By Mike Busch

This week we enjoyed an amazing stretch of clear and summer like weather followed by a pattern change with overcast skies, wind and rain.  Perhaps the upcoming coastal storm will kick in some seasonal weather but in the meantime there is nothing like looking for late October wildlife in shorts!

The Long Island Wildlife Photography group took full advantage and had a great week capturing the continuing Fall migration.

Some of the winter ducks are arriving and shown below include Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, American Coot, and Gadwall.

Off our shores, the bunker (Menhaden) schools are thick, bringing in incredible numbers of Humpback Whales that are feasting on them as they migrate past us to the Caribbean.   I don’t have any facts to back it up but by reports and what I saw all last weekend this may be the most Humpbacks reported off Long Island for a very long time.

With that in mind, last Saturday Gotham Whale and the American Princess were kind enough to offer a Long Island Wildlife group discount and over 50 members showed for an epic trip!  We saw 5 Humpback Whales right off Rockaway Beach and another 50 or so bottlenose dolphins.  I picked out just a few shots from the group featured on page 6.  If you couldn’t make it we may do one more but even without the discount it is still the best deal in town- click their links above for more information.

This week’s cover goes to Steven Williams with a nice dolphin close up.

Kathleen Desiderio | Mute Swans

Nancy Viscardi-Ricigliano | American Wigeon

Trish Minogue Collins | Great Blue Heron

Russ Ogden | Nelson’s Sparrow

Robert Kaplan | Peregrine Falcon

Lisa Nasta | Great Horned Owl

Len Maltese | Yellow Crowned Night Heron

Steven Williams | Dunlin