Category Archives: environment

Chasing the waves

Sanderling (Calidris alba). Sanderlings are master predictors of the motions of the Ocean’s waves. As the waves go back and forth, the sanderlings find a perfect moment to begin their sprint run, dig some sand dwellers, and safely run away. For such a tiny body, they are master sprinters. Their beak is about the sizeContinue reading “Chasing the waves”

Fashionista gulls

After my third attempt to photograph piping plovers at the Far Rockaway’s ended up in a failure, I began to feel disappointed. To protect the plovers, a part of the beach was closed. I walked for hours with my long lens camera, only to learn that the plovers moved to the other side. I wonderedContinue reading “Fashionista gulls”

Mysterious crab

I walked confidently on the yellow sand, staring at the shells deposited on the beach by the powerful waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Movements of the water displaced tiny pieces of sand along the shore, exposing sand dwellers quickly snatched by the seashore birds.  As we were walking along the water, my sister screamed suddenly,Continue reading “Mysterious crab”

When the sounds disappear

My childhood house was located right by the forest. We used to call it the park, but only because there was a trail from one village to the next, parallel to a tiny stream.  I would spend countless hours walking that trail. Regardless of the time, my ears would fill in with songs of birds,Continue reading “When the sounds disappear”

Birds of the Salt Marsh in Brooklyn

Marine Salt Marsh is the largest park in Brooklyn. The Marsh has a unique combination of wetlands and grasslands, an ideal habitat for many species of birds. As you walk the path near the water, the vast grassland stretches for several acres. The entire area is about 800 acres. Multiple small birds find their homeContinue reading “Birds of the Salt Marsh in Brooklyn”

Ospreys at the Oyster Bay Wildlife Refuge

Ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, are some of the bigger birds migrating to Long Island during their breeding season. In 1960s, ospreys were listed as endangered. One of the many victims of the extensive use of DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), one of the first synthetic insecticides used in agriculture. DDT directly did not kill most birds, however it ledContinue reading “Ospreys at the Oyster Bay Wildlife Refuge”