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.

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 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.