Marbled Godwits

This afternoon I took a trip to the Cupsogue flats which I have not visited since last year.  Marbled Godwits have been reported regularly there but I've never had the chance to photograph them at Cupsogue (or any other location they happen to be at on Long Island during the end of summer/beginning of fall).  It took a bit of searching to find birds (any birds that weren't gulls that is) and after scanning through the crowd all I had were a lot of Black-bellied plovers and some Skimmers.  A raptor must have flown over because all of the birds took off and settled down in different spots with the Skimmers heading to the north on the fringe of some exposed sand.  When I began heading toward them I noticed a few birds a little further off in the water and as luck would have it, they were the Godwits I was after.

Now the hard part was getting close - There was no cover aside from two small patches of saltmarsh cordgrass, so I employed patience and my "stealth" skills to get right up on the birds.

Other birds this afternoon included the Snowy Egret:

Laughing Gull:

Common Tern juvenile which was still dependent on its parent for food (seemingly getting a little late for that behavior):

What I believe to be a Forster's Tern:

A Royal Tern was in the mix as well:

After looking at the photos I noticed the leg band.  Here is a major crop showing the numbers.  If anyone can make sense out of this let me know please:

These Eastern Willets in non-breeding plumage (with Godwits in the background):

If you like birds as much as I do (or even a little bit) you will love this book by New York's own Luke Dempsey entitled: A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All

Green Heron, Grasshopper Sparrows

This evening after work I visited EPCAL grasslands looking for Grasshopper Sparrows.  I was successful in finding quite a few but had a difficult time getting close to them.  Interestingly I found some that had been banded - if anyone knows about these birds being banded in New York I would certainly be interested in hearing about it.  While there were plenty of Eastern Meadowlarks at the site they proved impossible to get near so I was unable to photograph them.

Upon returning home I got in my kayak and headed into Reeves Bay and the mouth of the Peconic River.  Aside from the Least and Common Terns which are nesting, I was pleasantly surprised to find a Green Heron which has been particularly elusive for me on Long Island.  This bird posed beautifully in the strong evening light as it hunted for fish along the edge of the marsh.  There was also another Green Heron in my canal but by that time there was very little light.

Around the corner was a Spotted Sandpiper, but alas when I got near it was no longer present - a shame because I have never been able to photograph this bird and the conditions this evening were excellent.

For more on Long Island birds and wildlife (and more of my pictures!), pick up a copy of John Turner's Exploring the Other Island: A seasonal guide to nature on Long Island

Nesting Least Terns

Least Terns are one of the most aggressive birds when it comes to defending their nesting sites from humans and other predators.  They will dive bomb you, they will crap on you, they will screech at you and they will even run into you.  But when I visited a nearby Least Tern colony via kayak this evening I didn't experience any of that.  I attribute that mostly to my knowledge of these birds after years of being around them and a few summers monitoring them.  However, I was also able to tuck in behind some vegetation which made me less visible and I think the fact that these birds are in a remote location they don't necessarily perceive man as a threat like their friends who nest at popular ocean and bay front beaches.  Either way, it was a real treat for me to photograph them so close.  In the above image, the least tern was trying to evade the other which had "goosed" it in a dispute over territory.

Above: The Least Tern after it was not so nicely told to get away.
Below: A Least Tern doing a little yoga. . .

Least Terns are very hard to catch in flight, but sometimes they hover which makes it slightly easier.

And one more flight shot for good measure. . .

If you are like me and have an affinity for birds, check out this guide book to birds on the east coast: National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America (National Geographic Field Guide to Birds)

Common and Least Tern Colonies

This afternoon I went to New Made Island (aka Tern Island) with Anthony Graves.  The island is located in Moriches Bay and has been a habitat restoration project spearheaded by the Town of Brookhaven with help from other government agencies.  Last year was quite successful with over 100 breeding pairs, but this year got off to a slow start.  After we cleared some new vegetation and installed the bird caller, a follow-up visit yielded just a handful of Terns and a caller that wasn't working.  The caller was restarted and today we were surprised to find about 75 birds using the island and making scrapes.  It didn't appear that there were any active nests - even though there were this time, but there are several reasons that could be, including the possibility of birds having the nests flooded out on a nearby marsh island.  Regardless, it was nice to see so many birds there.  Unfortunately I was unable to get any photos because I had to wade 1/4 mile to the island from the boat due to the tide.

When we got back to the mainland, the "resident" Least Bittern on private property in Brookhaven Hamlet was heard calling, but was deep in the phragmites so it was not seen.  The bird has been present in the same location for several weeks now, but I don't think it will be successful in finding a mate!

