Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge

I've been spending quite a bit of time at Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge lately because of a fox den that is located in an area of grasslands that's easily accessible.  I'd never photographed a fox until this week so it's quite exciting for me.  As an added bonus, I've been able to photograph some birds in a new setting (since this area is not a place I've frequented much in the past).  As you can see above, I was lucky enough to photograph a Peregrine Falcon this past thursday (a female, based on size) at the mouth of the Carmans river via boat.  Today I spent a little time waiting for the fox (only 1 kit showed) so I spent the rest of the time photographing the birds that were hanging around.  Enjoy.

Osprey (part of a nesting pair):

A Snowy Egret flew over against the overcast sky:

Lastly, a Tree Swallow sat patiently near a nesting box:

To learn more about the birds and mammals you can find on Long IslandI highly recommend John Turner's Exploring the Other Island: A seasonal guide to nature on Long Island

More Archives

Between the weather, work and the prospect of moving this week I haven't been able to get out and create any new images, so we are diving back into the archives.  Enjoy.  (Above/Below: Barn Swallow)

A Brown Thrasher was a few dozen feet away:

The end of June brought these images of a Belted Kingfisher and Great Egret at Weesuck Creek in East Quogue:

A meal the Kingfisher above would have loved to have gotten:

Mornings can often coincide with large numbers of egrets feeding along Dune Rd. in the marshlands after a long nights sleep.  Here is a Snowy that was quite difficult to properly expose but I'm thrilled the bill stands out against the dark background.

And lastly here is a Double Crested Cormorant in flight - which is not an easy task.  Taken at the Shinnecock Inlet.

Little Blue Heron

Little Blue:
The other day I took a drive not expecting to see much along Dune Rd. as things are still a bit slow as far as migration is concerned.  I was hoping to improve my Snowy Egret photos, which I was successful in, but the big surprise was finding my first Little Blue Heron which is a species typically found in the south (think Florida) but that has expanded its range over the last decade or so to begin breeding in New York and southern New England.  Little Blue Herons are about the same size as a Snowy Egret, and the juveniles are all white and easily confused with Snowy Egrets.  This bird was patient, and thanks to Mike Lotito for letting me use his beanbag as I shot from the ground to get the low angle:

After catching a good number of small killie fish, this heron found a big prize:

It wisely took the big prize to land in case it dropped it while trying to get it down:

Here's the heron stretching out a bit:

And a successful strike:

At one point a Snowy Egret came by in an effort to harass the Little Blue into giving up some food but to no avail:

Look big, bold, beautiful and (a little) intimidating in its full breeding plumage:

and a trip to Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge this weekend yielded this: