Blue-headed Vireo
The Blue–headed Vireo has similar plumage year round and does not drastically change its appearance during the breeding season. It can be characterized by its olive green upper body, two bold yellow wing bars down the edge of its wing, and a deep blue-grey crown from which it gets its name. The juvenile plumage of immature Blue-headed Vireos is not distinct but very similar to the adult plumage.
Magnolia Warbler Male
This little beauty is a male Magnolia Warbler in breeding plumage. I took this picture in the ramble in Central Park yesterday. I have been using the Canon EOS 5D Mark III with the Canon 100-400mm lens with a Canon 600 flash with a better beamer. I find that I need to use a flash in the ramble in Central Park most of the time because the birds are usually in shaded areas. The length of the Magnolia Warbler is 4.3 – 5.1 inches.
Swainson’s Thrush in Prospect Park
The Swaison’s Thrush is a member of Catharus genus and is typical of it in terms of its subdued coloration and beautiful voice. Swainson’s Thrush was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.The Swainson’s Thrush is best distinguished from all other North American Catharus thrushes by presence of buffy eye-ring and lores (eye-ring less distinct and dull whitish or largely absent in other Catharus thrushes).
Click the arrow below to hear the song of the Swainson’s Thrush
Black-throated Blue Warbler Male
The picture of this male Black-throated Blue Warbler was taken last Friday at the Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. The sexes of the Black-throated Blue Warbler look so different that they were originally described as two different species.
Click the arrow below to hear the song of the Black-throated Blue Warbler
Forster’s Tern in Flight
While foraging, the Foster’s Tern flies back and forth over water with his bill pointing downward and feet folded against body, typically about 6–8 m above water, and either plunges directly into water towards prey or hovers briefly before diving. Sometimes the Foster’s Tern forages from perches such as posts, bridges, telephone wires, or floating boards.The picture of this Forster’s Tern in flight was taken at the East Pond in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, New York.
Brown-head Cowbird Juvenile
The picture of this Juvenile Brown-head Cowbird was taken at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, New York. I used the combination of the Canon 5D Mark III with the Canon 100-400mm lens to take the picture of this lovely juvenile who was mostly in shade on a bright sunny day.
To hear the song and the sounds of the Brown-head Cowbird, click on the arrow below
Chipping Sparrow
A crisp, pretty sparrow whose bright rufous cap both provides a splash of color and makes adults fairly easy to identify. Chipping Sparrows are common across North America wherever trees are interspersed with grassy openings. This picture of this Chipping Sparrow was taken at the New York Botanical Gardens in the conifer area.
Their loud, trilling songs of the Chipping Sparrow are one of the most common sounds of spring woodlands and suburbs.
To hear the song of the Chipping Sparrow click the arrow below
Palm Warbler
Despite its tropical sounding name, the Palm Warbler lives farther north than most other warblers. It breeds far to the north in Canada, and winters primarily in the southern United States and northern Caribbean.
Click arrow below to hear the song of the Palm Warbler.
American Black Duck in flight
The American Black Duck has suffered somewhat from the introduction of captive-raised Mallards into its breeding range. The species hybridize (interbreed), and the Mallard may take over some breeding spots from the black duck. The picture of this American Black Duck coming in for a landing was taken at Big Johns Pond in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, New York.
Great Egret in Water in Central Park
The pristinely white Great Egret gets even more dressed up for the breeding season. A patch of skin on its face turns neon green at the onset of breeding in mature birds as you can see in this picture. Bills of reproductive mature individuals change from dull, streaked yellow to bright orange. Long plumes called aigrettes grow from its back which is not shown on this image.
Black and White Warbler
Distinctive in both plumage and behavior, the Black-and-white Warbler forages for insects while creeping along the trunks and branches of trees. It is tempting to describe the Black-and-white Warbler as a specialist wood-warbler, the only species to focus the bulk of its foraging on bark of trunks and large limbs. It is more accurate to define this species’ foraging niche as “wide” because the species frequently joins other warblers in outer branches and gleans foliage.
Click below to hear the song of the Black and White Warbler
Glossy Ibis in Flight
I took the picture of this Glossy Ibis flying over Big Johns Pond last Friday at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Although the Glossy Ibis in North America lives primarily along the Atlantic Coast, the Glossy Ibis also can be found in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Click below to hear the sound of the Glossy Ibis
White-eyed Vireo
I took the picture of this White-eyed Vireo last Saturday at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Twin Lakes area. A small and secretive bird of shrubby areas of the eastern and southern United States, the White-eyed Vireo is most noticeable for its explosive song.
Click on the arrow below to hear the song of the White-eyed Vireo.
Great Horned Owl Fledgling
This fledgling Great Horned Owl left the nest two days before this picture was taken. Young fledgling owls move onto nearby branches at 6 weeks of age at which time they may clamber out along a tree branch from the nest. At 7 weeks they are capable of 3–4 short flights of diminishing distance because they tire easily.
Eastern Towhee on Branch
The picture of this Eastern Towhee on branch in was taken in Central Park. This picture of the Eastern Towhee was taken with the Canon 5D Mark III with the 100-400mm lens and the Canon 600 EX flash with the better beamer attached. I find that I need to use a flash a lot when shooting pictures in the ramble in Central Park because of all the shaded areas I find myself in and the birds.