Posts

West Coast Harlequin Duck migrates to East Coast.

Image
6 January 2018 was one of the most frigid birding days I can remember along the beaches of Long Island. I visited Shinnecock Inlet, where the outgoing tide sucked miniature ice floes into the ocean and wind chill temperatures dipped below -10°F.  The region was nearing the end of a prolonged cold snap that locked up most of the Island’s beaches and bays in a thick layer of ice. For the first time in many years, portions of the South Shore bays were completely frozen from the mainland to the barrier beach which forced congregations of waterfowl into the free-flowing ocean and inlets. There wasn’t an overwhelming amount of birds in the inlet on this day but an immature male Harlequin Duck caught my attention. Harlequin Ducks have been declining throughout the years and are becoming scarce on Eastern Long Island, even at traditional locations such as Shinnecock Inlet. Despite the blustery conditions, I was able to capture a series of photos of the young male Harlequin from at
Post a Comment
Read more

Whale Shark off Long Island

Image
Whale Shark approximately 75 miles southeast of Shinnecok Inlet Every day is different. The dynamics of the ocean are part of the lure in venturing out and exploring the deep. Habitats shift and form, along with currents, eddys, upwelling and temperature breaks. You never know what you're going to see and the largely unpredictable nature of the ocean is what truly fascinates me. On 9 August, 2017,  Captain John Shemilt, Angus Wilson and I ventured out to sea, heading south-southeast out of Shinnecock Inlet at about 2:00 PM. Sea conditions were extremely calm with 0-5 mph wind out of the north making for a silky ride out to sea. We were headed out towards the Dip (a steep break along the continental shelf) and then south through Ryan and McMaster Canyon where we planned on setting a chum slick out at 500 fathoms (3,000 feet of water). We motored past the Dip and were approaching the top of Ryan Canyon at 4:30 PM when we noticed a gigantic dorsal fin slowly cruising across the su
Post a Comment
Read more

Leach's Storm-Petrels in New York State

Image
We took advantage of a favorable offshore window in early June and decided to do an overnight pelagic fishing trip out to the deep water south of the continental shelf break. John Shemilt, Angus Wilson and I left Shinnecock Inlet on the morning of June 3, 2016. We were just on the heels of a fun day trip the previous weekend, 5/29, where we encountered good diversity and hoped to repeat our success. We set CLIII's autopilot due southeast of Shinnecock toward Ryan and McMaster Canyon (aka The Claw) where we planned on searching for a noteworthy temperature break in and around the deep water at the bottom of the continental shelf edge at 1000 fathoms. It was in this area that we would encounter record breaking numbers of Leach's Storm-Petrel while in the middle of a midnight feeding frenzy. Most Leach' Storm-Petrels breed in the northwest and northeast Atlantic where they nest within burrows on rocky islands. The closest colonies to offshore New York waters are off the coa
Post a Comment
Read more

New York Storm-Petrel Madness

Image
It was bit of a bumpy ride out to "The Tails" (north end of Block Canyon) on the night of July 31st. The seas were a bit unsettled but the offshore forecast for the following day, 8/1, was of favorable conditions with light wind. It was roughly 3:00 AM when Captain John Shemilt, Angus Wilson and I arrived along the western edge of The Tails. It was a moonless night and we spent the leading hour slowly navigating our way through the pitch black, playing close attention to the radar and watching for lobster pots. The moonless night added to an incredibly enhanced sky with stars brilliantly twinkling in every which direction. The pre-dawn sun light eventually began to make an appearance on the horizon but not before we situated our trawling rigs and communicated our morning strategy. The plan was to lay down a chum slick composed of menhaden oil and cubed suet, trawl around the canyon for game fish and routinely circle back to check on the slick. Sea conditions were perfect,
1 comment
Read more

Willow Ptarmigan in Three Mile Bay, New York

Image
The Mission and How It Unfolded : Photo Credit: Eugene D. Nichols - This is the first photograph of what will likely become the 1st NYS record of Willow Ptarmigan On Thursday evening, April 24, 2014, I received a pix message from my friend Eugene Nichols looking for some ID assistance on an "odd looking white bird that flew like a grouse?" I nearly dropped my phone when I saw photos of what looked like a ptarmigan. He perfectly described what may have been either a Rock or Willow Ptarmigan. "All white, black outer tail feathers, feathering throughout legs and feet, etc." Eugene is very observant, a great naturalist, and lives on Point Peninsula. He was making his evening waterfowl rounds when he noticed this odd bird and luckily he managed to grab some photos with his phone. I urged him to share the photos with his friend and colleague, Jeff Bolsinger and it wasn't long before Eugene and Jeff had Friday morning plans to try and relocate and well document
Post a Comment
Read more