Peregrine Falcon

It was a cold morning at Jones Beach and the birds were few and far between. The "hedgerow" at the Coast Guard Station was all but dead when the sun rose but after a while some birds moved in - though mostly junco's as seen below. I moved on to try and photograph raptors in this favorable wind though I only expected Sharpies and Cooper's Hawks because of how late in the season it is. A couple sharpies went by quickly but didn't hang around long enough for photos then out of nowhere (well, from the West anyway which is unexpected) this Peregrine Falcon came within feet of me. My reflexes weren't fast enough to get "the ultimate shot" but I came away with some good ones none-the-less.  (Note the blood that can be seen on the underside and the talon)

And here is the junco that a Peregrine would love to have as a snack:

If you like raptors as much as I do check out this book by Jerry Ligouri: Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors In Flight

American Kestrel @ EPCAL

This bird eventually got tired of my vehicles presence

American Kestrels are notoriously skittish (and it doesn't help that they are so small).  They regularly line the runways of EPCAL and thus present a fun challenge for the photographer.  Every now and then I get a bird that's a little more cooperative than the rest and today was such a day.

Politely Posing

In addition to the above Kestrel above, there were 4 Turkey Vultures riding the thermals searching for carrion and an active Eastern Bluebird singing his heart out.  As expected, Eastern Meadowlarks and Northern Harriers were also present.

1 of 4 Turkey Vultures at EPCAL

And while Herring Gulls are not the most interesting bird, I thought some of you would be interested in seeing this portrait taken the other day at the Shinnecock Inlet along the jetty.  This was at just about the limit of my lenses focusing abilities and is full frame.

Full Frame - as close as you can get!

Be sure to view the post below featuring an image of the 'Supermoon' and also be sure to check out Theodore Cross's life's work in his book entitled Waterbirds

Lots of Raptors @ EPCAL

Cropped to about 50% off the original - this Roughie is soaring high

On Wednesday the sun was shining and it was the start of a few warm and blue-sky days.  On my way home from work I visited EPCAL and was happy to see so many Kestrels.  In just 20 minutes I observed 7 including what appears to be a pair (see below).  Additionally, 2 light-morph Rough-Legged Hawks, several Northern Harriers and a Red-tailed Hawk were present.

American Kestrel "hovering".  Cropped to just 20% of the original

Perching on the ugly but useful Common Mullein:

I'm including this shot even though the quality isn't great because it was just about full frame:

For more about birds and wildlife on Long Island I highly recommend John Turner's Exploring the Other Island: A seasonal guide to nature on Long Island which features a dozen of my photos including a photo of a Snowy Owl found last year on the beach in Hampton Bays.  This is a must read for bird lovers on Long Island

Merlin Manicure

In search of Owls I found this Merlin along Dune Rd. near the Ponquogue Bridge.  At first I thought it was a Peregrine because they are more prevalent along Dune Rd. then Merlin's (especially during winter) but when the bird moved into better lighting I realized it was a Merlin which proceeded to preen itself before taking off likely in pursuit of food.

Here is a video of the bird hanging out:

Back to the photos:

Cleaning the Talons:

Spreading those feathers:

If you have trouble identifying raptors or simply want a little more info on them, check out the excellent book by Jerry Liguori entitled: Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors In Flight.  This book covers all the Raptors that migrate through the US and has information and details you simply can't get from standard bird books.

Merlin and the Sanderling - Video

Here is a short video of the merlin eating away (or rather, removing feathers in preparation of eating)

More from Jones Beach

Here are some more images from last weekend at Jones Beach.  Hopefully the weather will be good at some point this weekend and I can improve on my flight shots.  Above: Merlin in flight

 Above: A merlin feasts on a small bird for breakfast.  Below: Merlin stooping

 Adjusting its angle:

 Sharp-Shinned Hawk pursuing the Merlin:

 Done chasing and heading toward the ocean:

American Kestrel

This afternoon on my way home from work I couldn't bring myself to go inside a stuffy gym when the weather was so awesome and I had a little bit of light and time before the Twins / Yankees game.  As some of you may be aware, the Town of Riverhead erected a barrier near the entrance to the Western runway denying access by vehicle.  This was quite frustrating as the runway is a large area that makes photography via walking near impossible (at any large scale level anyhow).  I thought I'd try my luck and see if anything had changed, and sure enough it had.  While the barriers are still present, the "road closed" signs are gone, and just to the left of the sign is a big parking lot near the old control tower.  The parking lot leads to an access road for the runway where the gate is always open - access secured!  The diversity was light, but there were plenty of grasshopper sparrows (who were playing hide and seek) and Kestrels nearly everywhere I looked.  It's roughly the peak migration time for this species, and EPCAL provides the perfect habitat for them to stock up on food - I estimate there were at least 15 present on the western runway, but it is likely there were quite a few more.  Unfortunately for me, the runway is never used by vehicles, so the birds were all very skittish and wouldn't let me get anywhere near them on almost all occasions - but i did have a little luck, as seen above and below.

