#NTVArtists: A Sampling of Long Island Songbirds Through the Lens of Carolyn Novak (@crnphoto)

Written by Rich Nardo
Photography by Carolyn Novak

It’ officially summertime, and New York State is starting to open back up just in time for the weather to prod us all into spending more time outside. No matter what corner of Long Island you call home, one element of the natural world that remains constant is the serenity of songbirds soundtracking your outdoor experience. 

For this month’s blog, we’re taking a look at some of those singers through the lens of the incredibly talented Long Island photographer, Carolyn Novak. We highlighted 26 species here, but that number far from encompasses the entirety of the different songbirds that call our little island home in the spring and summer.

If you enjoy the photography in this blog, please make sure to follow Carolyn on Instagram for more incredible captures of songbirds, raptors, shorebirds, waterfowl, and all sorts of other great wildlife and landscape photos.

House Sparrow - One of the most common birds on Long Island, the House Sparrow is a staple of most suburban neighborhoods. They were first introduced to the United States by way of Brooklyn in 1851. It only took 49 years for Sparrows to populate as far west as the Rocky Mountains! They have a pecking order within each flock much like chickens in a farmyard, and you can tell where an individual bird sits in the hierarchy by the black throats on the males. The bigger the black patches are, the older and more dominant the sparrow is. This info helps avoid fights within the flock.  

Yellow Warbler - There are over 50 species of warblers found in North America, but very few sport as vibrant plumage as the Yellow Warbler. The song of the males, which actually sounds like the bird is saying “Sweet, Sweet, Sweet, I’m so Sweet”, can be heard from willows, wet thickets and roadsides across most of the country throughout the summer.

Northern Mockingbird - I’ll put aside the fact that there is a Mockingbird who regularly dive-bombs my pup when we’re on walks to pay it some well-earned respect. These beautiful birds add new sounds to their verbal lexicon throughout their lives and a male can learn about 200 songs. 

Brown Headed Cowbird - Brown-headed Cowbirds are a beautiful species for us, but not so much for other birds. These interesting birds lay their eggs in the nests of over 220 other species of birds leaving that bird to raise the young. Genetic analyses have show that a female cowbird will specialize in targeting the nest of one particular host species.

Eastern Towhee - The Eastern Towhee and their cousins to the west, the Spotted Towhee, used to be considered one species, the Rufous-sided Towhee. While they both still occur in the Great Plains and interbreed, there is a clear distinction and several differences between the two species as the populations span east and wes. This is common in the evolution of North American birds dating back to when great ice sheets split the continent down the middle, dividing a population. 

Northern Flicker- Of the several species of Woodpeckers on Long Island, Northern Flickers are one of the most striking. They do partake in the classic woodpecker behavior of climbing tree trunks and hammering for food, but their preferred meals tend to be found crawling on the ground. The Northern Flicker will dig in the dirt to find ants and use its long, barbed tongue to lap them up.

Scarlet Tanager - An absolutely stunning bird, the Scarlet Tanager is incredibly difficult to spot as they tend to stay high in the tree canopy (so kudos to Carolyn for this shot!). While the northeast is their home-base in the spring and summer, they head to South America in the winters where they join flycatchers, antbirds, woodcreepers and certain species of tropical tanagers in one giant mixed species foraging flock. 

Eastern Bluebird - The Bluebird just may be the most iconic songbird. They’re a common sight for birdwatchers and their royal blue backs and heads contrasting with the warm brown-red of their chest is a treat for those able to glass them through binoculars. 

Gray Catbird - A relative of mockingbirds and thrashers, the Gray Catbird has the same mimicking capabilities as the other members of the family. However, their general call is one of the easiest bird calls to learn, as it comes across as a “catty mew” that is unmistakable once you’ve learned it.

Tree Swallow - Tree Swallows in flight are incredible to witness with their deep-blue iridescent backs contrasting against a clean white front as they expertly maneuver through open fields and wetlands all across northern North America. Their aptitude for acrobatic twists and turns allow them to chase down their favorite insects as their blue-green feathers flash in the sunlight.

Baltimore Oriole - Cal Ripken Jr’s favorite feathered friend is as interesting as they are beautiful. While they share similar visual characteristics as old world Orioles, the Orioles of North America are more closely related to Blackbirds and Meadowlarks. The front half of their name is an ode to their striking orange-and-black plumage which matches the colors of the heraldic crest of England’s Baltimore family, which is also the namesake of Maryland’s largest city. 

American Goldfinch - The brilliant yellow plumage of a male Goldfinch in the Spring make it one of the most “tropical” looking birds we get in the northeast. They are one of the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, living entirely on seeds and vegetables, which makes it a problem for Gray Catbirds who try to lay their eggs in the nest of a Goldfinch. The Catbird chicks usually only survive a couple of days, as they’re unable to keep up with the seed-only diet. 

