Mama Piping Plover on her nest, today, at the Plover Project and Black Birders walk at the Arverne East Nature Preserve (Far Rockaway). Also, another Plover crossing the Boardwalk and a Least Tern. Both species are considered endangered.
Arverne East is a new 30+ acre preserve, administered by the NYC Parks Department and assisted by the Littoral Society, running from Beach 44th St. to Beach 56th St. on the beach side of the Rockaways. Although I didn't take many pictures, on today's visit I counted 24 bird species (most in the brushy "maritime woodland area") and 2 marine mammals, a Humpbacked Whale (I didn't see this one) and a Bottlenose Dolphin (or 2).
#nature #NaturePhotography #birds #Wildlife #naturecommunity #birdphotography #birding #biodiversity #BlackBirders #BlackBirdersWeek
Happy #blackbirdersweek ! Here are some salt-marsh denizens at the Marine Nature Study Area, seen yesterday, to start the week off right (1st of 3 sets).
And since this year's Black Birders Week theme is sparrows, this series starts with a Salt-marsh Sparrow and ends with a Song Sparrow. To me, the Saltie is emblematic of the plight of salt marsh ecosystems, endangered as encroachment by developers, pollution and sea-level rise due to global heating steadily erode their habitat, yet struggling and persevering in the face of adversity.
Preservation of salt-marsh ecosystems also connects with struggles for climate and environmental justice, as exemplified by the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and other climate disasters. We would all do well to reflect on the intimate links between environmental and social justice and ecological and social sustainability. Please see alt-text for specific info.
#birds #birding #biodiversity #naturephotography #antiracism #environmentalism #environmentaljustice #climatejustice #climatechange
International Day of Women and Girls in #Science
Deja Perkins is a Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. student at NCSU who
🔬 started Black AF in STEM to connect people with neighborhood nature through a variety of virtual, in-person, visual, and auditory experiences.
🔭 co-organized #BlackBirdersWeek shedding light on the Black experience and showcasing numerous Black Innovators in STEM.
#BlackAFinStem
#InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirls
#ScienceSunday #ScienceMastodon
I got into bird photography at the beginning of the pandemic after discovering the work of artist (and black birder) Walter Kitundu.
His mechanical sculptures, automata, sound installations, and, of course, photography never fail to make my brain light up all over. I don't know him at all, but my life is better for his art. His website is a playground of discovery: http://kitundu.com/
In case some folks haven't heard of the awesome collective Black AF in STEM, I wanted to share this playlist they just dropped to celebrate #BlackBirdersWeek in partnership with The Birdsong Project:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6BZiHDbT1PZFoRuVjlUF16?si=5gTr8-FLQg6jYxCwAxUr7w
You can also check them out online: https://linktr.ee/blackafinstem?fbclid=PAAaZ-q9_aw0t7nMNnCFeriM8okH58j0rgo6tXj_js9LEg4UVmF4fzcX6KiNs (I don't think they're here?).
Vanessa Rojas
MikeF
Purple Haze II
Joe Wynne 🌻🚗⛰️
handmade ghost