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.

Cold and Wet Observation - Nesting Eagles

(Excuse the terribly quality of these images - the bird was crazy far away and with overcast skies AND rain, well... you get the "picture").

I was off from work yesterday and knew it would be very windy today so I thought I'd take the trip to see the Bald Eagles at WFE again yesterday.  A friend of mine had been down a bit earlier but didn't see anything of interest (don't think he saw both, just the one on the nest).  When I arrived, a few birders were there with spotting scopes, but it looked like they were packing up and getting ready to leave.  When I walked out to the creek I felt the very cold wind and realized this wouldn't be that fun. After searching for the Eagle that wasn't on nesting duty and locating it about 1,000 feet away on the marsh, I went back to my vehicle to get a spotting scope and my Marmot Men's Precip Jacket and headed back out to the marsh as the rain began to fall.  

Aside from some duck flybys, nothing was happening.  As I looked out on the marsh at the Eagle I observed a number of corvids (crows - but I couldn't tell if they were all American crow or if some where Fish Crow so let's just call them corvids) congregating near the eagle in addition to some Greater Black-backed gulls (which are huge by the way - the largest gull species in the world as a matter of fact and having a maximum wingspan just shy of a male Bald Eagle).  What surprised me was the Eagle's complete lack of concern about these other species and vice versa.  Typically, raptors are magnets for murders of crow or marauding blue jays.  Red-winged black birds frequently chase and harass Osprey and conversely large raptors often scare away other species of birds.  This is not the case with this Bald Eagle (and I presume many Bald Eagles - though I have very little observation time to back that up) as it seemed completely content with its present company.

After spending some time in the rain observing the eagle as best as I could (the spotting scope was not terribly secure and the wind was relentless (good thing I don't get seasick!) but I observed a few instances of Crows walking right at the Eagle, as if they were trying to get a reaction from the much larger (and deadlier) bird.  But the Eagle was having none-of-it and remained on its perch (which after looking at the images turned out to a stick - which I couldn't see from my vantage point).  At one point, a Greater Black-backed gull came in very close and instead of intimidating the gull with its massive beak or turning its talons to the bird, it simply twisted its head and gave the gull a nonplussed expression - as if it say "Really? There's a whole marsh here!".

As the rain got more intense and my hands got colder (should have brought gloves), I heard the unmistakable chirp of the Osprey (which to this point had not shown up and had not been observed on the "nest" as it was last time I was down there.  The Osprey flew very near the Eagle Nest, calling out several times which I thought for sure would bring the adult BE over from the marsh to drive the bird away.  But the Eagle stayed put (certainly visually aware of what was going on, and hearing the Osprey chirp away), perhaps figuring it wasn't worth the effort unless the Osprey really started to harass its mate.  The Osprey then turned down the creek and patrolled the marsh (possibly looking for fish below) and I wondered if it would go after the Eagle which has been so tolerant of the other birds.  Sure enough, the Osprey slowly got closer and closer until it swooped down at the Eagle.  The Eagle (as expected) flashed its talons and wings which not only pushed the Osprey back up but spooked the loafing gull.  I stuck around for a couple more minutes to see if the Osprey would come back - but it continued west probably in search of fish.  The Eagle remained on its perch, soaking wet from the rain, waiting things out until it was time to take over nesting duties and I returned to my car soaked (but only from the waste down - thanks Marmot!).

You can see the wing of the Gull that was sitting right next to the Eagle.  He got out of there real quick!

Today is far too windy to bother going down - and tomorrow will likely be too busy with family activities to make a trip.  I'm hoping to get there on Monday, if even for my lunch break.  I have decided to focus my efforts on this nest instead of the one I first documented (you can read about that one here if you haven't been keeping up: Bald Eagles are Back) as it's much easier to observe the actual nest and the location is geographically advantageous because the Eagles (and Osprey) must funnel past my location when fishing or returning to their nests.  Hope everyone has a great Easter / Passover weekend!  By the way - can you spot the Eagle in the nest??

Another Bald Eagle Nest

This year the number of confirmed Bald Eagle Nests on Long Island has doubled - and lucky for me, there are now three within 15 miles in either direction.  One is located at Wertheim along the Carmans River and is completely inaccessible (the Wildlife Refuge closes access to the creek so kayakers cannot approach).  The nest I have previously photographed and discussed in my last two posts has been protected with the closing of a trail that leads to it, as has the one I photographed today.

"Adult"

Sub-Adult

Todays nest is located at the William Floyd Estate (which is part of Fire Island National Seashore - the only National Seashore in the State of New York).  At this moment there is no public access to where I photographed the nest from and even when access does become available later in the season I am wary to post specific details as there is also an Osprey nest that will likely be disturbed every time someone goes to visit the Eagles.  It's obviously not a problem if the Ospreys get annoyed a few times - but if there are daily visits with large groups not only does it stress the Osprey - it may cause the Eagles to unnecessarily chase / harass the Osprey.  

