilt · Buffleheads return to nearby waterways
BIRD REPORT
Who’d we notice in McGolrick Park this microseason?
American Woodcock · Tufted Titmouse · White-breasted Nuthatch · Red-tailed Hawk · Cooper’s Hawk · American Kestrel · White-throated Sparrow · Fox Sparrow · Dark-eyed Junco · Hermit Thrush · Downy Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Northern Cardinal · Blue Jay · American Crow · Rock Pigeon · European Starling · American Robin · House Sparrow · Mourning Dove
MICROLESSON: WINTER BIRDING
Late fall - winter means low bird species counts in New York City’s urban parks.
And that’s why we love this time of year. Cold and quiet are good for:
Practice · It’s the easiest time for new noticers to master the shapes, movements, and various noises of the reduced number of winter and year-round birds. (And get zen.)
Birds of prey · Leafless trees mean fewer obstructed views of the US’s four most common birds of prey: Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, American Kestrels, and Peregrine Falcons
Ducks · Cue the Bird and Moon comic. Ducks from the north visit US waterways en masse during winter. Ducks are beautiful and dope. Let’s say hi…
MACROLESSON: DUCKS
New to noticing ducks? Good news! You already know Mallards. Better news! You have another 9 common-to-US-waterways duck species to gawk at!
Paddle down for a look at each one, then dabble with some side-by-side images designed to help you differentiate the easiest to confuse species.
Then (optional) head to your nearest waterway and impress startled passersby by cathartically screaming out species names.
Here we go:
Often in pairs (female here), small Buffles’ black and whites on big heads make them easy to spot. NB: The iridescence usually looks black in-person.
Be a butt person and look for that high-contrast tush. Incredible gray patterns up-close. If it’s green-white browed—it’s a Wigeon. (See below.)
A warm gray-brown duck whose eye-makeup and inter-eye white spot are distinctive. Females have a little smudge around the eye.
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