Sorry: No Birds in this Image....

[Arthur Morris]

If you have photographed at Nickerson Beach it is likely that this and the similar images in today's blog post (Surreal Hurricane Irene Experience) may leave you somewhat astonished....

This photo was just created hours after Hurricane Irene flattened the Nickerson tern and skimmer colony with the handheld Canon 15mm fish eye lens and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1. Rear-focus AI Servo AF and re-compose.

Though there are no birds in the image it surely belongs in Avian....

See also "Nickerson After Hurricane Irene" here.

[Shreeni Rao]

A very powerful image Artie. Says a lot about the storm aftermath.

[John Chardine]

I assume the birds and their chicks had already left for the season, which means they will not lose this year's productivity. Terns are adapted to annual fluctuations in their breeding habitat and are not tied to one breeding place like many other seabird species. Not sure about the skimmers without looking up reference material but I expect them to be like terns in this respect.

[Arthur Morris]

John, It had been a great season for the skimmers and a good season for the terns. They had not left the colony area and would normally be there for at least a few more weeks. And there were still plenty of adult and young terns around as well. As far as I know Nickerson is the major breeding site on Long Island and I do not believe that they move around like the terns do (though they do not move around much down here either). I did see some barely fledged or younger birds on my Friday morning visit that surely did not survive the storm and there were like additional losses as well. I will let folks know what's going on after my visit on Tuesday morning. I am expecting to see several hundred skimmers and at least a hundred juvenile skimmers.... Time will tell.

[Karl Egressy]

I was thinking about the devastation caused to humans but also was thinking about the bird that might not have had anywhere to go.
Very powerful (and sad) image, Artie.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Artie, thanks for posting and will hope for the best tomorrow. I thought of the skimmers and terns when I knew Irene would hit there but I was hoping they had left for the season.

[Layton E Parham]

Truly a sad day at the beach. Hope for the best!

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks all. See Did the Skimmers Survive?