Category Archives: South Shore

Oystercatchers in Love

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Saturday, June 3, 2023.

Okay, folks, you might want to shuffle the kids into another room. Or, maybe yourself, depending on how prudish or proper you might be. No offense, and no judgements. All of us need to view the world in our own way. This guy here, likes a higher view, when he can get it.

These are pics of two Oystercatchers in love. They truly are. I was taking photos of the female when the male sauntered up and mounted her. If my camera hadn’t already been focussed on her, this series of pics would never have happened.

This particular coupling didn’t take long. Birds tend to be quick about their business. Very quick. In fact, from start to finish, and that includes the male approaching the female, which is not pictured here, the whole liaison lasted three seconds. While that may not sound impressive, he was quite acrobatic about it. And, check out his dismount. He really sticks the landing. 🙂  JK

JK

 

Piping Plover With Breakfast

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Sunday, May 28, 2023,

This is a Piping Plover that I spotted between Point Lookout and Nickerson Beach. It’s got some sort of tasty tidbit in its bill. I don’t know what it is, but it appears to have wings. Piping Plovers can be difficult to find, and not just because they are endangered. These little birds blend in so well with their surroundings that they can seem almost invisible till they start moving. Check out the pic below. It’s the same photo as the one above, except that I didn’t crop it as closely. Kind of hard to spot the little, right?  JK

JK

 

A Juvenile Snowy Egret in Oceanside

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Sunday, November 6, 2022,

This is a juvenile Snowy Egret that I manged to get photos of as it was plying, or learning its, trade at the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside. Actually, it was probably a bit of both. If you’re new here, click on the pics to see the full versions.

One of the ways I can identify this beautiful Snowy Egret as a juvenile is by its legs. Adult Snowy’s have all black legs and bright yellow feet. The juveniles have yellowish-green legs. My own tongue-in-cheek theory is that the yellow in their legs drains down into the feet as the birds age. Yeah, I know t’s wrong, but it is fun to think of it that way.  🙂  JK

Eastern Water Ostrich

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Saturday, October 29, 2022,

Hello folks. I have a real treat for you today. This is a pair of pics of the rarely seen, and much less photographed, Eastern Water Ostrich. Or maybe, it’s just a Greater Yellowlegs probing for fish. While I can sometimes manage to get a bird in focus, I’m not very good at making proper identifications. Plus, I’m a bit of a wiseguy.   🙂

JK

A Merlin in Oceanside

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Tuesday, October 25, 2022,

This is a Merlin I chanced to see at the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside. It’s not one of my better photos, but I don’t run into all that many Merlins, outside of my work at Sweetbriar Nature Center. At Sweetbriar, I get to see some of them up close, but seeing a bird in captivity is not the same as seeing the same bird out in the wild.All animals are much more magnificent in the wild. JK.