Long Island North Shore

A few interesting shots from our winter trips to various LI North Shore locations.











In Cold Spring Harbor, we came across something funny:

Come on, tell me they are not funny! These are guinea fowl, and they are apparently somewhat of a town pet there.

A happy couple: Red-Tailed Hawks


Evil Northern Shoveler:


Even though it was January, the weather up until then was so warm that this cherry tree was actually trying to bloom!

Ice Storm

Pictures after the recent ice rain (voice on the radio: "multiple accidents on I-78..."):

Family Gallery

Piping Plovers:


Ospreys:


Mallards:


Lesser Scaup:


Wood Ducks:


Common Raven nest:


Common Terns:


Canada Geese:


Black Skimmers:




American Oystercatchers:

Two incredible things before office

The Queen thought that everyone could believe six impossible things before breakfast. ("Alice in Wonderland", in case you don't recognize the quote.) But that was in Victorian times. In our age, life goes by faster, and breakfast is no longer marks the end of one's early morning. Instead, the threshold of the morning is when you get to the office. But it's still possible to believe - or see - some amazing things before you start work. Here are two things I saw before my first meeting of the day.

The setting: Liberty State Park, just re-opened after hurricane Sandy:

Amazing thing #1: watching a Great Cormorant slurp a fluke:


Interlude:


Amazing thing #2: watching a seagull steal sushi from a merganser:






And then it was time to go to the office:

LI North Fork

Montauk Lighthouse (in 20 degrees Fahrenheit)


Ocean dream


Impressionist photography (natural shots - no filters added)




Coast Guard sail ship in New London


Montauk seashore


Synchronized landing


Synchronized take-off

Now you know why they call it "Long-Tailed Duck"


Impressive catch


A hawk and its breakfast


Closing time

Fight Gallery

Tree Swallows:


Lesser Yellowlegs:


Laughing Gulls:


American Kestrel going after a Red-Tailed Hawk (three times bigger!):


Snowy Egrets (notice how much attention the other inhabitants are paying to them):


American Crow after a Red-Winged Blackbird (it survived):


American Coot vs Hooded Merganser:


Common Terns: