Neighborhood Merlin

A few weeks ago I was out the door a few minutes early on a Friday morning in order to get to a Natural History conference - as I got to a stop sign a block away I saw a small bird on a neighbors snag and turned down that road to get a closer look.  Sure enough - a Merlin, and it had prey.  I called my wife and asked if she could get my camera bag and bring it to the door to save me from having to go get it... a couple minutes later I was photographing the bird as it consumed what I later determined to be a House Sparrow (non-native/invasive species, so as prey items go this was a great choice!).

On my way home from the conference it was snowing and I hoped the Merlin would be there - but I wasn't in luck.  My wife returned home a few minutes later to report she saw an Osprey nearby so I headed out to try and get a shot of that bird in the snow which certainly would make for an unusual shot.  By the time I got to the location the Osprey was gone, but as I returned back home, who was there waiting for me?  The Merlin.

The next morning as I left to go look for birds - I lucked out a 3rd time.  There was the Merlin on the same tree and this time the sun was actually shining!  What a treat.

Haven't seen the bird since (it has likely migrated north as they don't breed this far south) but this morning while running near the Swan River I saw two falcons - I'm quite confident they were Peregrines but have only seen them around here once and it's possible they were Merlin.  Either way, anytime you get to see a falcon this close (to me AND to my home) it's a real treat.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Yesterday morning was filled with Yellow-Rumped Warblers everywhere on the West End of Jones Beach.  I had some success with raptors, watching as Merlins chased anything and everything including Sharp-shinned Hawks.  I headed home early since the diversity of birds was low but got an e-mail on my phone as I neared Captree announcing the presence of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Pulling into the parking lot revealed a big group of people and I saw the bird flying from perch to perch.  After spending some time trying to get a decent shot, I called it a day for good and passed on trying to locate the Yellow-Headed Blackbird that was still around.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler:

The Hawks were incredibly fast yesterday but I was able to catch up with a few:

Merlins were the real instigators - too bad I wasn't quick enough to get this Merlin chasing the Sharpie:

If you want to see more beautiful images of raptors, heck out this incredible book by my friend Richard Ettlinger:

Vacation

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm headed down to Florida for a week long vacation along the east coast.  I hopefully will be photographing lots of birds - many of which will shortly be here and some that are only seen down there (Roseate Spoonbill perhaps?!)  When I return I'll post some photos of my favorite shots from the trip - and will make an effort to include those true Long Islanders!

So, I leave you with this which I think is plenty appropriate given the fact that I'll be flying south!

New Welcome Banner

As the loyal readers will know "Birds of Long Island" has undergone a major visual overhaul in recent weeks which was long overdue.  One of the final pieces to be put in place was the "Birds of Long Island" banner you see at the top of this page.  It's something I've been meaning to do for a long time but for a while didn't have the skills to do it - and for a long time didn't have the motivation.  Well, I'm glad I finally got around to doing it (even if it took awhile).

This was Version #1

I asked for feedback from other photographers I know, as well as my family and my fantastic assistant/girlfriend.  Some of you may have briefly seen the first banner (directly above) I made that was up for about a day but which I decided needed to be changed based on the input of others.  I made a 2nd version (below) which never made it on the site and then a 3rd which you see at the top of the blog.

Version 2 was quickly scrapped

I have decided to update the banner approximately every 3 months to keep things fresh and cycle in new designs.  Any suggestions or input as to what you would like to see in the future is greatly appreciated.  My opinion matters just as much as the opinion of my readers (probably less!).  Thanks for the support and know that I'm always open to ideas from my audience on how to improve the look and function of Birds of 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)

Merlin with a Sanderling for Breakfast

This morning I set out on Dune Rd. in hopes of finding some American Bitterns which have been plentiful this week (with up to 4 being seen in a small area).  I drove from Quogue East and didn't find anything other than a juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron, a Belted Kingfisher, and a Song Sparrow.  The inlet was dead with only 2 old squaw (long-tailed ducks) flying by and the expected raft of Common Eiders hugging the western jetty.  While I drove back toward Quogue, right before Dolphin Lane I spotted a Merlin on the wires with a Sanderling.  I turned around and positioned myself to photograph it...after a minute or two someone on a bike came by and flushed the bird which flew about 100 feet to the east which was actually a blessing for me as the bird now faced the other way and I could get a head-on look.  After 30 minutes or so, the man on the bike returned and I was ready for the flush shot (having taken the teleconverter off of my camera and reduced my focal length from 500mm to 300mm).  The only problem was I forgot to aim where the bird WILL fly, instead of where the bird Was.  If I'd adjusted my camera up and to the left, I would have nailed the above shot, but instead I must deal with a clipped wing.  Oh well...
I'll start off with a teaser of the other species, before the grand finale of Merlin shots.

Here is the Song Sparrow which looked so beautiful in the Spartina:

The Juvenile Night Heron had me hoping Bittern from the road... but as I approached it was clear I would not be so fortunate:

And the Belted Kingfisher, in it's less than exciting perch and pose...:

And now for the Merlin... this was when I first approached the bird and you can see the prey is facing the North which isn't ideal.  It was Full Frame however, which was awesome:

 After it had been flushed, with a feather stuck in the beak:

 Head turn.....

 It looks like it's yelling, but I assure you it was just trying not to choke on the feathers.

 Trying to pick off each morsel of meat:

 This again was before it flushed the first time:

 A close-up:

Lastly, a mouth full of feathers....

