One of the many joys of summer in Suffolk County is spending time in the backyard relaxing with a book, swimming in the pool, gardening, or enjoying a family meal together. I’ve come to realize that during these backyard experiences we’re often not alone.
The common woodpecker of suburban Long Island. It is the smallest woodpecker (the size of a house sparrow), is widespread on Long Island, and often visits backyard bird feeders during the colder months. It does well in Long Island’s heavily developed communities since, in addition to larger tracts, it can successfully inhabit small woodland fragments of just a couple of acres in size.
It’s a term you’ve used a million times before, but … there’s no such bird. There’s not even such a family of birds. The term “seagull” is a colloquialism used to refer to a group of generally white-gray-and-black birds that are found (commonly, but not only) near coastal waters. Here are six of the most common on Long Island…