A Sure Sign Of Spring

Tuesday, April 15, 2014,

20140414081002-5x7w2Spring is in the air and the Ospreys are back. I’ve been missing these guys. I’ve been seeing many of my favorite migrators since mid March. On St. Patty’s Day I saw my first Greater Yellowlegs, then on the 30th a Great Egret showed up. I spied a Double-crested Cormorant fishing with the few remaining Common Mergansers on April Fool’s Day. I don’t get to see that very often. Two days later I saw an Osprey emerging from the Nissy with a silvery prize. And two days after that I saw my first Snowy Egret. The gang’s all here and I’m very happy about it. JK

The Last Osprey of The Season

Sunday, September 22, 2013,

20130920081944 (2)-8x10wI have other pics and posts on deck but this is a post that is maybe too timely to wait on. Not that I have anything truly creative to say about these pics. It tends to take me a while to come up with the (hopefully) informative and (again, hopefully) witty descriptions behind my photos. To be honest, I find that taking a photo is much easier than writing about it. I’ve got scores of pics that I’ve never published simply because I never got around to writing about them.

20130920081946-8x10wSo, enough about my inability to write, right? Let’s get back to the pics. I took an early morning paddle along the Lower Carmans River three days ago. I had the entire river to myself for the duration of my trip, which is exactly how I like it. In fact, I didn’t see any of us bipeds until I had already secured my kayak to my car top after the completion of my trip. It was sweet. The Lower Carmans is my favorite stretch of Long Island waterway and to have it to myself is a real treat. This is why I like to start early in the day.

20130920081948 (5)-8x10wI had paddled this same area two weeks before. The only Ospreys still in the area were all juveniles, just like this one. All of the adults had already departed to Central and South America. The juveniles stick around to hone their fishing skills for about a month after their parents depart and then they follow them down to warmer climes. For the first hour of my trip I saw no Ospreys at all and I was thinking that I had missed the last of them when I found this guy perched above one of my favorite ‘holes’ on the Carmans. He gave me plenty of time to take my shots and then some, which I was very happy for, especially as he turned out to be the only Osprey left. One last photo shoot for his fans and then he’s off to work on his tan. Good luck, young one. I hope to see you again. JK

Osprey On Carmans River

Friday, August 1, 2008

What are you looking at?

Last week I took a trip with some friends and we kayaked the Lower Carmans River. This river used to be one of my favorite haunts when I lived on the south shore. I would kayak there at least once a week in good weather. Since I moved close to the Nissequogue River I only rarely make it over to the Carmans but that’s already changing. I had such a good time and so many photo ops that I’ve been back twice since my initial visit. You can expect more posts concerning the Carmans in the coming weeks. Be prepared. I may bore you with Osprey shots. JK