American Robin - Robins in the yard is a signature sign that spring is upon us, but they actually spend the whole winter in their breeding range. You might not see them as often in the colder months as they roost higher in the trees, but they are likely around. During the winter (and fall) their diet incorporates a lot of fruit and, when they eat honeysuckle berries exclusively, it’s been known to occasionally leave them a bit tipsy. 

White-throated Sparrow - White-throated Sparrows are brown above and gray below with a striking head pattern. The black-and-white-striped head is augmented by a bright white throat and yellow between the eye and the bill, which is gray. You’ll also see a less boldly marked form, known as “tan-striped,” with a buff-on-brown face pattern instead of white-on-black.

Cedar Waxwing - One of my favorite birds we get on Long Island, the Cedar Waxwing has a refined, almost regal look in my opinion. They are one of the few North American birds that live mostly on fruit, and can survive on fruit alone for a period of a few months. In the 1960s, Cedar Waxwings with an orange-tipped tail began to pop up in the northeastern US into southeastern Canada. This variation was the result of red pigment from the berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle that, when the birds consumed copiously while their tail feather was developing, resulted in an orange tip rather than the traditional yellow.

Black-capped Chickadee - Black-capped Chickadees can be found in any habitat that has trees or woody shrubs, from forests and woodlots to residential neighborhoods and parks, and sometimes weedy fields and cattail marsh. They hide seeds and other food items to eat later. Each item is placed in a different spot and the chickadee can remember thousands of hiding places - just one example of how intelligent these birds are. Their calls are complex and language-like, communicating information on identity and recognition of other flocks as well as predator alarms and contact calls. The more dee notes in a chickadee-dee-dee call, the higher the threat level.

Northern Cardinal - The cardinal is an iconic songbird that serves as the state bird for seven states. It’s also one of the few North American songbirds where the female sings. They’ll sing their sweet song from their nest, possibly to give males the message to bring food back home. A mated pair will often share song phrases, with the female’s verse being a bit longer and complex. 

Pine Warbler - The Pine Warbler takes its name from its favorite food source. They are the only warbler species that eats a great deal of seeds, primarily those of pines. The fact that they’re seed-eaters also means they are one of the few warbler species that you will see visit your bird feeder.

Mourning Dove - A prettier cousin to rock doves, the Mourning Dove is a common sight on Long Island - flying in unique, tight patterns (one after the other) or busily eating seeds from the ground. They eat roughly 12-20% of their body weight in a day and the record is believed to be 17,200 bluegrass seeds from a single crop. 

Barn Swallow - The Barn Swallow is the most widely distributed member of the swallow family. They once nested in caves throughout North America, but mostly build their homes on human-made structures these days. Today, the only Barn Swallow population in North America that still regularly uses caves as nest sites resides in the Channel Islands off of the California coast.

Blue Jay - Believe it or not, the pigment in Blue Jay feathers are actually brown, not blue. Scattering light in the structural parts of the feathers cause us to see the blue coloration. These microscopic structures in the feather act like prisms, and when light passes through a layer of dark melanin, certain wavelengths are filtered out leaving the feathers to appear blue.

Red-winged Blackbird - Red-winged Blackbirds can be found flocking together all throughout the year. In the summer, it’s not uncommon for them to join up with other species of blackbirds and Starlings to form a congregation of several million birds. They spread out each morning in search of food and can travel as far as 50 miles before re-forming at night to rest. 

Black-and-White Warbler - Black-and-white Warblers are one of the first migrant warblers to arrive in the spring. It’s a fairly common sight to see these black and white feathered friends creeping along tree trunks, singing their squeaky song as they use their slightly down-curved bills to forage for insects. They’re quite nimble while doing so - using an extra-long hind claw and heavier legs to hold tight as they maneuver along tree bark and branches. 

House Finch - Long Island plays an important role in the history of these western US and Mexican transplants. In 1940, a few House Finch were brought to Long Island as cage birds (nicknamed “Hollywood finches”) and turned loose. This population grew and spread across a good portion of the eastern half of the country and into southern Canada inside of half a century. 

Monk Parakeet - As you may have guessed, parakeets are not native to Long Island. That being said, they’ve been sighted more and more over the past few decades with several populations being firmly established. They are believed to be descendants of pet birds brought in from Argentina that escaped a shipping crate at Kennedy Airport in the 1960s. I see them on the telephone wires outside my house often and there is a large population on a property on the water just east of Massapequa that I always love passing when fishing the bay. 

All Information Sourced from one of my favorite sites, AllABoutBirds.Org

CBS News Article with Background on Long Island’s Parakeet Population

Are you a birdwatcher or photographer on Long Island? Would love to see more of your songbird photos from the area in the comments below!