A Sandy Suffolk County Adventure

     I took Friday, March 18th off from work as I had worked the Saturday previous. I like taking a random weekday off and traveling somewhere to do any kind of wildlife watching that I can. I decided to go out to Suffolk Country and to check out the barrier beaches that Dune Road travels along, out near Quogue and to perhaps get a glimpse of eagles in Riverhead.
     I headed out with one of my wonderful birding friends early, as it takes close to 2 hours to get there. We arrived to wind, wind, and more wind. Strong wind is never good. We got some great dermal exfoliation as we were pelted with sand along the beaches. I also learned the hard way that Honda Civics cannot drive through sand as I tried to park on a small semi-paved road, I got stuck in the part that was not paved.
     I owe my friend, as we went into survival mode- I have a shovel in my car, we dragged planks of wood over and attempted to get my car out, instead having to surrender to a quick tow out. We fast forwarded our adventure to Cupsogue and Riverhead, as sand fell out and small pebbles freed themselves from the different components in the front of my car. I always try to make my adventures memorable- the memorable moment for today was totally getting stuck in that sand pit, as the birds were not plentiful with the wind blowing so strong- but we did get some other wildlife sights to make the day feel worth that 2 hour drive...
Enjoy:

One thing I am pretty sure about is that wherever it is that Tim and I decide to call home in our lifetime, it needs to be near the ocean. I love it for wildlife watching, I love it for summer, I love it for the food it provides, I love it for the career it provides me withe- I adore living near a marine habitat.
Here you are looking at the mainland of long island from the barrier beach that Dune Road travels from the Hampton Bays to Cupsogue Park. This island of sand protects the mainland from strong waves, giving Shinnecock Bay a different feel and habitat from the Atlantic less than 1000 feet across the island. 

Deer are not uncommon in Sufflok County, there are no natural predators, so they get to go anywhere they please.

Starlings will soon be shoo'd away be the Osprey who nested here last year- if it made the two-way journey successfully.

This was one of two withe tailed deer-- that also reminded me of ticks, thankfully I came across none on myself this time around.

Atlantic Bay scallops are harvested in this area- and I think this is proof. When settlers first came to Long Island and Manhattan, they saw pearly white, lining the shores, as shell middens were not an uncommon sight. Shell middens are formed as debris is dumped at a specific site, usually associated with villages nearby. Since those indigenous to Long Island had easy costal access, shellfish and other marine wildlife were plentiful in their diets, so shell middens were formed as oysters, clams, scallops, and other bivalves were an easy source of food.
So here is a shell midden that is associated with modern civilization... and now that I have reminisced about history, I want to eat some scallops.

Rock and roll is not dead on Dune Road... found this huge broken up slab of concrete with the names of different singers and bands on them.

...It's kind of awesome.

Oh deer, these deer were not one bit shy near us. They just kept doing their thing. Mind you, these photos are cropped, zoomed in, as we did mind our distance.

What sweet-faced, tick-carrying critter they are.

After getting stuck in sand-- an hour or so later, we got to Cupsogue where we found this. This is a dog swimming with seals, see that little dark thing up and to the left? That's a harbor seal. Letting this happen is a violation of the Marine Mammal protection act and this was reported. If you see marine mammals or see people interacting with them in the wrong way it is best to contact the proper authorities, which is what I did.
Marine Mammal Protection Act: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/
Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation (To report sightings/harassment of M. mammals): http://www.riverheadfoundation.org/

The wind pushes back the waves as they roll in from the ocean.

We found on the beach this young grey seal.

We very much kept a large respectable distance, and again, photos not only are zoomed in at 300mm, but also cropped. We especially wanted to keep our distance as this guy was so young, he still had some of his pup fur- that fluffy, not yet waterproof fluffy coat that baby seals sport. You can see it on his front and rear flippers.

Grey seals shave a more horse-like face, they are less common on Long Island, as you are more likely to see harbor seals. It was awesome to see this as my first wild grey seal.

Male seals can reach a length of almost 10 feet while females are smaller at around 6 feet in length. Pups are born from January to February, this guy was most likely born this year, and is working through shedding that remaining pup fur.

On all flippers, seals have claws- these claws are great for helping to pull yourself up out of the water, or to scratch that one itch on your forehead.

Unlike sea lions (eared seals), the front flippers of true seals are short and stubby. They are not used for propelling forward underwater, instead they wag their hips back and forth, using their real flippers to move them forward underwater.

Those whiskers or vibrissae, help these seals navigate underwater, especially in murky conditions.

We stayed and looked at this guy for no more than 10 minutes, we limited our time and gave this seal a good distance so it would not flee or feel threatened. It is only my hope others who may have encountered this young guy did just the same.

No eagles in Riverhead, but plenty of sea gulls... the herring gulls were quite handsome, looking sharp for the spring.

     

     It wasn't a waste of an adventure, it was so great to see the seals and escape the city for the day. One thing that is important to remember when going out to look at wildlife is that it is unpredictable. The wildlife isn't confined, it can hide, leave an area and do as it sees fit, especially when the weather is cruel. So I feel privileged to have seen what we were able to see, in the end. I am looking forward to the next adventure where ever and whenever that may be!

