Eight Species You Might Not Know We Have On Long Island

Ask any wildlife photographer or explore based on Long Island and they’ll tell you that our home turf does not get nearly the credit it deserves when it comes to species diversity. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that most people think Long Island has a couple of raccoons, a possum here and there, and way too many deer out east and that basically sums it up.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. So for this article, we worked with some of the best wildlife photographers based on Long Island to highlight 10 species that most people might not know we have here.

One(ish) Year Of Backyard Birding

As someone who loves nothing more than being out in nature but has a demanding day job that really limits how much time they can do so, the realization of just how much exposure to wildlife I could get right in my suburban backyard has been a huge blessing. I’ve had a bunch of conversations with other photographer friends lately about how many amazing species we have here on Long Island that no one seems to know about. The fact that in the last year alone, I’ve been able to photograph over 20 species of birds (and see another 20 or so) in my backyard really brings that point home.

The Osprey: An Underrated, Unofficial Long Island Emblem (with guest words + photos from some of Long Island's most talented wildlife photographers)

Okay, so maybe ospreys are not an “emblem” of Long Island in any official capacity but, to those of us who spend a significant amount of time on the water, they are just that. As a south shore Long Islander, I can say they embody our ideals - majestic, loyal, unafraid, and a world class angler.

As a species, they hold a very special place in my heart and as such, I’ve written about them extensively here on ntvli.com. Rather than hear me ramble on again about how amazing they are, I spoke to several of my favorite photographers about why THEY love seahawks. This article will highlight their responses, as well as, some of their favorite osprey photos.

The Monk Parakeet: A New York Success Story

Much to the delight of south shore Long Islanders, monk parakeets are popping up more and more each year in our area. Personally, my wife and I are fortunate enough to have a company of about 30 living in our neighborhood year round, adding a dash of tropical vibes to dreary winters and putting the final touches on our idyllic summer scenes.

While most Long Islanders are surprised to see them, monk parakeets have been hanging around here since the late 60s, and have beautifully acclimated themselves to the New York City area. They’re tough, resourceful, and build massive communal nests similar to the apartments a lot of New Yorkers reside in, making them a perfect fit for the region. Also, like a lot of New Yorkers, the New York parakeet community is rumored to have started at JFK airport.

This article will take a look at our new(ish) tropical friends - how they got here, and the similarities they share with a lot of other enclaves in the tristate area.

The Burgeoning Bald Eagle Population of Long Island (featuring photos and personal excerpt by Meredith McCarthy)

While most of the chatter in the Long Island wildlife photography community turns to Snowy Owls this time of year, they are far from the only large raptors we have in the area. Over the past decade or so, Bald Eagles have reestablished a population on Long Island. There are few sights more majestic than a Bald Eagle soaring above the treeline, fishing, or perched high in an old growth tree.

One of the best photographers on Long Island at capturing that majesty is Meredith McCarthy (@merecat_photography). Over the past year, she’s chronicled one of the breeding pairs of Bald Eagles that have made their home on Long Island. For this article, Meredith and I took a look at Long Island’s Eagle population, including her amazing photography and a guest section from Meredith speaking to her experience witnessing them throughout the year. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Meredith’s photography and hearing her story.

Was 2021 A Particularly Shark-y Summer on Long Island?

Over the past few years, a lot has been made of the fact that the waters around Long Island have seemed a bit “sharkier” than usual. Several videographers shared regular drone footage of the near daily feeding frenzy of sharks attacking menhaden along the south shore. As Tim Regan pointed out to me, you could actually stand on the shore and witness hungry sharks launching themselves from the water consistently throughout the summer as well - something unprecedented on Long Island. A few weeks ago, a sighting at Lido Beach marked the 20th shark confirmed near-shore at Nassau beaches this summer, which is more than triple the numbers by this time last year. All this begs the question: Are there more sharks lurking in our waters?

