Monthly Archives: August 2013

A Night Heron Hangout

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Saturday, August 31, 2013,

In my previous post I mentioned seeing fourteen Black-crowned Night Herons behind the Old Grist Mill in Stony Brook. Here are twelve of them. I was shooting with a long lens and it was impossible to capture the whole lot in one shot. Missing here are the adult featured in my prior post and an immature bird that was feeding nearby. I have very little doubt that even more of these guys were congregating along Mill Creek as it leads to Stony Brook Harbor.

This is not a pic that I would ordinarily publish because, well, it’s not very good. But folks both here and on Facebook have expressed an interest in seeing it so here it is. As usual, click on the pic to view a larger version. It’ll make it easier to count the birds.

What I don’t really understand is why so many of these birds are adults. I only see two immature birds in this lot. The younger birds are those which are mostly brown, while the adult plumage is largely black and white. I would expect to find more young birds, especially at this time of year. When I see these guys on the Nissequogue River the ratio between between adult and immature birds is much more even. I imagine that there are features of Mill Creek that draw more adult or experienced Night Herons whereas the Nissy offers more of a family atmosphere. Maybe it’s easier to learn how to fish on the Nissequogue. Or, perhaps the Nissy makes for a better training ground for up and coming herons. I really don’t know. Look, I just take the pictures, even these lousy ones. JK

The Plume, Boss, The Plume

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Wednesday, August 28, 2013,

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Here’s a head shot of a Black-crowned Night Heron. Its plume is clearly visible from this angle along with that beautiful red eye. This is a pic I would never have gotten without a head’s up from my friend Sue. Sue is also my boss at Four Harbors Audubon Society. She says, “Take this pic”, and I say, “Yes, ma’am, thank you ma’am. May I take another?” Anyways, as I was stowing my gear at the end of our August walk, Sue approached me and asked if I had seen the Night Herons behind the Old Grist Mill. I hadn’t. In fact, I hadn’t even looked. The Mill is directly across from the Duck Pond but there are so many times that I’m like a horse with blinders on. I just don’t ‘see’ it, if you know what I mean. Lucky for me, Sue did. I grabbed a camera and went to check it out. Right from the street I could see a proud-looking adult standing tall upon a rock. I took a couple of pics but even at street level I was still fifteen or more feet above him. I wanted to see if I could get a more horizontal shot so I scouted out the area. Just beyond the Mill is a private road and I like to be respectful of such things. Plus, I’m afraid of shotguns. Happily, the Mill itself has a back yard of sorts and I skirted around to the left of the building and found an opening. And there, from an angle not available from the street, I saw the largest concentration of Black-crowned Night Herons that I have ever encountered. There were at least fourteen birds within view. It was amazing. I see these guys nearly daily on the Nissequogue River but never in such numbers. A real treat. I don’t think that the Old Grist Mill will be one of my blind spots anymore. Thanks, Sue, for opening my eyes.  JK

A Young Raccoon On The Carmans River

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Saturday, August 24, 2013,

Last week I indulged myself with a paddle down the Lower Carmans River. It’s not as close to home as my beloved Nissy, but for sheer abundance of beauty and wildlife, the Carmans just plain rocks. This has been one of my favorite stretches of Long Island waterway for years. 

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Along any river, there are always several nooks and crannies to be found. I’m always looking for these ‘holes’ as I like to call them. Sometimes they’re small streams or creeks that feed into the main river, but more often than not, they’re just little dead ends that lead nowhere. Either way, these hidden spots with slow moving water tend to attract a good of wildlife. I was checking into one of my favorite holes when low water brought me up short. This sort of thing happens. I found myself at the edge of a sort of cul-de-sac or small pond off the river proper. I couldn’t enter as an underwater root or branch was impeding my way, but this spot has been lucky for me in the past so I stayed put to see what I could see. Plus, this is a real peaceful spot and I have always enjoyed stopping here.

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As I’m sitting there, thinking about breaking out a sandwich, I hear some movement in the thick undergrowth to my left. I grab my camera, hoping for a glimpse of what’s there, when a small Raccoon pops out of an opening in the grass right at the edge of the water. He has a ten-second look at me and disappears back up the bank. While I was still thinking “Wow! That was cool!”, and “Gosh! I hope I got a shot”, the little guy reappears and does the same exact thing. A look at me, and gone again. By this time I could hear him being scolded by his mother. Almost hidden in the foliage I saw glimpses of at least two of his siblings and later I saw Momma Raccoon herself as she skirted the small pond with the family in tow. They returned the way they came and then this guy came out to see me for a third time. He was the only one from amongst his litter mates to check me out. I can tell from that scar on his nose. He probably got that scar from not listening to Mom on some previous occasion. But he’s obviously okay and still just as curious as ever. This Raccoon is going places. JK