Cold and Quiet Morning

After witnessing a beautiful sunrise and photographing some Red-Throated Loons (above), I started my morning in Amagansett in pursuit of some Greater White-fronted Geese and a Cackling Goose that had been seen in recent weeks.  I came up empty-handed but thought I'd find them on Hook Pond were they also had been spotted... once again without any luck.  I did find this Pheasant (below) that played cat and mouse in the light and only let me get off this 1/2 decent shot.  After leaving the Pond and heading West, I came across some Ruddy Ducks in Water Mill and a little action at the Shinnecock Inlet including a Merlin with some recently snagged prey (dead birds ID unknown) who decided it was best to eat breakfast on the East side of the inlet away from me I guess.  The day ended along Red Creek Rd. when I spotted some Guinea Hens awkwardly hanging out on the railing of a vacant house.

Here is the Ruddy shining in the morning light:

At Shinnecock Inlet I was surprised to see a small bird blazing across the sky and thought it must be a type of falcon... luckily it banked and turned back to the east from whence it came and streaked in front of me (which also meant in front of my sunlight resulting in a woefully underexposed image).

While most of the Common Eiders present at the inlet moved west once they saw me on the rocks, this one was too busy diving for food to notice it's friends had moved on:

Moving alone Dune Rd. in hopes of finding a Short Eared Owl that had been spotted the previous day by John Turner, I had to settle for this late Great Egret which will almost certainly perish this winter in the cold brutal north.

And lastly, these Guinea Hens provided a bit of amusement this morning as I drove past a vacant house on Red Creek Rd. next to Squiretown Park.  They sure have an endearing face don't they?

All lined up with no where to go...

Two new species photographed

Soaking the Morning Sun

Another fall visit to the West End of Jones Beach produced two new species for me - though they aren't anything spectacular, the photos came out very well for a first time encounter.  For those non-photographers viewing this, it is extremely difficult to come away with good photos of a species the first time you come across it (especially once you have been at it awhile and gotten the gimme birds out of the way).  Knowing a species habits, habitat, food sources, interactions with other species and other key information is almost always needed to get top notch images of a bird.  The same applies for shooting a new location (though it's less of a factor if you are with someone with experience of that area).  It takes awhile to figure out the best way to get the shot, the best approach, how long you have to wait etc, but every now and then you get lucky.  Almost 1 year ago to the date, I got extremely lucky and came away with my best wildlife photos ever (the gyrfalcon seen at the top of this blog) - never mind that they're some of the best images of a gyrfalcon in the lower 48 where it's a rare visitor.  So, a long story short, I was stoked when the red-breasted nuthatch (above) came down to an open branch as the sun rose and let me shoot away - and equally thrilled when I stumbled upon some fellow photographers in the median of WE2 and caught a glimpse of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet (below)

Showing how it got its name

Tasty Bugs

As small as a pine-cone

Just a moment before the sun broke over the dunes, I was lucky to observe this Osprey (it's getting late in the season for them) flying toward me before it banked to my left and headed out over the open water.  I wish I'd gotten some better lighting on the bird, but I think it's kind of a cool silhouette regardless.

Morning Glow

The must frustrating moment of the day came while I was walking along the median toward the coast guard station on the south side of the parkway.  I thought I'd seen a N. Harrier moments earlier but dismissed it.  After snapping some photos of a dark-eyed junco playing hide and seek (my best photos of this species as well), I turned to see a "grey-ghost" (aka Male Northern Harrier) flying away from me.... if I'd turned a few moments earlier I may have finally gotten a half decent shot of this species, instead of this:

The one That got Away

While photographing the ruby-crowned kinglet, I also came away with some nice looks at yellow-rumped warblers which once again were truly everywhere.  The number of yellow-rumped (aka "butter-butts") was quite amazing and it's the case for many areas along Long Island and I'm sure other coastal areas.  I also photographed some while waiting out Golden-crowned kinglets that didn't want to give me looks like last weekend.  Oh well, I'll take the Ruby as a consolation prize.

Hanging Out

Gazing into the morning

The morning started out with a Merlin on a snag right next to the Coast Guard station.  Some nice photos but I'm starting to get a good number of pictures just like this - merlin on a branch.  I hope one day soon I can get one with prey or even stretching it's wings/tail out to give me something a bit unique.

Looking for a Meal

Speaking of raptors, I rounded out my morning by hanging out with Richard Ettlinger once again and trying to photograph some speedy sharp-shinned hawks and merlins.  I was too optimistic in keeping my 1.7X teleconverter on for most of the session which meant sloooooowwwww autofocusing and missed shot after missed shot (which Richard always made clear to me by showing me the photos on his LCD and saying "see what you missed?").  Finally I gave up and took it off reducing my focal length from 500mm to 300mm and this sharp-shinned winged by... too bad I had to crop so much.  Perhaps better luck next time.  We also had a near encounter with a grey ghost (almost certainly the one I'd seen previously in the morning) but as soon as it popped over the dune and saw Rich's camera it made a U-turn and went back east... a truly difficult bird to photograph.  All in all, it was a gorgeous (albeit cold) morning with the full moon setting and a warm sunrise on a crisp fall day filled with birds.  The only regret I have is not making the run to Robert Moses after hearing a report of a sleeping red fox (a species I've only seen a few times and never had the chance to photograph).  Mike Lotito who gave me the head's-up came away with gorgeous images of a sleeping fox soaking up the morning glow of the sun... oh well, you can't be everywhere all the time!

Catch me if you Can

Savannah Sparrows galore

Savannah Sparrow

It seems that each time I visit EPCAL, I come away with something different.  While there were some raptors around (and even a surprise fly-over by a Merlin) Savannah Sparrows stole the show.  I got down on the ground and crawled my way toward their preferred perch on a barberry perch and was able to get nice and close.

Savannah Sparrow on a Thorny Perch

Perched atop a Bayberry Shrub

Merlin in Flight