A long time coming

Late this afternoon my wife and I ventured to Dune Road since we were already out east.  So far I am 0-3 this season trying to find Snowy Owl's alone - and my wife is batting 1.000.  I already had heard there were multiple owls along Dune Road from a fellow photographer so I figured it would be a lock, and sure enough my wife spotted the bird in the marsh (though we were tipped off by some birders who had literally parked their car in the middle of the road).  The bird was pretty far out, and I have quite a few good images of this species so far so we moved on hoping to find another or at least something else of interest.

When we reached Quogue, we turned around and headed back scanning again for birds - aided by the lack of direct sun blinding us.  I noticed a female Kingfisher perched on a telephone pole and figured I would get my obligatory kingfisher on a telephone pole image (I probably have hundreds).  The bird was perched above a small watering hole and I was about to give up hope that it would do anything interesting when it swooped down and hovered about 10' above the water.  I photographed the bird from my car snapping away as it flapped its wings for what seemed like a very long time compared to other times I've seen this species hover.  It never ended up diving for a fish and flew to a different perch, but the result was very exciting as I have longed for photos like these of this species since I started photography over 5 years ago.

After scoring the shots of the kingfisher, we continued east along Dune Rd. when I spotted a Northern Harrier.  This is another species I've had an extremely difficult time photographing in flight (particularly along Dune Rd) but the stars appeared to be aligned today because I pulled off this shot

The Snowy Owl was still in the marsh - but by this time the sun had just about set and it was still a distance away, so we packed it in.  Below are a few photos I got earlier in the afternoon at the inlet where there was a nice mixed flock of Scoters and Eiders as well as some monster waves in the ocean and a very large flock of gulls fishing.  The best of them all is the immature male King Eider I photographed (by accident really).  This is a species I have hoped for years to get, often spotted in single numbers off of Montauk Point.  There have been reports of multiple king eiders (male and females) at Shinnecock recently.  I was lucky that the ocean was rough and brought these birds inside the cut and even more lucky that I photographed this one without really knowing what I was looking for

Here is a "beachscape" showing off the large number of gulls present

Lastly - an Immature Common Eider with some food

If you want to learn more about the natural world that is Long Island - check out this book by John Turner which features many of my photos

Snowy Owl and Snow Goose

This afternoon I had a little time to look for birds so I headed out east and started on Dune Rd. where a Snowy Owl has repeatedly been reported stationed on Warner Island just east of the Shinnecock Bridge and just West of the Shinnecock Fishing Station.  Sure enough, the bird was there - though it was probably the most underwhelming Snowy Owl experience given the significant distance and the average optics I had (Nikon Action Ex Extreme 8 X 40 mm All Terrain Binoculars).  Still, it's always nice to locate and see this powerful and beautiful bird and below is the best image I was able to ascertain with my camera at a distance of ~ 1/3 of a mile.

The Shinnecock Inlet held nothing of interest aside from a couple seals who popped their heads up and some loons.  Here's a photo of a Red-throated loon I took last weekend at Cupsogue Beach:

Hoping to get lucky and find some wood ducks or other bird of interest I stopped in at Quogue Wildlife Refuge where the first bird I noticed was a Snow Goose (that seems to have a broken wing).  The bird was able to get around ok and swim (and of course there's plenty of food at the refuge) but certainly won't be able to fly when the time comes.  I'm assuming that the staff there is aware of this and that it will be captured by the Hamptons rescue group soon enough and rehabbed.  This was my first encounter with this species - so it's too bad that the bird is injured but still nice to see it and glad to see it at a safe haven like Quogue Wildlife Refuge.

If you are interested in the binoculars I use - check out the link below:

Snowy Surprise

Kinglet
On Saturday I met up at Quogue Wildlife Refuge with Charlie VanTassel who was in town visiting relatives.  He is an accomplished and talented photographer residing in San Diego and a real nice guy.  A gallery of his more recent photography can be seen here: Charlie VanTassel Photography  Even though the temps were hitting the low 50s for the first time since November, the birds were few and far between.  Charlie did spot some Golden Crowned Kinglets (below) that I would have walked right past.  He didn't believe me on the ID, but I was 90% sure due to the very small size and of course, the golden crown.  I guess they look and behave a bit more different on the West coast.

