I recently conducted several workshops at Jamaica Bay that went quite well. I have to say it JB hasn't been as productive as in past years. I ran into Artie Morris at Nickerson and he said he thought the shorebirds had come through in late July in large numbers. Of course the water levels have been high because of recent rain. The people that run the refuge haven't yet figured out that it's the shoreline that attracts shorebirds. No shoreline, no shorebirds.

As of the end of August there have been quite a few Baird's Sandpipers spotted in the area. They are normally skittish and tough to get close to but I managed to get some nice shots with my new 5D Mark II. I miss the crop factor but I love the image quality.

I've been working on the launch of two exciting new sites: NYCPhotoNews.com and PhotoGeekNews.com. The latter is a stock photo site for bloggers and Web developers with my partner Steve Mack bringing his celebrity photos to the mix. The content is all New York City and the photos are only $5 each. That's because they are screen resolution and not designed to be printed. PhotoGeekNews is for photographers (like myself) interested in all those geeky gadgets that you like to spend money on. Rather than let you waste your money PhotoGeekNews reviews this products and their vendors. Take a look and let us know what you think.

We plan on rolling out the "photonews" concept in 10 major cities next year. We are awaiting funding for the project. PhotoGeekNews is just a fun site that allows me to justify all the money I spend on photo stuff.

(May 11) I got some nice shots of a Brewster's Warbler along with some Cerulean and Golden-winged Warblers. All of these were up in Orange County where they nest.

(May 5) I launched yet another Web site called PhotoGeekNews. It's for all you photo geeks out there (like myself) who are fascinated with all the photo accessories available. Take a look and see what you think.

(May 3) I delivered the keynote address at the Great South Bay Audubon Society's annual dinner on Monday, May 3rd at Captain Bill's Restaurant in Bayshore. There was quite a turnout and they were a great group. They really have their act together.

(May 1 & 2) Saturday, and Sunday were pretty decent days for bird photography in Central Park. I hope it continues this week. I got some nice warbler shots and have posted them in my gallery.

I have just launched a photo stock agency called NYC Photo News (www.nycphotonews.com). The site was created to provide bloggers, ezines, and Web site builders access to high-quality low-cost images for their sites. All photos are 72 dpi and no larger than 1024 pixels on the longest side. At that resolution we can offer our photos for $5.00 each. We welcome new contributors. Please read our submission guidelines for more information.

The New York Times is featuring one of my photos in a slideshow about Bald Eagles on the Hudson River.

I celebrated the Vernal Equinox by getting up in the middle of the night and photographing the city from Roosevelt Island and from under the Brooklyn Bridge. Got some nice shots, too. I shot a number of HDRs. The one on the right is three exposures combined in PhotoMatix to create a high dynamic range image. I also did a couple of panoramas from the Manhattan to the Brooklyn Bridge. I now want to go back and shoot the streets of Dumbo at night.

(2/26/10) More snow means more Central Park in the snow photos. This week's storm caused havoc on the roads-my speaking engagement at the Fyke Nature Center was cancelled but it gave me a chance to head into the park again. I really like shooting there at night in the snow--the color temperature of the various lights makes for fascinating photos. This time I set the white balance on the camera to tungsten. Balto looks particularly nice against a snowy backdrop and I even used my fisheye lens (although sparingly).

(2/15/10) There have been several Lapland Longspur hanging out with a flock of Horned Larks at Jones Beach Coast Guard Station. While skittish, they can be approached if you crawl up to them. If you are going to try that I recommend warm clothing. The wind out there is bitter.

(2/12//10) The recent snowstorm left the park covered with a fresh blanket of wet snow. Although it did not stay pristine for long, I was able to go in the night of the big storm and get some interesting shots. Even at 10pm there were lots of people out building snowmen and sledding. The snow was wet, thick, and blowing and it was a challenge to keep my lens clean.

(1/31/10) A very cooperative Dovekie has been swimming around an inlet at Timber Point in Suffolk County for the past week. This small pelagic bird (a member of the family that includes Puffins and Razorbills) is rarely seen near land unless it is in distress. The bird on Long Island seems healthy but it remains to be seen if it can make it back out to the ocean on its own.

(1/23/10) I got back from our very successful Owl Workshop on Amherst Island only to find this livery cab on fire in front of my building. New York's Bravest were quickly on the job and the fire was put out without incident. It was almost as exciting as the Boreal Owl, Northern Saw-whets, Barred, and Snowy Owls we saw on Amherst Island. It was a great group of guys and we got some terrific photos. More about the workshop on my blog.

Thanks to everyone who made my holiday print sales the best ever. I hope you enjoy your prints and, as always, I will refund the purchase price if you are not absolutely delighted with the print.

It was a slow December in the wildlife department but it has given me time to perfect my HDR technique. This stunning High Dynamic Range photo of the George Washington Bridge was created by combining three different exposures and is available in my print gallery. I have others of Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, and other sites around the city.

Check out my "Best of 2009" gallery and my new workshop schedule for 2010.

My photos are featured in the December 2007 issue of Birder's World in an article about birding in Central Park.

National Wildlife, the magazine of the National Wildlife Federation, featured my work in their August/September 2007 issue. You can view the issue online.

Custom Prints

You can now order custom prints and signed, limited edition prints of some of my most memorable photos (including many from my book Birds of Central Park) at my online shop. You can also order signed copies of the book there.

Birds of Central Park Web Site

You can post your own Central Park photos at birdsofcentralpark.com. While there take a look at the interactive map I created that shows the popular birding spots in Central Park. You can exchange information with other birders/photographers or just browse the forums.

More Than Just Birds

In addition to my bird photography my site has photos of insect, flowers, animals, people, New York City and other locales and, of course, my cats Sal, Bogey, and Squeaky.