Saturday, January 7, 2012

Snowy Owl and Snow Goose


This afternoon I had a little time to look for birds so I headed out east and started on Dune Rd. where a Snowy Owl has repeatedly been reported stationed on Warner Island just east of the Shinnecock Bridge and just West of the Shinnecock Fishing Station.  Sure enough, the bird was there - though it was probably the most underwhelming Snowy Owl experience given the significant distance and the average optics I had (Nikon Action Ex Extreme 8 X 40 mm All Terrain Binoculars).  Still, it's always nice to locate and see this powerful and beautiful bird and below is the best image I was able to ascertain with my camera at a distance of ~ 1/3 of a mile.


The Shinnecock Inlet held nothing of interest aside from a couple seals who popped their heads up and some loons.  Here's a photo of a Red-throated loon I took last weekend at Cupsogue Beach:


Hoping to get lucky and find some wood ducks or other bird of interest I stopped in at Quogue Wildlife Refuge where the first bird I noticed was a Snow Goose (that seems to have a broken wing).  The bird was able to get around ok and swim (and of course there's plenty of food at the refuge) but certainly won't be able to fly when the time comes.  I'm assuming that the staff there is aware of this and that it will be captured by the Hamptons rescue group soon enough and rehabbed.  This was my first encounter with this species - so it's too bad that the bird is injured but still nice to see it and glad to see it at a safe haven like Quogue Wildlife Refuge.


If you are interested in the binoculars I use - check out the link below: