The First Days of Spring in Prospect Park

We had a mild winter, but nonetheless spring is here and it feels great. The birds and animals are feeling the change of the seasons and are out flying, swimming and running around for some fun in .

Anne-Katrin Titze, , took a stroll throughout the some of our neighborhood's 585-acre greenspace to watch the animals and birds move about and snapped some pictures for Patch.

Titze caught sight of Chance, , NA03, a male Canada goose and regular visitor to Prospect Park Lake for the past four years, an egret fishing for breakfast, thirteen turtles who were sunbathing on the Lullwater, a male northern cardinal who was building his nest and a robin.

Nearly every morning Titze and her partner, Ed Bahlman, walk throughout the park to take in its gorgeous acres and to check up and their creature friends and their habitats.

“Prospect Park's beauty for me is in the wildlife we see in and around the only lake and forest in Brooklyn,” Titze said, explaining that their stroll is not just for fun, but also for conservation purposes. “The future protection of wildlife and their habitat is a big question.”

But, there is a certain section Titze believes is a must-see during her daily walk in the park.

“A stroll along the 60-acre watercourse in the early morning hours is a must for me to capture the full experience Prospect Park has to offer and each time is unique,” Titze said.

She became a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator "out of respect” for the park itself and to honor “the challenges wildlife face every day in an urban setting,” Titze said.

She has worked with the Urban Park Rangers and members of the Alliance's Natural Resources Crew on multiple animal rescues, including helping dogs from being tangled in discarded fishing line, "Floret" a , "Chance"  and many more.

If you're interested in catching some of Prospect Park's beauty, Titze has some advice:

“The best way to observe, is with respect and understanding," she told Patch, "so that the more people who show they care, the more we will have to enjoy.”

If you have pictures of the park's many sights and wildlife, please upload them to this article's photo gallery or to Your Neighborhood Gallery!