Rough-Legged Hawk at EPCAL

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC, f/8, 1/2000s, ISO 640

Dune Rd. yesterday was sparse with only a few Northern Harriers and an Adult Black Crowned-Night Heron being of note.  So in an attempt to salvage the day I took a trip to EPCAL with my girlfriend riding shotgun as a spotter in hopes of getting something of interest.  EPCAL was surprisingly sparse - but it wasn't long before my spotter saw a hawk circling above which I identified as a Rough-legged Hawk thanks to the brown patches on the underwing.  We were able to observe the Hawk for some time hovering low and high over the snow covered grasslands in pursuit of food.  It landed a couple of times but never came away with food.  As the sun was setting and the Hawk headed further from us we called it a night and left.

Belted Kingfisher

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC f/10, 1/800s, ISO 500, 50% of original

The Belted Kingfisher is one of the hardest birds to get in photography range in the U.S. - they have a penchant for taking off from their perches right when you get into position and mock you with their unmistakable rattle call.  Dune Rd. is almost always good for at least 1 Kingfisher - usually perched along the power lines peering down into the mosquito ditches that border the road and today was no exception.  A male and female were both present but it was the Male who put on the show.  He made quite a few dives into the water (though I couldn't discern if they were successful) and a few times it hovered above the water waiting to strike which allowed me to photograph it from my car.  These pictures are a big improvement over anything I have but still a long ways from what I want.  A blind and set-up will probably be required to fulfill that desire - but for now I'll take these!

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC f/6.7, 1/1250s, ISO 640, 25% of original

Here is the female - notice the rust coloring:

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC 1/1250s, ISO 640, 65% of original

And here's a different pose:

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC f/6.7, 1/1250s, ISO 640, 25% of original

A juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron was skulking around the marsh looking for food in the areas of open water:

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC f/8, 1/2000s, ISO 400, Full Frame

Moving around:

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC f/8 1/1250s, ISO 400, Full Frame

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....

Gyrfalcon and other oldies

Well considering it's been 3 weeks since I last made an update to my blog, you can guess that summertime is slow time when it comes to birds.  I've been off photographing rare flowers, toads and turtles (all of which can be seen on my sister blog: www.WildLongIsland.blogspot.com).  So in light of the lack of feathered subjects, I'm going to post some archival images for your viewing pleasure.  The theme here (incase you can't tell) is flight.  (Above/Below: Gyrfalcon from October, 2009)

Some Common Terns from "Tern Island":

A Black Crowned Night Heron made its way back to its roost a few months ago along Dune Rd. at sunset:

In April, this Osprey successfully harassed some gulls for a crab legs snack:

Recently, a Juvenile Osprey tested out its wings at Cupsogue County Park:

A few minutes later I was photographing this Black Skimmer that gracefully cut the water in search of food:

Lastly, November provided this Mallard gem... if only I hadn't clipped the wings.