The Clapper Rail gets the Worm

NIkon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7x TC, f/6.7, 1/50s, ISO 1250, -.67 Exposure Compensation

I'm starting to get a little tired of looking at this Short-Eared Owl and not finding it (it was seen again today along Dune Rd.) but each time I take a trip I happen upon something of interest (Merlin drying off, Cooper's Hawk trying to stay warm) and today was not an exception.  A Clapper Rail (a species which has been reported sparingly along Dune Rd. in recent weeks) was out in the open hunting for food in the cold, rainy afternoon.  Photography wasn't a great option because the lighting was so bad and Clapper Rails don't do a lot of standing in one place, so I thought I'd try a little video clip and got lucky when it caught this clam worm.  Enjoy.

While I was patiently watching the Rail I noticed this Greater Yellow Legs a short distance away working the same stretch of water.  Though it's not unheard of to find a GYL at this time of year, it is a bit surprising.

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC, f/6.7, 1/80s, ISO 1250, -.67 Exposure Compensation

You can probably see that the quality of these two images is not up to my normal standards.  Given the severe lack of lighting, and the combination of my 300 f4 lens and a 1.7X TC (magnifier), the maximum aperture (f-stop) I could use was f/6.7 which limits my shutter speed.  If I had a 500mm f4 lens for example, these exact same images could have been taken at a shutter speed 2 "stops" faster (approximately 1/320s or so) which would have resulted in a sharper image.  Or, I could have kept my 1/80s shutter speed and used a lower ISO (around 640) which would have produced a more detailed (and less noisy) image.  But alas, I don't own a $7,000 lens so I had to settle for lower quality images!

Ducklings and more

Ducklings:
The other day I visited Quogue Wildlife refuge in the hopes of photographing the carnivorous plant known as sundew, but quickly became distracted by a mother and her 8 ducklings.  Unfortunately the lighting was non-existent so I was forced to swap lenses frequently in an effort to squeeze out as much light as possible by using the largest aperture (smallest f-stop) possible.  My 300 let me shoot at f4, while my 105 + 1.7X let me shoot at f/4.5, but only at 180mm.  The biggest problem was that the ducklings wouldn't sit still for a second, so my shutter speed had to be high which meant my ISO had to be high... my percentage of "keepers" would have been much higher if there had been some sunshine, but I'm happy with what I was able to capture.

Eastern Bluebird:
A few days prior to my duckling adventure, I went to EPCAL to photograph bluebirds which nest near the roadway in nesting boxes erected a few years ago.  It looks like they are a little behind the pace last year, as I didn't spot any females, but quite a few males that were trying to stake their claim.  This one was banded, and I have submitted the appropriate information to the USGS who forwards that to the group they believe are responsible - I'm still waiting to hear about the birds origins but will report back when I find out.

Here is a photo of another bluebird from the day before which isn't banded:

Peregrine Falcon and Clapper Rail:
Yesterday after not seeing anything of note along Dune Rd. I found this Peregrine Falcon drying its feathers after a severe downpour on the big coast guard tower.  I've seen Peregrine Falcons here fairly regularly over the last few months and am curious if there will be a nesting pair in the future on one of the CG structures of the Ponquogue Bridge.

Mike Lotito, at the same time I was photographing the Peregrine, had found a Clapper Rail (he heard it first) and eventually photographed it as it poked its head out.  I joined him in the same spot this evening and we waited for a while, listening to its distinct call.  After a bit, I tried to approach from the south in hopes of seeing it through the vegetation and sure enough it popped out long enough for me to get a few photos.  Unfortunately, the storm clouds were blocking the sun again, so they don't compare to previous photos of this species I've gotten. Shortly after this the sun popped back out - figures.

Ring-Necked Pheasant:
After leaving the Clapper Rail, Mike and I headed in search of the Peregrine (which was absent) but found this Ring-Necked Pheasant (an import from Asian which is now "wild") along Dune Rd. which was a bit of a surprise to me as I've never seen one in these parts.

Pine Warbler:
Lastly, on Saturday I took a brief foray into the woods in hopes of seeing some Warblers which everyone was seeing this weekend - I didn't have much time but found both a Common Yellowthroat and a Pine Warbler seen here:

Big Finds, Bigger Misses

Seeing is believing: 
Not wanting to spend a lot of time driving or walking I tried to stay close to home - though I did venture out to North Sea in pursuit of an immature Bald Eagle that had been reported (which I of course didn't find).  From others reports, it seems as though I should have just spent my whole day along the fabled stretch of asphalt dripped through the wetlands and marshes of Quogue Village, East Quogue and Hamptons Bays.

