Tuesday, November 2, 2021,
I was on vacation from my regular job a week ago and finally managed to get out and take some photos. I enjoyed great weather for the most part and was out every single day. I visited several of my favorite haunts, including the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside, which is where I captured these two images. This is a Great Egret wading through the tall saltwater marsh grass in search of piscine delectables. JK
JK
Wednesday, October 14, 2020,
JK
Monday, September 21, 2020,
Like the title of this post states, this is a Great Egret with its lunch. Now, even though I am no one’s idea of an informed birder, I have spent enough time near and even on the water to recognize the bird in this photo. However, while I can identify some fish, this particular one was a mystery to me. Luckily, I know some folks that are far more informed than I am. Mike Farina is the Conservation Biologist at the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside, NY. Mike really knows his stuff and was able to ID this hapless fish as a female Striped Killifish, which are also known as Striped Mummichogs. I’ve been aware of Killies, as we used to call them, since I was a kid, but I had no idea they grew this large.
One of the best things about being Joe Kayaker is meeting and knowing people that are in the actual business of working with, studying, and protecting all kinds of species. These folks are amongst my heroes. Honest. Mike and John, Amber, Annie, Chris and several other fine people work hard every day to study, protect, and preserve not only the species that visit Long Island but the very habitats in which they need to thrive in. You rock guys, you really do. JK.
Wednesday, September 9, 2020,
JK
Thursday, August 20, 2020,
I took these photos at the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside just over a week ago. This is a Great Egret that was perched some distance from one of the paths. It was perched only long enough for me to grab a couple of shots but that was long enough.
JK