March Madness

     As the temperatures are rising, the days grow longer, and you see the sightings from other folks- sometimes it can drive you mad. You have the urge to get out to see if you too can find those things, getting time in anyway you can. We all get a little bit of spring fever, the urge to be outside- but for viewing other species, it escalates a bit more than it should.

While Tim worked on our bikes, I sat on the stoop watching our avian neighbors. This mockingbird was eating berries from the ivy growing on the row house next door.

This male house sparrow was looking to spruce up his nest within a little old utility box on the house that we live in.

The same male house sparrow, floofed and chirping to other house sparrows nearby. 

Yesterday, after a full day of work, I made a pitstop on my drive home to Green-Wood Cemetery, where I had to explain to the guard why I had humpback whale baleen in my back seat and that I was just going throught real quick to look for woodcocks... which I did not find.

Instead of woodcocks, I saw my first Eastern phoebe of 2016, tons of common grackles, song sparrows, and my favorite introduced resident, the quaker parrots!

They were taking advantage of spring too, feeding on the new bugs coming in on the trees, waking up from their winter dormancy.

They fed in a small group in this small tree near the main gate, not too far from their massive nest.

I could watch these guys for hours, they are so acrobatic, yet clumsy and comical as they sometimes trip over their own toes.

This individual is missing part of toe on its left foot. Their feet are used not only to grip branches, but to grasp items to eat or explore/destroy. Their feet are well adapted, especially to satisfy the curious nature of these birds.

I got up at &am, but really 8am (we sprung ahead) and I thought, maybe if I got an early start I'd find a woodcock. Again, a big fat NO for woodcocks-- but woodchucks-- I saw quite a few on the run in different parts of the cemetery. This one I found near the Ft. Hamilton entrance, I took this from my car as he ran alongside the road in the grass.

His burrow was in this tree stump, I found another burrow right against a headstone in a different part of the cemetery. I bet these guys must drive the groundskeepers nuts-- but I enjoy seeing them.

Before he departed underground. You can tell he is freshly woken, he looked a bit scraggly and slim. I bet all he is doing is looking for yummy vegetation to eat as new buds come out of the ground.

     I hope you all -- whoever you all are that may actually read this, find some time to get out and begin your farewells to winter, and send your welcome to spring, coming our way next week!

Back to Brooklyn Birding

     After getting my camera repaired by the wonderful people over at phototech, in Manhattan- I was ready to get out and explore closer to home. This post combines last weekend and this weekend because I got a little behind on posting.
     Last Sunday I birded around Prospect with some birding friends, finding the continuing black headed gull. I was able to ID it in flight, which felt pretty good to do- as gulls look so similar in chaotic flight. We also saw the pretty little European Goldfinches, birds over at the feeders, along the lullwater, and on the lake:

A curious Canada Goose on the west side of the lake.

American Goldfinch, winter seems to be the only time I can get a half decent picture as they LOVE the feeder station and come in close and in large groups.

Nomming American goldfinch.

A handsome common grackle. Among other feeder visitors were W.B. nuthatch, chickadee, tufted titmouse, downy woodpecker, mourning dove, white throated sparrow, and lots of SINGING red-wing blackbird. The singing of the Red-wing blackbird is my favorite sign of spring! 

I also really enjoyed observing the behavior of this female wigeon, she was very possessive of the male mallard she was following behind.

He is not the same species as her, but she totally has an eye for him.

Here she is chasing away another male mallard who got too close. I would expect this out of a male, guarding females nearby to him, but not a female.

Giving an aggressive chase to the other mallard drake.

Head bobbing by the wigeon, before she reunited with her male mallard companion.

And then, synchronized preening!

      Yesterday I went to Green-Wood Cemetery before a lovely brunch with friends. I was hoping to find an American Woodcock as it is just getting to be the right time of year.

I saw a nice cryptic spot, low hanging trees and something felt right about it. I investigated and came up empty handed but did find some promising evidence that they are around...

Woodcock tracks in the snow, plus possible probe holes (it is hard to tell since the snow was melting). I couldn't follow them because they just ended, with the bird possibly just flying off and I didn't locate any in any of the underbrush.

I enjoyed watching the mocking birds though, they were fighting over space, foraging and flashing the white patches on their wings. They were very active, showing a variety of behaviors-- and of course posing for portraits.

I like how this (same mocking bird from above) landed and how its shape fits among the upward curved branches of the tulip tree perfectly. 

Then a large juvenile red tail hawk flew from behind the hill followed by blue jays. The bird seemed to have dropped something from its talons and kept its head low as the jays dive-bombed at his head over and over again. Calling out a predators is a great way to protect yourself, when the element of surprise is ruined, you are safe- the Jays alert birds all around with the noises they make letting everyone know that the gig is up. The hawk has to protect its face and eyes, as dive bombing beaks are not something you want to be hit with.

The array of behaviors by otherwise common birds made up for not seeing any woodcock, and of course spring is on its way-- so there is much to look forward to!