Ok, with all of that out of the way - let's get to the fun stuff!  I visited the site today around 11 AM (when it was low tide - allowing me a little closer access to the nest which is still about 500 feet from where i was standing) for work and hung out for a bit.  I saw the "Adult" (more on that in a bit) Eagle lazily go after the Osprey a few times and from the photos it appears that it brought some nesting material back at one point.  After maybe 30 minutes of being there, the "Adult" took over nesting duties and the "Sub-Adult" flew to a nearby perch.  It did a nice fly by (again, lazily going after an Osprey) and eventually headed north up the creek until it was out of site and I was out of time.  The photos of the two birds clearly illustrate why one is an "Adult" and one is a "Sub-Adult" as the one without the white head exhibits plumage seen in birds that are between 3-4 years old.  While Eagles generally don't reach sexual maturity until their 5th year, some do achieve it earlier which appears to be the case with this bird. Below: The first image is the "Adult" the second is the "Sub-Adult"

After work, I headed back down there to take advantage of the evening light.  The previously lone osprey was now joined by its mate - and when I first arrived I saw the Adult BE flying low over the marsh - but quickly lost track of it.  After awhile, one of the osprey headed up the River and the adult BE took off after it... The sun setting in the sky made for beautiful light but it was hard to tell what was going on - at one point I thought I saw something fall from the Osprey's talons, but hadn't seen it catch a fish so I was unsure.  After looking at the images, it's clear to me that the Osprey had indeed caught a fish and the Eagle was trying to steal it, however the fish dropped from the sky (presumably in someone's yard) with the Eagle continuing to go after the Osprey.  

Hard to see, but there's a fish!

Dropped fish falling underneath the Eagle

Watching this was a great experience and a notable difference from what I saw at the other Eagle nest.  When watching the Eagles and Osprey interact there - it appeared that the Osprey were trying to defend their territory and continually antagonize the nesting eagle being the aggressor.  But today, when the Osprey had a fish, the Eagle became the aggressor and tormented the Osprey until the Osprey gave up its catch.  Right after this exchange, the Osprey's mate came down the creek and the two birds landed on their nest - providing me with some awesome photo ops, with the Adult BE sitting on a tree on the other side - keeping an eye on myself and the Osprey.  

As the sun got lower and the day got later, I had to pack up and leave.  I took one last shot of the nest and realized I could actually make out the Sub-adult BE's head which was a nice surprise.  The other nest location is further away and the nest is constructed in a live pine - completely obscuring views of what is going on.  Assuming these birds are successful (which is a big assumption based on the lack of success from other nests on the Island in the past few years) we should be able to have a pretty good view (with binoculars anyway) of the babies as they grow.

If you want to learn more about how to Identify Raptors in the sky - or just learn more about Raptors, check out Jerry Liguori's Book (which features a few of my Gyrfalcon images) Hawk's at a Distance: 

Sit and Wait - Bald Eagle Edition

Once again the "Spring" weather was completely uncooperative and the temperatures were quite cold with a biting wind coming from the North.  I have no problem spending a few hours waiting around for the nesting Bald Eagles to "do something" but the fact that it's almost April and there was snow (!!) on the ground made it a little less enjoyable.

When we arrived we spotted the Eagle a long ways off from where we were on the trail.  I checked on the bridge trail which leads to the island the bird is on and found a sign informing visitors that the trail is closed temporarily due to nesting bald eagles.  This was a real sign of relief due to the fact that last weekend a photographer spent a lot of time practically under the nest spooking the birds - then lamenting that he was surprised the bird took off every time he got near it.  Well, at least the Baldies won't have to worry about that - and a big thank you to a few of my friends who made the calls to make it happen.

While sitting around hoping the Eagle would do something of interest - we saw a few Mute Swans fight (related: NYSDEC updates Mute Swan Management Plan), listened to the incessant rattle of the Belted Kingfisher (this one was a male) and saw a few species of ducks zing by.  When we decided to leave - the Eagle had put up and disappeared but as we travelled down the Trail my wife thought to look around one last time to see if she could find it (She's much better at this type of thing than me) and sure enough it was a few hundred yards away from the original perch.  I went to show a friend of mine who had shown up the new location and after awhile some Osprey appeared - soaring well above the island and I knew that the Bald Eagle wouldn't be having it.

A short bit later the Eagle took off and flew back toward the nest, settling on a perch in order to defend his (her?) efforts against the pesky Osprey.  It was a short-lived tiff (unlike last weekends) but was fun to watch none-the-less.

Later in the afternoon I stopped by "Swan River Preserve" in East Patchogue to see if there were any ducks of interest on the pond as I had some past success with a male Bufflehead.  There were a few mallards and some Gadwall - but overall it was quite quiet.  I really hoped to get a shot of the Gadwall taking off (as they shoot up vertically, much like mallards) but JUST missed after waiting for the moment to strike (a nearby dog was sure to spook the bird).  After this I headed to Bellport Docks which has had some nice wintering waterfowl and would be a nice haven for birds with the wind out of the north - but aside from a red-necked grebe and some far off Buffleheads (or Bufflebutts as I like to call them) it was dead quiet.  Another stop yielded nothing but a frustrating Harrier and it was time to call it - but overall I was really happy to photograph Eagles once again. Next weekend (weather permitting!) I hope to checkout another nest (that will likely also be very far away) nearby (and whose location I would be more comfortable posting on this blog).

