Author Archives: JK

Big Snapper

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Friday, May 9, 2008

This is the big Common Snapping Turtle that I mentioned in my last post. Ordinarily, I would not post a shot that includes trash but in this case the discarded wood helps to show just how big this guy (or gal) is. That’s a 1×4 piece of milled lumber next to our friend. Turtles are measured by their shells, the head and tail are not included. I estimate this guy’s shell at about 16 inches. According to my Peterson’s Reptiles and Amphibians Field Guide the average size for snappers is 8 to 14 inches, with the record coming in at just under 20 inches so this is one good sized snapping turtle. JK

Terrapin Station Is Open

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Thursday, May 8, 2008

I spent five hours on the river Tuesday. I did the bull and back, about 3.5 miles each way. The bull is the Smithtown bull on Rt.25 where Rt.25A splits off and goes north. That is almost the southern end of the navigable part of the river. There’s less than a quarter mile of river south of Rt.25. It does not take five hours to do the bull and back. I went at a very leisurely pace and afterwards I explored some of my favorite haunts at my end of the river. Generally the bull run can be done in three relaxed hours or less.

I cruised through Terrapin Station both coming and going and saw at least a dozen Diamondback Terrapins. As long as you approach quietly and slowly you can almost always find terrapins here. The scales on the guy below are peeling. I neglected to bring my sunblock, too.

I also saw several snappers, one of which was huge. Humungous. You could land planes on his back. I’ll post his pic tomorrow. There were lots of pretty red-orange jellyfish in the water. You may not want to swim with them but they are cool to watch. Common Terns are starting to show up in numbers as well. Sharp looking birds. JK

Golden Slippers

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Tuesday, May 6, 2008

I hit the river for about three hours yesterday. I took 499 photos. This was the best shot of the day. I nailed this Snowy Egret as he was flying past me. You can clearly see his bright yellow feet in this shot and his face is in near perfect focus. I lucked out here. The only thing lacking here is green. Green really helps bring a nature pic alive. In another month this same scene will be much more colorful, with that yellow face and those feet standing out against Mother Nature’s favorite color. Of course I won’t manage to put the bird in focus then. JK

Here’s the same shot, with a close up of the head.

Ring-necked Pheasants

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Thursday, May 1, 2008

Click for a larger pic.

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. I went back to David Weld Sanctuary this morning to try my luck at getting a shot of a Ring-necked Pheasant. And lucky is what I got. After hiking the short loop (I’m not crazy about the long loop – it brings you very close to some back yards), I was going to see about going into the field where I saw one yesterday. On the way I spied two hens taking cover from me in some Timothy (tall brown grass). I took a few shots but the birds were in good cover.

Meanwhile, as I’m shooting, I’m hearing a rustling behind me which I take to be a squirrel in the undergrowth. Pheasants are cooler than squirrels, (no offense to you squirrel huggers), so I pay it no mind. When the two hens were out of sight I turn and this guy is ten feet away and coming out into the open. I think he was deliberately trying to distract me from his family. I’ve seen quail (I assume they were Bobwhites) do the same thing. I can’t say for certain that distraction was his intention but that’s the feeling I had. I was glad enough to get the shots.

This is one of the hens. They do a better job of blending in than their mates. JK

Northern Flicker

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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Finally, a day of sunshine in the midst of a week of rain. I took my camera over to David Weld Sanctuary in Nissequogue. Birds were everywhere. This is a terrific place for you bird watchers. Five minutes out of the car and I could hear a Ring-necked Pheasant calling from one of the overgrown fields. Moments later I’m taking pics of what I think was a Yellow Warbler. I’ll write more about that in an upcoming post.

I saw several woodpeckers, including this male Northern Flicker. I missed my chance a great shot when this guy and his mate were working opposite sides of the same tree. I just wasn’t fast enough.

I am very sorry to say that wasn’t the only shot I missed today. As I was returning to my car I could still hear a Ring-necked Pheasant calling, so I figured what the heck and I tramped into the field of brambles and low trees where I could hear him calling from. I walked in about a hundred or so feet but while he was still calling off some ways to my right I could see no sign of him. Heading back to the path (not exactly following my footsteps) I scared a different Ring-necked up from right at my feet. He was literally less than two feet away when he took off. And I got to watch. No shot, just a story. “No, really, the fish was this big. Honest.” JK