A Naturalist's Favorite Birds to Spot on the South Fork

Whether you live in the open country or the big city, enjoy hiking deep into the wilderness or sitting on your back porch with a cup of coffee, birding is a hobby that everyone can participate in. Please enjoy this collection of some of my favorite birds that can be found on the South Fork of Long Island.

American oystercatcher: With unmistakable high-pitched calls, the American oystercatcher is a summer resident of sand and mud flats of our bays. At low tide they can be seen probing the sediment with their long, bright orange beak in search of worms, mole crabs, and other invertebrates.

Bald eagles: Long Island’s last known historic nesting site was on Gardiners Island in 1932. Today, nests can be found across Long Island thanks to the banning of DDT and the reintroduction of eagles to New York from 1976 to 1988 by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

American bittern: A secretive bird of the salt marsh, American bitterns hunt by stealthily stalking prey such as insects, crustaceans, fish, amphibians, reptiles and even small mammals. When alarmed, they will stand straight up, with their beak pointed to the sky. By doing so, the vertical streaking of their feathers helps them blend among the reeds of the marsh grasses and they will “vanish” before your eyes.

Great black-backed gull: The world’s largest gull, the great black-backed gull is more than just a beach raider of your picnic basket. They are quite the formidable predator that will feed on crabs, clams, fish and even other birds.

Double-crested cormorant: Double-crested cormorants have very little preening oil when compared to other water birds. The lack of oil makes it easier for them to dive to catch fish, but the feathers become waterlogged making it difficult to fly. After a session of fishing, they will stand with their back to the sun, spread their wings, and gently flap them to dry out their feathers.

Great and snowy egrets: Great and snowy egrets are very similar in appearance at first glance. Upon closer inspection, you will notice that great egrets are significantly taller. If they are not standing side by side, look at their beak and feet colors. Great egrets have a yellow beak and black feet. Snowy egrets have a black beak and yellow feet. An easy way to remember this; don’t eat the yellow snow.

Great blue heron: Standing at over 4 feet tall, the great blue heron is North America’s largest heron. Commonly found in both fresh and saltwater environments, they will feed on anything they strike at with their long neck and dagger-like beak. This includes fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, mammals and even other birds.

Belted kingfisher: Belted kingfishers will sit high upon a perch, looking into the water. When a small fish swims by, they crash into the water with lighting speed to catch it. They spook easily, so it is not an easy bird to photograph.

Peregrine falcon: Peregrine falcons are one of the fastest animals on the planet. They can reach speeds of 200 mph in a dive that is known as a stoop (a technique they use to catch their prey, which is other birds). Like bald eagles, peregrine populations were seriously depleted due to the use of DDT. Thanks to the efforts of falconers and the banning of DDT, peregrine falcons are once again common on Long Island.

Piping plover: The piping plover is a small shore bird that makes headlines in the local news every summer. Due to habitat loss, they are listed as an endangered species in New York. They prefer to nest in dry, open areas of the beach, rather than in the dense vegetation of the dunes. Their nest site selection often creates conflicts between the piping plover and beach-goers.

Purple martins: Although purple martins are strict insectivores, they are not the answer to mosquito control as once was believed. They feed, while flying, on many types of winged insects. And although they do eat mosquitoes, the insects make up a very small percentage of their diet. Mosquitoes are most active at night and fly close to the ground. Purple martins feed during the day and at altitudes between 150 and 500 feet.

Tricolored heron: When birding, it is very important to pay attention to slight details. Last year, I came across what I thought was a great blue heron, that was wading way out in the marsh. I have seen them many times, so it was not something I was going to pursue. Something about it seemed different, and on closer inspection I realized it was a tricolored heron. We are at the very northern range of this species, and it was the first and only time I have seen one on Long Island.

Wood ducks: By far one of the prettiest ducks found in our area is the drake (male) wood duck. You will typically not find wood ducks at your local duck pond. Rather they prefer swampy woodlands where they search out empty tree cavities for a nest site. These cavities can be up to a mile from the water and up to 60 feet off the ground. Twenty-four hours after hatching, the young ducklings will jump from the box, bounce like a rubber ball, and will be guided to the water by their mom.

Ral and Mary Osprey: Like bald eagles and peregrine falcons, ospreys were also a rare sight on Long Island after many years of DDT use. Today it is impossible to go to the shore and not see an osprey. They are so abundant, that within days of having an osprey nest platform installed outside my office at the Marine Sciences Center of Stony Brook Southampton, a pair had claimed it as their new home. For the last four years, I have watched the antics of Ral and Mary as they have raised several generations of osprey. I named them after Ral and Mary Welker, to preserve history. Ral founded a marine research center at this site back in the 1960s. One of the topics he taught his students was about the decline of osprey due to the use of DDT.

With a degree in marine biology from LIU/Southampton, Chris Paparo is the manager of Stony Brook Southampton’s Marine Sciences Center. Additionally, he is an award-winning member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the NYS Outdoor Writers Association. You can follow Paparo on social media at @fishguyphotos.