While the Grasshopper sparrows I spied today wouldn't come out in the open, here is a shot from earlier in the year:

A Better day for Birds

With the promise of sun and 50 degree weather I set out late this morning to photograph the Black Guillemot in good light - as well as to check up on Shinnecock Inlet again. A precursor to my day's success was the 2 Carolina Wrens that showed up on my back deck singing as I got ready - unfortunately I accidentally formatted my CF card, so I don't have a photo. . . Dune Rd. yielded nothing and when I checked the surf at Tiana Beach I was surprised to see a very rough Ocean. Nothing was doing at the Inlet either, with just a handful of gulls and nothing else of note.

Black Guillemot Attempt 1
On my way down Sebonac Inlet Rd., I remembered hearing a report of 4 Eastern Bluebirds that were seen during the CBC and just then I spotted 2 of them on an Eastern Red Cedar on the east side of the road bordering the Golf Course. Unfortunately, he/she wasn't willing to turn toward me so I was unable to get a decent shot of anything other than the birds back. At the end of the road there were quite a few people with spotting scopes looking at the Guiellemot. I decided to come back later hoping there wouldn't be as many people - since I wanted to hop the fence and get in close - because I didn't want to "ruffle any feathers" (sorry for the pun).

Mecox Bay/Atlantic Ocean
Next up was Flying Point Rd./Mecox Inlet in Water Mill which had recently been dredged, which often corresponds with unique gulls. Well, there were plenty of gulls, but nothing of interest that I could pick out, so I focused my attention on 4 Dunlin that were in a feeding frenzy. One of the Dunlin is seen here:



A quick stop at Cobb Isle Rd. yielded plenty of mallards, but the only thing of interest was a lonely male Green-Winged Teal which seemed to know I was focusing my attention on him as he took off as soon as I began to photograph him while the rest of the ducks stood still on the thin ice.

American Kestrel Surprise
On my way back West, disappointment was starting to set in as I felt this wonderful opportunity of sunshine, warm temperatures and a day off from work had slipped away. I guess this got my mind distracted, because I completely passed the road where I had to turn in order to go see the Guillemot again. Once I realized this I headed down Tuckahoe Rd. cutting through the famed Shinnecock Hills Golf Course. As soon as my car got to the crest of the big hill next to the historic clubhouse, I saw a male American Kestrel (A female would not have the blue/grey on its back) in its classic "hover" hunting pose. The autofocus wasn't cooperating and I quickly got frustrated as I put the flashers on and waited to see what the bird would do next - only to see it fly straight toward me and bank just north of my car allowing me to get several decent flight shots of a infrequently seen (and less frequently photographed) falcon. As luck would have it the Kestrel perched on a tree just off the road and afforded me a few more shots which I did a rather poor job of getting.



Black Guillemot Attempt 2
After this surprise encounter, the Black Guillemot seemingly wanted to keep the good times rolling and was waiting for me as I pulled up to the location I had seen it at yesterday (in an opening between two dilapidated bulkheads). I got out of the car, snapped a few shots, hopped the fence and took a few more before it started to slowly move further into open water. What's interesting, is if this was virtually any other species of waterfowl (except for perhaps a Mute Swan, or Mallard Duck) it would have immediately dove under water, or swam in the opposite direction. But instead it just kind of looked at me and continued doing its own thing. Certainly, it kept an eye on my presence, but showed no true fear. If this really is a juvenile Arctic race Black Guillemot (and all indications are that it is), it is perhaps the first time this bird has ever seen humans and therefore has no preconceived ideas or fears of us, thus ignoring the possible "threat".

Yesterday, I watched an hour long special on the Nat Geo channel on the American Beaver. At one point, the camera was observing an Elk with her newborn feeding and drinking along the waters edge, when the newborn got a little to close to a massive American Bison which promptly and swiftly tossed the baby Elk with its horns and head into the water. The baby Elk had no idea this big thing was a threat, because it had never seen it before, which I'm guessing is what is going on with the Black Guillemot.

Home
When I finally got back home, there were 2 Great Blue Herons as well as some Hooded Mergansers in the creek behind my house, and later a Belted Kingfisher perched on my dock to round the day out. Todays experiences are the main reason why I love wildlife photography so much. You never know what you are going to get, and when you are going to get it. Had I not missed my turn, I wouldn't have seen the American Kestrel. The Black Guillemot easily could have moved on by now (it's been around for almost 3 weeks) and I would have been left empty handed. It's what motivates me to get up early in the morning, to drive and drive and drive and to keep shooting. Now all I can hope for is some sunshine come Thursday to end the year on a good photographic note.