If you are interested in learning more about wildlife on Long Island and seeing beautiful images of what this Island has to offer (including many by me) - checkout this book by Naturalist John Turner:  

Here's a video of the Bald Eagle just hanging out (no volume).  You can see some "waves" distorting the image - this is from atmospheric haze caused by the heat moving the air which is magnified by the extreme focal length used.   

I'm back - and so are Bald Eagles

After a nearly year long hiatus from posting on this blog (and instead focusing on my instagram account) I'm back and look forward to bringing weekly (and hopefully oftentimes daily) posts to this blog.  With the creation of the Long Island Wildlife facebook page (2,500 followers and growing) I realized that there are a lot of people from Long Island (and elsewhere) that are truly interesting in seeing what our Island has to offer.

So I'll start this off with a quick post about something that has generated a lot of buzz in the nature photography and birding community starting a back in winter (wait, is it still winter??).  Bald Eagles have for decades been a rare sighting on Long Island.  From time to time Birders or photographers would make a note of observing one flying high above - often times a subadult (which lacks the famous "bald" head).  I myself had seen sub-adults twice, once above Mill Pond in Water Mill and again in Flanders with a sub-adult perched on a high-tension tower eating a freshly caught fish.  But aside from these sporadic sightings, if one wanted to see Bald Eagles in the NY Metro area, you would head up to the Hudson near Croton and observe the dozens or more of Baldies that congregate there in the winter to feed on fish and carrion that was always plentiful.

This winter - Bald Eagles started being seen with relative frequency all across the Island.  Nassau, Central Suffolk and the Twin Forks seemed to have their fair share and after awhile it was obvious that there were many regular's across the island.  One of the more "popular" (read: most frequently observed) was a 4th year bird that had one silver band on its leg that spent time between Artist's Lake in Middle Island and Patchogue Lake in Patchogue Village.  While my wife and I tried often to find this bird - we never did, always "just" missing it.

Another mainstay was an adult (and often times a second along with some subadults) in Downtown Riverhead, right behind the aquarium (of all places).  After a few attempts at this bird, we finally got the timing right and I got a few wonderful photos of the first adult I'd ever seen on the island.  Later that day I saw a few more sub-adults further up the Peconic River.  Based on reports I saw on the facebook page and the NYS Bird listserv, I estimate that on the best days there were upwards of 30 Eagles from Montauk to Manhattan, with a daily average probably in the 15-20 range.

This past weekend, after getting a tip on a potential nest site, my wife and I found a pair of Bald Eagles at a local park.  It appeared from what I observed that the birds were incubating eggs and fiercely defending the nest (and their territory) from the recently arrived Osprey.  A report from a photographer we met there indicated a few subadults had been around the day before.  We are headed there again tomorrow in hopes of finding the birds again and getting some better shots.  **NOTE: The location of this nest is NOT being disclosed (for obvious reasons).  While it is at a publicly accessible location - I'm waiting on word from the NYSDEC regarding the closing of a trail which runs very close to this nest.  Once I've been assured of that and know that the nest location is common knowledge, I would be happy to share with others.  But for now, please don't ask as the nest is vulnerable to those who are not familiar with the site and their needs.

In the next week or so I'll try to elaborate on the Bald Eagle's recovery on Long Island including how many active nests there are and some reasons for their return.  For now, enjoy the images!

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

Lots of Raptors @ EPCAL

Cropped to about 50% off the original - this Roughie is soaring high

On Wednesday the sun was shining and it was the start of a few warm and blue-sky days.  On my way home from work I visited EPCAL and was happy to see so many Kestrels.  In just 20 minutes I observed 7 including what appears to be a pair (see below).  Additionally, 2 light-morph Rough-Legged Hawks, several Northern Harriers and a Red-tailed Hawk were present.

American Kestrel "hovering".  Cropped to just 20% of the original

Perching on the ugly but useful Common Mullein:

I'm including this shot even though the quality isn't great because it was just about full frame:

For more about birds and wildlife on Long Island I highly recommend John Turner's Exploring the Other Island: A seasonal guide to nature on Long Island which features a dozen of my photos including a photo of a Snowy Owl found last year on the beach in Hampton Bays.  This is a must read for bird lovers on Long Island

Rough-legged Hawk; Light Morph

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC, f/8, 1/1600s, ISO 500

This afternoon was filled with sunshine but also wind.  A short trip to EPCAL quickly yielded a light-morph Rough-legged Hawk as well as 2 male Northern Harriers (grey ghosts), 2 juvenile Northern Harriers and 2 Eastern Meadowlarks which are the first of the season that I've seen at the EPCAL property - a sign of spring for sure.  Enjoy.

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC, f/8, 1/1600s, ISO 500

And here is the grey ghost which unfortunately was backlit:

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC, f/8, 1/1600s, ISO 500

Learn more about Raptors by picking up Jerry Liguori's latest title Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors

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.