Category Archives: Birds

Black-throated Green Warbler

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Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

 

The male Black-throated Green Warbler sings persistently during the breeding season. One individual Black-throated Green Warbler was observed singing 466 songs in one hour.The male Black-throated Green Warbler tends to sing his “zee-zee-zee-zoo-zee” song near the middle of his territory, largely in the beginning of the breeding season to attract females. He sings the “zoo-zee-zoo-zoo-zee” song mostly around the territory’s margins, to deter other males.

Click the arrow below to hear the song of the Black-throated Green Warbler


Common Yellowthoat Male

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Common Yellowthroat Male

Common Yellowthroat Male

Common Yellowthroat Male

The Common Yellowthroat was one of the first bird species to be catalogued from the New World, when a specimen from Maryland was described by Linnaeus in 1766. Carl Linnaeus is often called the Father of Taxonomy. His system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms is still in wide use today (with many changes). His ideas on classification have influenced generations of biologists during and after his own lifetime

Click on arrow below to hear the song of the Common Yellowthroat

Song of the Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart Male

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American Redstart Male

American Redstart Male

An American Restart is a warbler who moves rapidly while foraging. The American Restart will flash its wings and tail to flush insect prey and will frequently be seen flycatching as shown in this photograph. This picture was taken at Croton Point Park in Westchester New York.

Blue-headed Vireo

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Blue-headed Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

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

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Magnolia Warbler Male

Magnolia Warbler Male

Magnolia Warbler Male in Breeding Plumage

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

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Swainson's Thrush in Prospect Park

Swainson’s Thrush in Prospect Park

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

Song of the Swainson’s Thrush

Black-throated Blue Warbler

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Black-throated Blue Warbler Male

Black-throated Blue Warbler Male

Black-throated Blue Warbler

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

Song of the Black-throated Blue Warbler

Forster’s Tern in Flight

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Forster’s Tern in Flight

Forster's Tern in Flight

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

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Brown-head Juvenile Cowbird

Brown-head Cowbird Juvenile

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

Songs and sounds of the Brown-head Cowbird

Chipping Sparrow

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Chipping Sparrow on Branch

Chipping Sparrow

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

Song of the Chipping Sparrow

Palm Warbler

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Palm Warbler on Ground in Central Park Ramble

Palm Warbler

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.

Song of the Palm Warbler

American Black Duck in Flight

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American Black Duck Coming in for a Landing

American Black Duck in flight

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

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Great Egret in Water in Central Park

Great Egret in Water in Central Park

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 Warber

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Black and White Warbler on Branch

 

Black and White Warbler

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

Song of the Black and White Warbler

Glossy Ibis in Flight

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Glossy Ibis in Flight with Spring Tree Background

Glossy Ibis in Flight

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

Song of the Glossy Ibis