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Photographing our fine-feathered friends
E. Northport resident Susan Kaffana captures the wonder of Long Island waterfowl
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| | | 'Momma and the Little Prince.' Photo by Susan Kaffana (click for larger version) | |
January 07, 2010 | 01:47 PM
For 110 years running, thousands of volunteers across the country have participated in Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count, an ambitious enterprise aimed at monitoring resident bird populations before migrants return in the spring. This year's Christmas bird count took place between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, at which time two East Northport residents — Susan Kaffana and her husband, Bob — were already well ahead of the game due to Susan's avocation as a photographer specializing in waterfowl.
Susan, an avid gardener, began her photographic career close to home by capturing the beauty of her own luxuriant gardens. She soon branched out to photographing waterfowl, igniting a journey of discovery that has taken the couple on expeditions across Long Island.
Favorite sites include Setauket's Frank Melville Memorial Park, Stony Brook's Grist Mill Pond, Centerport's Mill Dam Pond, Heckscher Park in Huntington, Fort Salonga's Fresh Pond and Twin Ponds, which straddle the Northport-Centerport border.
In addition to Canadian geese, swans and cormorants, the couple have had the good fortune to observe a multitude of ducks — canvasbacks, mallards, hooded mergansers, American widgeons, shovelers, and ring-necked ducks — in their natural habitats.
"I hunted as a kid and I didn't know that half of these ducks existed," Bob said of the many hardy waterfowl that winter on Long Island.
The Kaffanas find shovelers to be particularly interesting. "Shovelers have humongous beaks. Their beaks look too large for their heads," Bob said of these oddities of nature whose specialized, spoon-like bills enable them to strain small invertebrates from pond water and mud.
Shovelers, with their oversized bills, iridescent green heads, and bright gold eyes remind the pair of platypuses because "the duck looks like it was made from spare parts," Bob said.
In line with nature's grand scheme, coloration plays an important role in terms of visually setting apart the sexes. "The male ducks are more colorful while the females are blander," Susan said, adding that in the case of the hooded merganser, the differences border on the humorous.
While the male makes a bold statement with his black head and back and contrasting white crest, the female has a mottled brown body and a shaggy, rust-colored crest.
"These ducks move like lightning, and when the females' hair stands up, they look like they have a Don King hairdo," Bob said.
Swans — considered by many to be among the "royalty" of the avian world — are Susan's favorite photographic subjects.
"They are so elegant and stately," Susan said, adding that although many people associate these white-plumed beauties with the glory days of summer, jaunts to ponds in the dead of winter show that swans are here year-round.
"There's a vast amount in Mill Dam Pond in Centerport," Susan said. "There is running water so it doesn't freeze and there is fresh water for them to drink."
According to Robert Budliger and Gregory Kennedy's "Birds of New York State," Long Island swans are the descendents of prized Eurasian birds introduced to zoos, parks and estates in eastern North America in the late 1800s. Some eventually escaped to Long Island where they thrived.
True to their name (mute swans), other than hissing, the adults are silent although the young can be heard making "whispering, whistling peeps," Bob said. He added that despite their regal appearance, swans can be rather aggressive.
"You definitely know when a male swan is in a threatening posture," Bob said, indicating that the male, distinguished by a prominent "knot" at the base of his bill, tucks his head way back and puffs up his body while charging so rapidly forward that he creates a wake.
Susan's sought-after photographs of her "swan princess family" resulted from sweet serendipity. The photographer happened to be there when a mother bird, who had been sitting pretty, arose from her nest, revealing two newly hatched cygnets and a treasure trove of eggs.
A brisk wind ruffled the new mother's feathers, conveying the impression of a frilled tutu, Susan said, adding that she has been privileged to watch the cygnets grow into adulthood. "One of the babies is now a full white swan," Susan said.
The couple has also experienced the wonder of seeing these huge birds take flight. "It is amazing to see something so big get up from the water," Bob said, marveling at their 5-foot wingspan. Susan said that she still hopes to see "baby swans or ducks riding on their mother's back, being shuttled across the pond."
In terms of tips gleaned from her extensive experience photographing waterfowl, Susan indicated that there is no set rule about the best time of day to venture out, however, she has found that afternoon light is most suitable for capturing intriguing water reflections. Since it is difficult to pick up the fine nuances of color and plumage without a high-powered telephoto lens, Susan suggests that narrower ponds might be more suitable venues for beginners. Finally, Bob pointed out the importance of getting to know your subjects while being as unobtrusive as possible when setting foot on their turf.
"You have to be very quiet," he said of mergansers. "They are very skittish, and will go to the center or the opposite side of the pond. Canvasbacks also stay away from the shoreline."
In contrast, Bob found the mallards in Huntington and Stony Brook to be rather welcoming. "They flock to you," he said, adding that, after so many return visits, these ducks seem to recognize his wife's white sweatshirt.
Susan is among the group of talented local photographers whose work was chosen for display in "There's No Place like Northport, Now and Then." This exhibit, mounted by the Northport Historical Society and Northport Arts Coalition, adorns the windows of the Main Street storefront that formerly housed the GAP.
To appreciate the extent of her photographic expertise, which includes lighthouses, decoys, vintage cars, roses and assorted whimsical shots, visit www.susansphotonotecards.com.
This year's Great Backyard Bird Count will take place from Feb. 12 to 15. It is sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and The Audubon Society. Anyone can participate in the project which provides scientists with a real-time count of birds in the United States. In addition to the count there is a related photo contest. For further information, visit www.birdcount.org.
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