Snow(y) Day!

We have lots and lots of snow today in New York City, and I've been hanging out at home editing my photos of the incredible bird I was blessed to visit on Staten Island just before and after Christmas.

Snowy owl, Staten Island, December 20, 2017

This was the first snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) I had seen in the wild. (I have visited a snowy owl in the Bronx Zoo.) I was walking on the sand on the beach looking for the owl but seeing only gulls, when I turned and glimpsed what I first thought was an overturned paint bucket. What a joy to find this largest of the North American owls hanging out on a cold beach in New York City! I spent three and a half hours watching the owl, the first two hours pretty much by myself, and this video, although a little long, reflects the time I spent sitting on the beach and the burrs as the bird perched on the sand. If you are not as fascinated by the owl's turning her head 180 degrees one way, and then 180 degrees the other, you can skip to about minute 1:30 to see the bird poop and then walk around, then head to minute 14 to see those golden eyes as the sun starts to set. (I returned twice after Christmas to see the owl again, and will post those photos and videos soon.)

I took hundreds of photos on December 20, but these are my favorites.

On the Beach With Black Skimmers

I saw my first black skimmers (Rynchops niger) on October 31 at the beach at Wolfe's Pond on Staten Island. I was mesmerized, and was able to watch them again on November 4. The longer lower bill is fascinating, as the birds use it while skimming the water to pull up small fish.

Black skimmer, the beach at Wolfe's Pond, Staten Island, November 4, 2017

Black skimmers, October 31, 2017. Note the bands on two of the birds.

The first Filming the Feathers video is very short, featuring the shorebirds on October 31. The second video, from November 4, is more extensive, with more time spent with these birds flying, skimming and resting on the beach. I was particularly taken with how much these birds seem to enjoy the company of other skimmers, and how their flight is so synchronized.

These photos of the skimmers in flight were pulled from the October 31 video.

These photos were taken October 31 and November 4.

Her-bert! Her-bert! Bert! Bert! Bert!

"Her-bert! Her-bert!" I'm sure that's what the mama piping plover (Charadrius melodus) was peeping across the sand at Breezy Point on Jamaica Bay in Queens on June 14. I'm finally getting around to posting my photos and the Filming the Feathers video for these delightful little birds. I spent a very hot and sunny day filming the little Herberts and their parents as they rushed back and forth on the beach.

An adult piping plover with a little Herbert, Breezy Point, Queens, June 14

The Filming the Feathers video is a bit choppy, but I was basically filming blind on the beach with my Sony camera (my Canon was looking for some love in the repair shop that day).

The distraction behavior of the adult piping plover was fascinating to watch. These birds will feign broken wings and injury to draw the attention of a potential predator away from the chicks. You will see some of that behavior in the video.

This first set of photos shows the little Herberts on the beach.

These are the adult piping plovers I had the joy to watch in June.