Black Friday in Heckscher Park

 

I was told that a number of unusual birds were recently spotted in our area. Apparently hurricane Sandy blew some birds off course and into our area. A gentleman I met during my walk in the Connetquot River State Park the other day, showed me pictures on his digital camera of a painted bunting that visited his neighbor’s backyard feeder. These colorful birds are very rarely seen on Long Island. His story, along with others I have heard, caused me to fill up my backyard feeders. I am even visiting other parks hoping to catch a glimpse of an unusual bird. Unfortunately, I have had no luck. Today I went to Heckscher State Park (East Islip) to do some birdwatching. My son came along and although we didn’t see birds during our walk, Rich was able to nicely capture the moon rising in the east and the sun setting over the Great South Bay.  When I look at his photos, I feel again the serenity I experienced during our walk. This is why I much prefer spending Black Friday hiking in a park than shopping in a mall.