While an increase in shark population is likely true, the degree to which we’re seeing it play out in the media may be a bit misleading. Factors such as social media allowing each sighting to reach a greater audience and our increasingly sophisticated monitoring systems raising awareness of sharks where they had previously gone undetected may also be playing a role in the perception that sharks are patrolling the waters ever closer to our favorite beaches and in greater abundance.

This article will take a look at why we may be seeing more sharks around Long Island, the types of sharks that call our waters home, and what it actually means for our marine ecosystem. I’m fortunate enough to be collaborating with two of my favorite content creators on the subject - wildlife photographer and mate on Triton Charters, Shane Etter (@BigOleMrKanish), and East End Surf/Fly Fishing Guide/On The Water Magazine Field Editor, Tim Regan (@southforksalt). I am very grateful that both lent their content and insight to the piece!

A Guide To Responsible Wildlife Photography (From Some of My Favorite Long Island Photographers)

There are pros and cons to the surge in interest around wildlife photography that has been sweeping Instagram over the past few years. On one hand, that need to get as close to the subject as possible “for the gram” can cause serious stress to the subject - affecting every aspect of their life from hunting to raising their young. On the other side of the trend is the amazing platform it creates for raising awareness around important issues like local conservation and species awareness. Those who take it up as a hobby can find grounding in being outdoors in close proximity to the wide array of species that we share Long Island with. This becomes particularly important in a day-and-age where we are constantly overstimulated by too much screen time and often miss out on the beauty in these intimate moments.

It’s important that we as a community try to steer people towards the latter and do our best to welcome and educate photographers interested in wildlife as their subject. For that reason, I wanted to talk to some of my favorite Long Island-based wildlife photographers about what makes it such a special hobby (or profession) and how we can all be responsible in our approach.

Long Island’s Winter Visitors: Some motivation to brave the cold and get outside!

Each winter, Long Island plays hosts to a spectacular array of visitors from the north. The chance to encounter one of these seasonal species is enough to get wildlife lovers and photographers to brave the icy island winds and return to the beaches and state parks they frequent in warmer months. In this article, we’re taking a look at a few of these cold weather Long Islanders through the photography of the super talented Shane Etter (@BigOleMrKanish). I’ve had the pleasure to work with Shane on three other blogs - Raptors of Long Island, Owls of Long Island, and the Oral Account of Striper vs Bluefishing - and it’s always an honor to get to feature Shane’s work. Make sure to follow him on Instagram if you don’t already!

We’ve highlighted a handful of species below, but there are plenty of additional winter pilgrims that we get on Long Island when the weather dips and I encourage you to do some more research!

Long Island Canines: The Native (Red Fox) and the Newcomer (Coyote)

Over the past decade, coyotes have began to conquer their final frontier here on Long Island. While much is being made in the news about their expansion, this newcomer is not the only wild member of the canine family to call Long Island home. The red fox (and the elusive gray fox) have made their home here for as long as humans have. With no other large predator around, the red fox plays an integral role in our ecosystem and it will be interesting to see how their role evolves now that their larger cousins are moving into the neighborhood.

The Perception of Stripers Vs. Blues: An Oral Account from Respected Long Island Anglers

Bluefish and Striped Bass are two iconic species that inhabit the waters around Long Island. They’re both top-tier predators integral to our marine ecosystem and prized targets for anglers throughout the northeast. Despite playing a similar role in the food chain, they are vastly different fish. I was lucky enough to speak with a handful of anglers that I have a lot of respect for in order to get a better idea of how blues and stripers are perceived by anglers and where the similarities and differences lie.

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation on Long Island Featuring the Photography of JR Aurature

The diversity of Long Island’s wildlife is dramatically underrated. From its year round residents to seasonal visitors, our bountiful habitats are full of beautiful creatures ranging from insects to mammals; birds to amphibians and lizards. That doesn’t even factor in the important marine ecosystems that exist along our shores and inland lakes, ponds, and rivers.

With so much life and vibrancy right in our backyards, it’s important for Long Islanders to be responsible guardians of our land. Our actions can have a myriad of consequences, and when they cause harm or distress to the other creatures who call Long Island home, it’s important that we proactively work to remedy the situation. Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers are integral to successfully assuming this responsibility.