What I found :
- American Bittern
- Clapper Rail
- 3 Northern Harriers
- Great Blue Heron
- Brant
- Black Ducks

What I missed:
- Cooper's Hawk
- Common Goldeneye
- Northern Gannet
- Razorbill
- Dovekie
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Bonaparte's Gull
- Blackheaded Gull

Aside from the Bonaparte's, Goldeneye and Cooper's Hawk, I've never photographed any of those bids, and seen them either once or never.  This is why wildlife photography (and particularly avian photography) is so addicting.  It's all about being in the right place at the right time, which is what lead to me seeing and photographing an American Bittern.  This bird really "should" be further south, as Long Island is outside of its wintering range, but for whatever reason a few always hang around throughout the winter.  I was aware the bird was in the area as it had been seen and photographed by a former boss of mine earlier in the week along Dune Rd.  Fortunately, it was relatively out in the open when I first spotted it.  In fact, it was so close, and so out in the open that I had to take off the teleconverter in order to get well composed photos as the ~500mm focal length was too much.  One of the things that makes a good wildlife photographer a better wildlife photographer is knowing their subject.  As with the Clapper Rail which I had photographed earlier this month, the American Bittern will rarely take flight when spotted, and instead will stand still and stretch its neck in an attempt to camouflage itself.  One of the 2 times I've seen this bird prior to today I was at Jones Beach, at the Coast Guard Station, and the Bittern did such a fine job of hiding that I literally walked within five feet of it without noticing it, only to hear its unique and loud call as it flew off once I had passed it.  So, with that information in mind I knew I had some time, though the bird surprised me by going for a walk in an attempt to "get away", which clearly, it did a poor job of:

Harrier Sightings:
Continuing east on Dune Rd. I encountered a Northern Harrier, which I wasn't going to put any effort into trying to photograph as they are so difficult and I really didn't have the patience to follow it up and down the road, but it was going in my direction and as I looked ahead there was another Harrier so I thought it would be worth a shot.  I drove a ways down, parked along the road and waited for one of the hawks to get close enough.  It seems that right when they appear to be ready to fly past you, they will bank and head in the other direction, which is what this one did, but not before I captured this photo:

Full disclosure on the above photo is that I clipped the ends of the very bottom wingtips, and thus there was no "sky" beneath it either.  This, however, was probably my best Harrier shot to date (mostly because of the focus/catchlight on the eye, and angle of the bird which allowed for great look at the entire body) so I brought it into photoshop and did a little surgery.  As I continued down Dune Rd. I saw another Harrier perched on a post along Shinnecock Bay. I'd seen this once before last year, but was at quite a distance.  Northern Harriers rarely will perch on anything other than the ground, so to see it up and "exposed" like that is great.  The problem is there is a lot of vegetation in the way, and it's near impossible to get a decent photo of it, so I had no such luck.  Later in the afternoon, I was presented with the same situation, and again came up with nothing.  I did however spot the same Harrier moments before lounging around in the marsh (as they commonly do).  The focus isn't tack sharp, but it's the first photo I've gotten of this bird not in flight so I'll take it. Following this, I went down to the inlet which was eerily vacant of ANY birds.  I guess all of the interesting species that showed up later in the day were trying to make up for lost time. . .

(Elusive) American Kestrel:
 As I made my way to North Sea, I thought I'd take a chance to see if I could spot the American Kestrel I had photographed a few weeks ago at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Course.  As I drove up the hill past the famous clubhouse, I looked at a pitch pine tree to the east, at the end of a gravel parking lot and thought I saw an unusual shape at the end of a dead branch (I had seen the Kestrel briefly perched here last time) and as I drove by I thought I better turn around and take a closer look.  Well, as I pulled into the driveway I saw the Kestrel leave its perch and hover briefly looking for prey below, before flying south out of sight.  I continued on my North Sea/Watermill foray which yielded some Black-Crowned Night Herons perched in an eastern red cedar tree at the headwaters of Conscience Point (seen below) but came up with nothing of particular interest.  On the way back I wanted to try again for the Kestrel.  Once I got into the gravel parking lot I saw it was not there and figured it was long gone.  As I drove back south toward County Rd. 39, out of the corner of my eye I saw the Kestrel perched in a tree right next to the road and I quickly turned into the service entrance to the golf course.  After I turned around I couldn't find the bird - it had flown off again.  Not only had I driven past it when I entered the course, but it flew off within the second it took me to turn around.  This is quickly turning into one of those situations where the photographer is always 1 step behind his/her nemisis bird.  At least I know where to look next time. . .

