Category Archives: Nissequogue River

Juvenile Night-Heron

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Thursday, September 8, 2011,

This juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron is perched just above the waters of the Nissequogue River. It was fledged this past spring and won’t acquire its adult plumage till next year. And those golden eyes, which look pretty darn cool now, will become two amazingly beautiful ruby orbs. JK


Otters! On The Nissequogue!

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Friday August 5, 2011

This is, for me, one of those Holy Cow! sightings. I wanted to catch the sunset last night so I went upriver to see what I could see before showtime. I was starting to think it was a mistake because the sun had disappeared behind the tree line and now this part of the river was in shadows. I prefer direct sunlight when I’m out taking pics, but it was a beautiful evening and I didn’t care. Sometimes you just can’t. You have to be in the moment and enjoy it for what it is.




I was hearing an unfamiliar noise for five or six minutes before I saw them. I didn’t know what I was hearing and I was scanning the horizon of cordgrass for some new critter to come my way. And then, there they were, not on the horizon but right there on a mud bank and not twenty feet away: Two otters. Two of them. I’ve never seen a single one outside of a zoo setting and here, on my river, were two otters. I sat there, too stunned to even pick up my camera, as they slipped into the water. I couldn’t believe it. Over the years I’ve read accounts of otters returning to the Island but sightings in Nassau County were the last I heard about. To actually see one, let alone a pair, was too much. And I knew that unless I managed to get a shot of them not many folks would believe it. Heck, I barely believed it myself,  but I’ve seen too many muskrats to think I was mistaking these two for them. These were otters and I had to get a pic no matter what the lighting was like. Just enough for ID at least.


I followed their wake – the water was shallow enough due to the outgoing tide – and when they resurfaced, I was ready. Big lie there. Huge lie. How could I be ready to photograph otters? I was already nervous and jerky just from seeing them in the first place. It was all too incredible, but up they popped and clicketly-click-click-click went my camera, lousy lighting and all. These are the best shots of the bunch. Enjoy. JK