Harriers
The next stop was Dune Rd. in pursuit of Harlequin Ducks and Northern Harriers and anything else we could stumble upon.  The inlet was quiet with some expected pelagics hanging out (Loons, Mergansers, Eiders).  I thought I had spotted 2 Harlequin Ducks across the inlet but I couldn't get a positive ID so we moved on.  After stopping for a Great Blue Heron we looked up and noticed a Northern Harrier.  I was able to move to a parking lot and get the bird banking but neither of us could pull off a good shot.  Further down the road we spotted another Harrier and again played the waiting game.  Charlie was right in that the bird was going to make a big loop, but it sneaked up on us and moved south before we could get a photo.  I was able to get this habitat shot after it had moved to the South side of the bay:

We made a stop in Quogue along the bay but it only provided some views of a Yellow-Rumped Warbler.  After Charlie treated me to lunch we parted ways and I gave Dune Rd. one more shot on my way home and it certainly paid off.  I was getting ready to write the afternoon off when I spotted something light and raptor shaped - it was just a glimpse and for all I knew it could have been a plastic bag.  I parked and climbed the dune slowly knowing that if it were a harrier it would probably flush right away but once I got the bird in my sight, its piercing yellow eyes made it apparent that it was the rare and elusive Snowy Owl.  This photo is what I first saw:

I've only seen a Snowy Owl once before, about 2 miles East of the location I found this one at, in December of 2008.  I knew (or assumed) from that experience that Snowy Owls don't flush easily and are rather tolerable of human presence, so I knew I could get fairly close if I could find away around the heavy vegetation.  Just to the west there was a small deer path through the thick bayberry shrubs and as I came around the dune, the Snowy turned its head and locked its big eyes on me.  It actually was a bit of a challenge to get good shots with the eyes as it spent most of its time ignoring me, tucking its head into its feathers and trying to get some rest.

I texted one of my bosses who has a great appreciation for birds as there was still more than an hour left of sunshine and thought he would be interested in seeing it.  Turns out he was out on Dune Rd. for a drive with his family and 10 minutes later we were all admiring the beauty of this bird - even his 2 year old son got in on the action.  After an hour I had to get going, which was unfortunate as the light was only going to get better, but I was thrilled to have gotten so close to this species and to have seen one at all.  So far as I understand this was only the 4th or 5th Snowy Owl seen on Long Island this season (a very low number) and based on the date and weather conditions it is likely this was a bird moving back to Canada from New Jersey or somewhere similar.  It's a shame that Charlie wasn't able to experience this, as Snowy Owls don't exactly hang out in San Diego, but (fortunately) he wasn't too broken up about it.

Snow? Yes. Snowy Owl? Not so much.

Bonaparte's Gulls
A walk along the ocean gave a reprieve from the relentless wind and gave me a chance of seeing the (a?) Snowy Owl perched on the beach, away from the wind.  Well, no owl, but I did see/photograph some Horned Grebes (at a considerable distance) in the Atlantic Ocean.  I also saw a black and white bird that was sitting on the beach, spot me, then take off straight up into the air and fly away at an impressive speed.  No idea what it was, but quite a few species can be ruled out (Loon, Grebe) because they are not capable of walking onto shore and would not be able to take off like that.  I'm leaning toward either a Dovekie or a Black Guillemot which do have the ability to walk on shore, but I don't know if they can take off straight up in the air like that.  There were several Bonaparte's Gulls hanging out close to sure and not minding my presence, which allowed for some nice close shots of them (still crappy lighting though) compared to the awful photographs I got of them yesterday.  When I got back to my car I was quite cold and cursing my laziness in not properly searching for the Snowy Owl yesterday.

Surprise Northern Harrier
While cruising Meadow Lane I saw on the bay side a Northern Harrier hunting.  I stopped the car and grabbed the camera, only to see that my view was rather "foggy".  Turns out the cold camera, when brought into the warm car, resulted in the glass fogging up . . . I quickly tried to clear off the lens but didn't really have the right equipment and lost sight of the Harrier.  As I continued to drive East along Meadow Ln. in disappointment, I spotted the bird again.  I grabbed my camera and lowered the window (the lens had cleared up) and followed the hawk as it zigzagged across the road going from the Ocean Dune's to the flooded marshes.  At Rd. D it made a pass at a large group of Robins and Starlings that were feeding away, but continued East.  I knew there was a parking area up the road along with an expansive marshland that came right up to the road and figured this would be my only chance.  I got there before the harrier, and as the snow blew in my face I locked onto the hawk as it gave me a quick fly by - the wind pushing it toward me before it used its wings to overpower the natural forces and fly out over the bay.  The lighting was terrible, the shutterspeed was a little slower than I would like, and there is some noise, but these are easily the best Northern Harrier shots I've taken.  

The rest of the morning didn't yield much, some Hooded Mergansers along Sebonac Inlet Rd. (I didn't put any effort into spotting the Black Guillemot) as well a pair of Immature Mute Swans currently feeding in my back yard in Beaver Dam Creek.  Tomorrow's weather looks awful, so I'll have to wait until next weekend.  

A Great Start to 2010

A Good First Sign
Happy New Year to you all.  I started my day at EPCAL in Calverton, with the hopes of seeing a Short Eared Owl which was spotted earlier in the week.  The weather was supposed to be partly cloudy by mid-morning, but it was dreary and cold when I drove around the former air base, not seeing anything.  Trying to make the most out of my morning, I figured I'd check up on the Guillemot as it's been a while since I'd last seen it and I was interested in getting some unique photos of it.  Driving along Sebonac Inlet Rd., I kept my eyes peeled for Bluebirds (which were spotted today again, but unfortunately not by me) and anything else of note, when I heard the unmistakable rattle of a Belted Kingfisher.  It was perched on an Eastern Cedar tree, and as I pulled over to try to photograph it, the female bird (the orange on the breast distinguishes it from the more plainly plumaged male) flew to a sign post, and then to leafless Tree-Of-Heaven, as seen below.  This photo has been a long time coming, as the Belted Kingfisher is one of my (and many photographers) nemisis, so I particularly appreciate the open beak.

Black Guillemot Continues
Bullshead Bay Inlet was placid, flat calm.  Not a hint of wind, but the skies were sadly still dim and overcast.  A few "birders" were down there searching Peconic Bay for the bird, but I knew better.  I parked where I had seen it recently, by the dilapidated bulkhead and set out on trying to put myself in a good position for photography.  I was able to nestle in against the bulkhead, between 2 breached areas which allowed for me to get nice and low and rest my arms and the camera lens on the bulkhead, stabilizing my shots.  The air was so quiet and still I could hear the Black Guillemot slip into the water each time it dived.  Since the light was terrible, I wouldn't be able to improve on the shots I already have gotten of this species, and with it constantly diving, I figured I should try and get some interesting Dive shots, which I was quite successful in doing.  I'm certainly not getting tired of watching this bird, and I hope you aren't either.

Shinnecock Inlet
A trip down to Shinnecock Inlet was sure to produce some Bonaparte's Gulls which I have never seen/photographed before.  This is one of the more attractive Gull species, with its pinkish legs/feet, black sideburns, and diminutive size.  The gulls were feeding in the middle of the inlet (a tease) so I focused on a herring gull that found a sea star to eat which made me quite happy.  Just the other day I had seen a shot (with much better lighting) of a gull with a sea star and thought "how come I never get to see something like that?", well, now I have.  A Bonaparte's Gull gave me a good fly-by (seen below) and there was plenty of activity.  The Bay was flush with hundreds of common Eider and 3 Eiders gave me a nice fly by.  Just when I was about to leave, I checked the NY Bird Listserv and saw a fantastic posting - a Snowy Owl had been spotted on the other side of the Inlet!  I scanned the other side (known as Shinnecock County Park East) and came up with nothing. . . until I noticed what appeared to be a seal hauled out on the rocks just on the north side of the park.  While I wasn't crazy about driving all the way back to Southampton (A 40 minute round-trip drive to get somewhere that was literally 1,000 ft. across the inlet, I had to take the chance and would possibly be rewarded with a Snowy Owl photo.

Seal, Yes.  Owl? Not so Much.
A Common Loon greeted me upon arrival, sitting quite close to the shoreline, while some Red-Breasted Mergansers were a bit more wary.  As I walked further West, what appears to be a Harbor Seal (though it could be a Harp Seal) was hanging out on the rocks, hauled out waiting for some sunshine to warm it up.  While it was a little nervous upon first seeing me, it quickly settled down as I sat still a ways away until it got used to me.  Just when I was about to make a move a few feet toward the water to get some more photographs (I had only taken 3) a truck came rumbling by, keen on seeing the same thing I was looking at, which promptly scared the seal into the water. . . Quite a few seals however were coming up for air in the inlet on the Eastern Side, keeping there eyes and interest on me, but nothing too great, and the lighting was pretty bad so I just watched the Bonaparte's divebomb the water as if they were terns.  As I left, I debated walking South to the ocean and scanning the dunes and snags in hopes of seeing the snowy, but I figured I would have seen it by now, so I headed back to the bay side and watched the seal who had been scared off swam about 3 feet from the shoreline debating if it should haul out again or not (it didn't).  As I write this, I see a report that the Snowy Owl was still present at 3:15, about an hour and change after I left.  I need to stop being so lazy when it comes to this. . . Hopefully the bird will be there tomorrow.  Here's a shot from December 1, 2008 of a Snowy Owl (my first and only encounter) at Rd. I on the West Side of the Shinnecock Inlet.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow (and the rest of the year) brings!

And a few more images from today:

 A Herring Gull with its hard-won meal

Three Common Eider Drakes.  The first 2 are in "Eclipse" plumage while the last one is in Breeding Plumage 

Black Guillemot with picture perfect diving form

And now showing off the red legs - Notice how far back they are set on the bird.