I spent the evening of November 15 at Columbus Circle with two photographer friends (Dennis Newsham and Melody Andres) playing with time-lapse photography and the moving lights around Columbus Circle. Hope you enjoy some of the results.
Fairies dancing at Columbus Circle, Nov. 15, 2017
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.
Hudsonian godwits (Limosa haemastica) breed in remote areas of the Arctic and spend the winter in South America, and thus are not seen all that often even when they are migrating. When a Hudsonian godwit visited Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in early October, it was a great opportunity to film this long-billed, long-legged shorebird. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "Hudsonian Godwit is on the 2016 State of North America's Birds' Watch List, which includes bird species that are most at risk of extinction without significant conservation actions to reverse declines and reduce threats."
Hudsonian godwit, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, October 11
I was able to watch this shorebird forage for insects with that long bill and run around the mudflats on the East Pond on October 7 and 11. The music is by Mozart, arranged for recorders and performed by Papalin.
The upturned bill and the red at the base of the bill distinguish this shorebird from the numerous greater yellowlegs I have seen at Jamaica Bay (I will post more shorebirds soon). The photos below were all taken on October 11. The last photo, next to a Canada goose, gives you an idea of the size of this godwit.
