Morning Migrants

An American Kestrel waits for the sun to peak back out

This morning I set out at sunrise to see what was around on the day before Spring.  I started at EPCAL since Low Tide wasn't due at Dune Rd. until the afternoon.  When I got on the runways a little after 7 I saw two bright white birds flying overhead and the photo below confirmed my suspicions that they were Great Egrets (moving northwest) which are the first of the season that I've seen.  I was hoping to spot some Eastern Bluebirds but was shut out - the same can't be said for Eastern Meadowlarks which were busy calling for mates and a couple of Horned Larks that are still hanging around.  On the Eastern runway a Savannah Sparrow was signing atop a small shrub.

A welcome sight to see the day before Spring

Turkeys are always a nice species to note at EPCAL:

It's amazing how skittish this species remains

This is easily the closest I've been to a Horned Lark and it gave me a pretty clear shot:

Horned Lark scavenging for food

A Savannah Sparrow was seen singing

On the raptor front were at least 7 American Kestrels busy hunting and hanging out.  I did not see a "pair" like I did in my previous post, but females and males were both present.  A few Northern harriers were lazily hunting over the grasses and a Red-tailed Hawk was also spotted - but Rough-legged hawks were unfortunately absent.

Just hanging out on a Rose bush along the Eastern runway

When I got to Dune Rd. I was disappointed to not spot any wading birds but after waiting around for a bit these American Oystercatchers showed up just east of the Ponquogue Bridge.  Aside from that things were very slow.  My backyard, however, has played host to American Goldfinches all morning which is always a nice treat - too bad they are so camera shy.

A pair of Oystercatchers hunting along their new territory

If you're like me and have a real love of raptors big and small - then you'll want to pick up a copy of Jerry Liguori's latest title Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors which features one of my Gyrfalcon photos.

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

Mating Red-tailed Hawks

The Landing

Once again I took a drive along the runways at EPCAL.  A light morph Rough-legged Hawk and and couple Harriers were spotted (as expected) and right as I was about to leave I saw a hawk sitting on a nest book.  I looked through my camera to confirm my belief that it was a Red-tailed Hawk perched atop the box (just as one was on March 1st of this year), but this time there was another Hawk in the immediate area.  I had my camera ready as I expected one hawk to scare off the other - but instead it landed on top of the bird and appeared to copulate.  I apologize for the poor quality of the images, but the birds were approximately 650 feet away!  Either way it was cool to see as it happened in just a few seconds and then the male took off to the woods.  Hopefully there will be young red-tailed hawks (and other raptor species) in the near future.

Finishing the Act

And lastly. . . 

See-ya!

For those interested, here is a story from NPR about the California Audubon Society attempting to attract younger members.  An amusing and quick little story (or podcast if you prefer).  It can be accessed here: Birding is exactly what it used to be

And for those looking for an excellent book to read to pass the next few weeks until Spring has truly arrived, pick up Carl Safina's latest title: The View from Lazy Point: A Natural Year in an Unnatural World which starts on Long Island and takes him around the world.  Highly recommended!