Jones Beach West End

I had the good fortune of running into the extremely talented avian photographer Richard Ettlinger at the West End of Jones Beach on this gorgeous October morning ripe for migrants.  While I wasn't able to stay long, I had some quick success and hope to have more in the future.  Merlins were just about everywhere, mostly perched on snags but lots flying around.  Northern Harriers, Sharp Shinned Hawks and a few lingering Osprey were also filling the skies.  On the non-raptor front I found Northern Mockingbirds and Yellow Rumped Warblers plentiful - as well as a Baltimore Oriole (below)

This Merlin was searching for prey from a snag along the parkway:

And another one was found in the median near the Coast Guard Station:

One of the first birds I came upon was the Northern Mockingbird, lit-up by the warmth of the rising sun:

And lastly (for now anyway) a Sharpie showed up to pursue the Merlin seen at the start of this posting: