Mokka mit Schlag

Restless Bush Cricket, Hapithus agitator
Lookout Hill, Prospect Park, 2007-08-19

Thanks to Stephen Schueman for helping out with the ID. He also tells me this is a male pursuing a female.

The ABA ranks species known to occur in North America north of Mexico by order of difficulty, 1-6. Most birds that regularly occur here are 1’s, which covers a lot of ground: everything from House Sparrow to Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, American Avocet to Willet. Some of the 1’s are actually quite difficult to find. Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow and Yellow-billed Cuckoo both gave me a lot of trouble for a couple of years, and I missed them repeatedly.
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Augochlora pura, Prospect Park 2007-08-19
Credit to John S. Ascher for the ID

I actually found this bee inside the flower, and snapped these shots as it was coming out.
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Last Sunday, August 12, Peter Dorosh led the Brooklyn Bird Club on a trip to Jamaica Bay where we had a probable Long-billed Dowitcher. Short-billed Dowitchers are relatively common around here at this time of year, but Long-billed are much less so. The problem is that unless the birds are in breeding plumage or calling, they’re virtually indistinguishable. For example, despite the names some Short-billed Dowitchers have longer bills than some Long-billed Dowitchers. Unfortunately at the times of year when the birds come through New York, they are neither calling nor in breeding plumage.

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Zabulon Skipper, Poanes zabulon
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2007-8-18
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Digger Wasp, Scolia dubia
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2007-8-18
Credit to Troy Bartlett for the ID
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