This evening I took a kayak ride into Flanders Bay in the hopes of spotting some Saltmarsh or Seaside Sparrows on several marsh islands in the Bay.  I didn't find anything (perhaps a trip at high-tide will be better) but saw a few Osprey and other common birds.  I then headed over to a spit of land at the end of a Town owned park which is really only accessible by boat (you can walk there along the shore, but it's broken up by several sections of marsh).  To my surprise, there was a Least Tern colony of about 26-30 birds.  There were many scrapes and a few nests with 1 or 2 eggs were located.  Common Terns were also present and may possibly look to breed on the site as I observed what appeared to be courtship behavior.  Also, there is no other suitable location for these Common Terns to be nesting in the area so it is quite likely they will co-mingle with the Least Terns which is a bit unusual.

If you love birds that make a living on and near the water - look no further than this awesome book by Ted Cross:  Waterbirds.  I received it as a Christmas Gift and the book is truly visually stunning and the stories/information is incredible.  Highly recommended!  

End of the Doldrums

As we make our way through August, shorebirds are finding their way down south and things are picking up.  I set out to Cupsogue this morning in search of Marbled Godwits which have been reported but didn't find them.  I did, however, find a slew of other fun to photo species (Above/Below: Black Skimmer)

I had an awesome experience with some sharp-tailed sparrows (I believe these are the "saltmarsh" variety).  This species of Sparrow is very shy and I'd only seen it on one previous occasion but they put on a nice show this morning.

A habitat shot just as the sun was rising:

A Roseate Tern made a surprise fly by which I didn't realize until after I got home and looked at the files.  There's a good chance this breeding adult is from one of the two colonies about 2 miles to the West where I had done Tern restoration work in conjunction with the State and Federal Government.

Edit: After speaking with John Turner, it has been pointed out that this is almost certainly a Common Tern and not a Roseate - based mostly on the short tail as opposed to the Roseate's deeply forked tail.  What through me off was the bill coloration as Roseate's do get a black/red bill, but generally they are more black than this, so with that, thank you John for setting me straight (as usual).

And later on, another Roseate (possibly the same one) made a surprise appearance with a meal in its mouth:

As long as we are on the topic of Terns, here are some shots of a Common Tern:

Above: Adult.  Below: Juvenile.

I'll round things out with 2 species that are a bit more commonly seen, the Double-Crested Cormorant and the Osprey.

Here is an adult Osprey with a fish (a juvenile is also in the nest)

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.

Tern Island!

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to go to 'Tern Island' (aka New Made Island) in Moriches Bay.  It is an approximately 2 acre dredge spoil island (i.e. man made) just north of Fire Island National Seashore and a few miles West of Moriches Inlet in Moriches Bay.  I first visited the property at the end of March with several co-workers and two employees from the USFW Service.  At the time, we were working on clearing some of the vegetation that has grown on the island in order to create suitable habitat for Common and Roseate Terns (both Federally listed species) as there current nesting location is barely above the water line and has suffered serious flooding in recent years - destroying thousands of eggs and drowning chicks.

With the aid of the USFW Service equipment and money and a permit from the NYS DEC we cleared about an acre of land using a float-able excavator (a really cool looking machine that was towed through the bay from the Carman's River in Shirley - see blow).  In order to reduce the potential threat of raptors (such as Peregrine Falcons) from perching on the island and having a vantage point to glean chicks from, the only two trees (Eastern Red Cedars) were removed as well as a large bayberry bush.  The land was graded and raked in hopes of creating the perfect habitat for the Terns.  Additionally, right when the birds were beginning to show up at the end of their migration, a "caller" was installed, along with wooden decoys.  The caller plays a loop of a Common Tern colony which attracts the birds and is powered by a solar panel - within minutes of the caller being activated, Terns began to show up overhead.  It was still unknown if we would be successful in getting Terns to come to the island and nest but when we arrived on Friday, there was no doubt.  There were at least 200 Common Terns, and at least 1 pair of Roseate Terns on the island with many nests and plenty of courtship behavior.  It is amazing to have such success the first year and more land will likely be cleared next year in order to allow more Terns to colonize the island.  A special thanks to USFW Service for their time and equipment, and Anthony Graves who spearheaded the plan.  (Above: Roseate Tern in flight)

Excavator removing trees:

The Colony on Friday.  Note the solar panel and black box containing the CD player:

Now for the fun part... the birds.  A Common Tern in flight:

Common Terns fighting mid-air:

A Common Tern returning to its mate with a Sand Lance:

Vocalizing:

A banded Common Tern (likely banded as a chick by USFW Service):

Common Tern Courtship Behavior - notice the "decoy" in the background (the food is a grass shrimp):

A Common Tern Nest with 3 eggs (the usual amount):

A Roseate Tern with its all black bill:

And the most exciting site, a pair of Roseate Terns: