Beth's Photographs

Endangered Terns Nest on Protected NY Beach

Terns are in danger of extinction in New York State. They have few suitable places left to nest and Nickerson Beach, on Long Island, is one of them. It has roped-off, protected areas where terns and other endangered birds, such as Piping Plovers, can nest.

The terns fly out just beyond the breaking waves to catch small fish to bring back to their hungry chicks:

Here, a tern poses on a sign warning people to stay out of the protected nesting areas:

Photographs taken June 27, 2014

Tags: animals, avian, beach, bird, birding, birds, bridge camera, Canon SX50 HS, endangered, Long Island, nature, nesting, New York, NY, photographs, photography, photos, protected, superzoom, terns, wildlife

Barn Swallow Close-up

This Barn Swallow’s bill is muddy from collecting mud for it’s nest. Photo taken on June 21, 2014 at Marine Nature Study Area, Long Island, NY, with a Canon Powershot SX50 HS.

Tags: animals, Barn Swallow, bird, birder, birding, birds, birdwatching, bridge camera, Canon SX50 HS, Hirundo rustica, Long Island, Marine Nature Study Area, MNSA, NY, photographs, photography, photos, superzoom, wildlife

Protecting the Nest

A male Red-winged Blackbird dive-bombs a Great Egret. The Blackbird wanted the Egret to move because it was too close to the Blackbird’s nesting area.

Tags: animals, avian, bird, birding, birds, bridge camera, Canon SX50 HS, Great Egret, Long Island, long island ny, Marine Nature Study Area, MNSA, nature, nest, nesting, New York City, Oceanside, photographs, photography, photos, Red-winged Blackbird, spring, superzoom, SX50, wildlife

Wild on Long Island: Parrots

Walking through Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve in Merrick, Long Island, NY, a pair of Monk Parakeets crossed my path. No, not somebody’s pet birds, but wild parrots. They live here in the New York Metro area, including Long Island, but I don’t see them often. The only other time I’ve seen them was at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY, where a colony of Monk Parakeets nest in the gatehouse’s Gothic spires. (Green-Wood Cemetery is a National Historical Landmark and a well-known spot for birding.)

New York Audubon’s web site offers some history on how these South American birds came to live in New York:

“…These blue-green parrots, native to the mountainous regions of Argentina, are classified as released exotics. Legend has it that the now-wild birds escaped in the 1960s when a crate of caged monk parakeet broke open at JFK airport. Our winters are similar to those in the Andes, so they have thrived, nesting on the lighting fixtures at the Brooklyn College athletic field as well as on the highest spire of the main entrance gatehouse here [Green-Wood Cemetery]. The parrot’s catchy name comes from the patch of gray on its head resembling a monk’s cap.”

Here’s a photo of one of the parakeets I saw at Levy Preserve on June 2, 2014: