Category Archives: Birds

Laughing Gull

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Monday, June 30, 2008

Who says gulls can’t be good-looking? This sharp dresser is a Laughing Gull. I think. I’m pretty sure. After that Least Tern debacle I’ve lost all certainty. Look, I’m a photographer, not a birder. How very Michael Jackson of me.

According to Sibley and other sources these birds are amongst the most populous gulls on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. While I see them every year, I never see them in great numbers so perhaps they don’t have as big a population here as they do in more southerly climes. JK

I Am Not A Birder #4

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Saturday, June 28, 2008

I am not a birder but I believe this bird is a juvenile Tricolored Heron. I’ve seen a couple of these beauties before but always from a distance. Sometimes they look like skinny Great Blues to me.

A very animated fisher, he puts his whole body into catching his prey, not just his neck. Sibley states that these birds will often run after fish but I didn’t see any of that kind of action, just a few full-body lunges.

These were the first shots I’ve gotten of these truly elegant birds that were good enough to show to anyone. I’ve never been close enough to get a pic that showed any detail, but this guy was very cooperative. He felt safe beside his island of grass and I stayed behind one of my own. Joe Stealth strikes again. JK

Sweetbriar Nature Center Wildlife Fair

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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Atka, pictured above, is a five year old arctic wolf and an absolutely beautiful animal. He is an ambassador for the Wolf Conservation Center and was a big hit at Sweetbriar Nature Center’s annual Nature and Wildlife Fair that was held this past Saturday.

It was great seeing the wolf but for me the highlight of the day was meeting Jim Fowler from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. This man has been a hero of mine nearly my whole life. Before I had baseball heroes, even before I knew about baseball really, Jim Fowler was the guy who did all the fun stuff on Wild Kingdom. My love of nature and the great outdoors is due in great part to Mr. Fowler. My whole family watched as Marlin Perkins and Jim (he didn’t need a last name) brought the wilderness into our house each Sunday night. It was a natural progression for me to explore the local woods on a regular basis. I still do that.

Here he is with a volunteer with Make Peace With Animals. MPWA is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization which concerns itself with the adoption and welfare of retired racing greyhounds. They are based in PA but they have a chapter right here on Long Island. These are very handsome dogs and friendly as well. Who knows? You could go home with a winner.

This African Grey was one of many beautiful birds that the Long Island Parrot Society had on display.

I got to see a lot of friends, old and new. This Barred Owl is a regular at Sweetbriar. There are other owls and several raptors (falcons, hawks, and eagles) on permanent display. These are birds with injuries that make it impossible for them to live in the wild, but it does give folks like you and I a chance to see them at close range. Sweetbriar is an excellent place to take the family to see many animals that one doesn’t ordinarily get to see. The grounds there also offer beautiful gardens and well groomed hiking trails.

This tortoise was a guest of Eric Powers who runs Your Connection 2 Nature. His company offers guided hikes and tours, as well as several educational programs, amongst other things.

I went as a volunteer in the morning and did my best to look busy for a couple of hours and then I grabbed my camera and walked around taking pictures. One should go with their strengths and one of mine is wandering aimlessly. The camera just makes it look good. I almost look like I know what I’m doing. JK

Black-crowned Night Heron in Flight

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

I caught this Black-crowned Night Heron flying past me at Sunken Meadow State Park a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been seeing a lot of them this year. I don’t know if that’s because there are more of them or if I’m just getting better at finding them. I hope it’s the former and I doubt it’s the latter. JK

I Am Not A Birder #3

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Monday, June 9, 2008

I am not a birder and here’s the proof. On May 9th I posted this same pic and identified these birds as Common Terns. I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

These handsome fellows are actually Least Terns. I was looking for Piping Plovers Sunken Meadow Park and I thought a pic of one the signs that marks the protected nesting areas of the plovers might make a nice addition to a post. That was when I noticed that the signs also included Least Terns. The illustration on the sign looked suspiciously like the birds that I thought were Common Terns out of breeding plumage.

Uh oh. I could feel an embarrassing moment coming on. So I emailed my friends Janine and Nancy at Sweetbriar Nature Center and asked them. Janine originally wrote they were penguins in disguise, but I think she was just putting me on because then she identified them as Least Terns. Nancy was unsure so she forwarded my email to Birder X, another Sweetbriar educator, who also confirmed that the birds in question were indeed Least Terns. Birder X also informed us that these terns are threatened but that they nest here.

When I was writing the original post I was concerned that I might be confusing Common Terns with Forster’s Terns. I was so busy looking at tail and wing lengths that I missed what should have been obvious. One turned page in my Sibley’s shows that distinctive white forehead. Here is a pic of the sign that helped show me the error of my ways. JK