#NTVArtists - Made in Menhaden: How an Unassuming Baitfish Fuels NY’s Marine Ecosystem (featuring footage + photos from Tim Regan (@SouthForkSalt))

They go by many names - Bunker, Menhaden, American Sardine, Pogy (not Porgy!), Mossbunker, Bug-head, Fat-back. No matter the nomenclature, it is indisputable that these pedestrian-looking baitfish are an important cog in the machine of the marine ecosystem around Long Island. They filter our water, they are an amazing source of omega-3 proteins with a myriad of human-based uses and, perhaps most importantly, menhaden are the primary food source for a lot of our ocean’s top predators. As Paul Greenberg pointed out in his 2009 NY Times Op-Ed, “Nearly every fish a fish eater likes to eat eats menhaden”.

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

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 24 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.

#NTVartists: Raptors of Long Island Through the Lens of Shane Etter (@BigOleMrKanish)

While I may not ‘love’ social media, Instagram has provided the opportunity to develop friendships with a lot of awesome people in the Long Island wildlife and photography communities. One of those friends is Shane Etter, a prodigiously talented photographer whose bird portraits are always a highlight of my Insta-feed.

Last February, Shane and I collaborated on a #NTVblog featuring his photos of the various owls that can be found on Long Island at different times throughout the year. Today, I am excited to post our follow-up, exploring the diverse non-owl species of raptors that can be found here as well.

For more of Shane’s photography, please follow him on Instagram.

The Fall Run Is Upon Us! A look at the Fall Striper Blitz with Photos and Video from Tim Regan (@southforksalt)

Long Island fisherman, rejoice! The summer doldrums are behind us and soon enough those monster Stripers are going to be hitting your line like a freight train again. Of all of the amazing species we have in our waters at various points in the year, few garner more respect than New York’s official State marine fish, The Striped Bass.

Morone saxatilis is an incredibly dynamic species - athletic and complex in their behavior - that deserves every bit of their reputation as a prized game fish. For this month’s #NTVBlog, we take a deeper look at the Striped Bass and the sacred Fall run Long Island gets every year.

Luckily, we are honored to have photography and video content from a great Long Island fisherman and photographer, Tim Regan (@SouthForkSalt). In addition to his amazing Instagram and YouTube pages, Tim also does a weekly Long Island Fish Report for On The Water Magazine, which you can check out here.

#NTVartists: Owls of Long Island Through the Lens of Shane Etter

Shane Etter is one of the most talented bird photographers on Long Island. His patience and keen eye has resulted in breathtaking shots of some of our Island’s most elusive residents and winter visitors, owls. It’s not uncommon for Shane to spend hours in search of his muse - fighting the biting coastal winds of the frigid south shore or navigating the woods in search of these beautiful birds.

Those willing to brave the cold have seen an increase in owl sightings on Long Island over the past few years. For this month’s blog, we are highlighting Shane’s beautiful owl photography from around Long Island and giving some background on his incredible subjects.

For more of Shane’s photography, please follow him on Instagram.

Long Island’s Trees of Christmas Past, Present & Future

In the dead of winter, very few traditions help cope with the cold better than snuggling up by a fire, admiring a beautifully decorated Christmas Tree.

In the spirit of Christmas, this article will discuss Long Island’s evergreens at Christmas time from three angles: (1) Christmas past - The Long Island Pine Barrens, (2) Christmas Present - The environmental benefits of real trees and where to cut your own on Long Island and (3) Christmas future - How to recycle your Christmas tree.

Get To Know: Ospreys

Most Long Island residents that spend anytime on the coasts have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of an Osprey. Whether its returning to their nest on Reynolds Channel from a successful hunt out at sea in Long Beach or circling over the Long Island Sound, the seahawk is a majestic sight to behold.

As they prepare to make their way down south for the colder months, here is some history on one of Long Island’s most beloved summer residents.