Wild Westhampton

At least I think it’s a wasp. This was a very large insect, one that in some ways reminded me of wasps and in other ways reminded me of dragonflies or even butterflies. If anyone has any clues… ?

The Strange Showing of the Unidentified Wasp
15 September 2009
Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue, NY

The Cornstalks and the Pumpkins
19 October 2009
Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Quogue, NY

The Egret in the Marsh (Part III)
05 August 2009
Cranberry Marsh, Westhampton Beach, NY

The Cygnet Shakes
02 July 2009
Cranberry Marsh, Westhampton Beach, NY

Part I – Part II

The Chipmunk in the Grass (Part III)
27 July 2009
Morton Wildlife Refuge, Sag Harbor, NY

The Little Bird on the Rocky Shore
21 September 2009
Tiana Beach (bay side), East Quogue, NY

Part I

The Fiddlers in the Tide (Part II)
17 August 2009
Mill Creek, Sag Harbor, NY

I posted the very first post of Wild Westhampton — The Deer in the Creek.

When I started, I didn’t expect much. Post a few pictures, tell a few stories, maybe get three readers to amuse on a regular basis. Mostly, I started to amuse myself, and to give myself an outlet that would challenge me to better my skills. I think, in that way, I have mostly been successful.

Here we are, one year later. We’re coming up on 500 posts, the magically numbered post probably occurring within the next two months. On the Beach wrote a post about this blog, and the Southampton Press even ran a story. Pretty darn cool.

I feel much stronger in making bird identifications (as well as butterflies and dragonflies) because I do a lot guide checking before making most of my ids for the posts here. I’m not always right. Often, I’m corrected, or I can’t find an id and ask for help. Running this blog has not only been a fun experience, but it has been an educational one as well.

Some folks follow links from other blogs to get here, while others are led here by Google and other search engines by keyword search. Some of the more popular searches are for Wildwood State Park & Cupsogue Beach (followed by “magical places”, “dining needles”, and “river monsters”). Some of the strangest things people seem to be searching for: “origami modular”, “deer standing in truck”, “eagle+goose”, “hermaphrodite genitalia”, “biggest deer still living in the world”, “starfish nose” and “dirty koala”. One person’s search for high tide times in Quogue led them here (I suggest here).

Just a housekeeping note… If you link to Wild Westhampton, please use wildwhb.com, not the WordPress version (the latter will still take you to wildwhb.com, but it will not look as tidy).

This adorable pinniped is the star of the sea lion show at the Atlantis Marine World aquarium in Riverhead. I have seen the show many times since Atlantis first opened, but have never been more entertained than at this last show. Retooled, the show (now called Hairy Potter and the Sea Lion’s Stone) revolves around the trials and tribulations of Hairy Potter and his friends (all aptly named with marine life twists), while still educating the audience (first years) and showing off the various tricks used in caring for the sea lions at the aquarium. Atlantis Marine World wins the House Cup!

The Sea Lion in the Show
29 September 2009
Atlantis Marine World, Riverhead, NY

Part I

The Willet in the Water (Part II)
06 July 2009
Dune Road, Quogue/East Quogue