Early arrivals are fueling up

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC, f/8, 1/1600s, ISO 400, -.33 EC

The early spring arrivals were busy today eating all the fish they could catch.  The Great Egret of course going for much smaller sized meals than the big osprey - but with talons like those it makes catching fish much easier!

NIkon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC, f/8, 1/1600s, ISO 400, -.33 EC

There were about 5 Great Egrets along Dune Rd. stalking the marshes and I look forward to seeing more wading birds, including Snowy Egrets and Yellow-Crowned Night Herons in the months to come.

If you want to learn more about these birds or where to find them on Long Island, order a copy of John Turner's Exploring the Other Island: A seasonal guide to nature on Long Island

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk

f/8, 1/1000s, ISO 400, Full Frame

I skipped out of work a little early to enjoy the sunshine (since it's been such a rare event this winter) and try and find a Short Eared Owl which has been seen sparingly along Dune Rd. in recent weeks.  Well surprise surprise no owl (I've yet to find one while in the act of pursuing one) but my trip was salvaged by a cooperative juvenile Cooper's Hawk perched on a telephone line directly north of the Tiana Beach parking lot.  The bird hungout for a little but when I tried to drive past it and continue east it took off into the thickets not to be seen again.  (Below is a quick video - not terribly exciting!)

I'm far from an expert on birds but it seems to me that there has been an increase in the number of Cooper's Hawks seen along Dune Rd. during non-migration times which is not their standard habitat.  Certainly during fall migration, Cooper's Hawks are seen in good numbers at places like the Robert Moses Hawk Watch but I find it interesting that these birds are frequenting the Dunes and marshes of Hampton Bays and East Quogue and competing with the likes of Northern Harriers, Merlins and Peregrines for prey.  If anyone knows more or wants to weigh in feel free to leave a comment.  In my opinion Cooper's Hawks have been expanding their range to include the barrier beaches at least on a very local scale.  Below are two images from last winter of an Adult Cooper's Hawk chasing off a Northern Harrier about 1/4 mile West of where the above bird was seen.

 Full Extension from the Cooper's:

For those looking for a good book to help you ID birds (and not just raptors) I use a few but to nail down the ID of this particular juv. Cooper's Hawk (which can be tough given their similarities to Sharp-Shinned Hawks) I used Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America which I highly recommend (book review to come!)

 

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.