Dune Rd., Take II:
After heading home and looking at my photos for the morning, I couldn't sit inside and waste away the sunshine and (relatively) warm weather, especially with the forecast of rain over the next few days.  So, back in my car I was, headed for Dune Rd. with the promise of Harriers, Bitterns and who knows what else.  Sadly, the Bittern had been replaced by a Great Blue Heron, which attracted several (idiot) photographers who were SO excited they couldn't even pull off the road and were essentially sitting ducks.  Whenever I am photographing from my car along Dune Rd. (or any other road) I make sure I have my flashers on, that I'm pulled well off the road, and that I'm not interfering with anyone or anything - if only others could follow my lead.  As I continued east, I kept an eye out for the Peregrine I had seen earlier in the week, along with the Clapper Rails.  One of the rails was cooperative and was out feeding in the fading winter sunlight paying no attention to me.  It was incredible to watch this bird wade through the icy cold water, weaving in and out of the marsh grasses and finding some prey (a mud crab, seen below:)

As I continued, I spotted some more Harriers, as noted above, and found one perched on the ground that let me get some half decent flight shots as it flew toward the setting sun.  Another good day.

Peregrine Surprise

The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest species on the planet, with the ability to top out at 200 MPH during a dive (or  stoop) using gravity to aid its speed.  During straight flight (pursuit or otherwise) it can reach speeds as high as 70 MPH, and regularly cruises above 25 MPH.  The Peregrine, like all falcons, is built for speed and its diminutive size, sleek pointy wings and light frame make it the king of all flyers.  While in pursuit of the Clapper Rail seen in the previous post, I came across this beautiful Peregrine (males and females are virtually indistinguishable other than size) just south of where I had spotted the rail.  This was only my third definitive encounter with this species, with both prior occasions occurring on Dune Rd., and with my best look at this species taking place about 100 yards West of this bird, perched on a lightpost in February of last year.  It took a bit of stalking and careful walking on the frozen marsh to get in a good position (in regards to background/sunlight) to get the photos I wanted, but it was well worth it.  Unfortunately with the bird so out in the open there was no way of getting closer, and as such these are about 50% or greater crops.  The bird was seen again today, so I can only hope it will be a more common sighting along Dune Rd. this winter.

I did see 1 of the 2 Clapper Rail, however I didn't stop because it wasn't where I'd seen the other one and was hoping for a better photo-op, which is when I stumbled upon the Peregrine.  When I went back for the Clapper Rail I couldn't locate it (i.e. couldn't remember where I saw it. . . ).  Not wanting to pass up a chance to go to the Inlet in the hopes of seeing something unusual, I headed down there with a about 45 minutes left of sunlight but all that was willing to be photographed was this Cormorant, which is truly the best look I've gotten.

Clapper Rail

After the 6 mile hike in Montauk which was less than satisfying as far as photography goes, I decided to stay close to home in hopes of getting some more Harrier photos.  There also was a chance that I'd be able to locate one (or both) of the Clapper Rail or American Bittern that had been seen near Dockers Restaurant on Dune Rd. in East Quogue.  The ditch just to the east of Dockers is quite productive in the winter and has been host to Black Ducks, Red-Breasted Mergansers, Wilson's Snipe, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Great Blue Heron, and now Clapper Rail.  I spotted the bird feeding in the mudflats (it would be unlikely to find this bird at high tide due to the depth of the water and size of the bird) and parked nearby.  I trekked over the frozen marshland (which was helpful, as when there is no ice it's quite spongy and difficult to walk across) quietly and snuck up on the Rail who was not alarmed by my presence.  After a good showing the Rail walked to the bank of the creek and poked its head curiously in the grasses and in the blink of an eye slipped between the grass and mud bank.  Gone.  No wonder these birds are so tough to photograph!

Long Island is the nothern extreme for this birds wintering range.  Clapper Rails (along with other Rails [King, Virginia]) have a diet consisting of fish, crustaceans and invertebrates.  In this photo it appears to be eating a sand shrimp that it stirred up in the mud.

And here it is in its typical habitat: