Baby Pictures

There are very few critters cuter than baby birds, and Nickerson Beach on Long Island has provided a nursery for piping plovers, American oystercatchers, black skimmers, common terns, and least terns, and probably several kinds of gulls, for several years. I have spent much of this summer filming the little ones and taking baby pictures. Since the oystercatchers are some of the first chicks to hatch, they are the first to have their own Silly Videos and photo galleries.

Oystercatcher family, June 12, Nickerson Beach

Several of the beaches in New York have protected areas cordoned off to allow these birds to nest relatively undisturbed. The oystercatchers are usually the first to stake out their breeding homes, and their kids are the first to hatch. If you get too near to the string “ropes” protecting the dunes, the parents will buzz you, and if you don’t go away, they will sometimes stalk you with backs raised or fake a broken wing to distract you from their chicks.

Mama American oystercatcher and two little kiddies, June 4, Nickerson Beach

There are two videos chronicling the oystercatcher families that I saw on the beach. The first part of The Kids Are All Right shows the families from May second to June 12 and features music by Saint-Saens. The second part also has bassoon accompaniment with music by Jadin and Freithoff.

The oystercatcher kids are just the cutest little birdies I’ve ever seen, and it was so much fun to photograph them. The photos in this slide show were taken June 4 through June 17.

The photos of adult oystercatchers and their youngsters were taken May 2 through July 30.

Independence Day, With Eagles and Fireworks

It was an almost perfect day on July 4, when I took the ferry and train to Mount Loretto Unique Area on Staten Island to look for our national bird, the bald eagle. I wasn’t disappointed: I got to see both eagle parents (although not the two eaglets, who I was told were flying around the area — maybe next trip!).

Papa Bald Eagle was on the utility tower when I reached the church grounds.

In the evening, the eagle parents shared a tree over the beach at Mt. Loretto

I had my picnic lunch looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, after I saw one of the eagles on the utility tower then in a tree over the beach. I also got to see the osprey nest and babies near Page Avenue. I stayed around Mt. Loretto until a little after 8 p.m., finding the eagles at Cunningham Pond then back in a tree over the beach. I caught the Staten Island Railroad back to the ferry terminal at St. George, arriving there a little after 9 (I was listening to the Yankees game on the radio, which was a very entertaining and also very American activity on the Fourth!). Since the ferry was suspended until 10:30 because of the fireworks in the harbor, I walked out on the terminal esplanade to watch the show as best I could. It was a bit crowded, and I didn’t have my tripod out, but I had fun taking some pictures and watching the celebration lighting up the sky around the Statue of Liberty. The Macy’s fireworks on the East River were a bit obstructed by a very bright light in front of me, but Lady Liberty’s light show was just splendid.

More eagles and fireworks, taken with my Sony camera.

Lady Liberty …

An eagle over the beach ,,,

looking lovely in the fireworks.

… and over Cunningham Pond.