Mute Swan Closeup
The picture of this Mute Swan was photographed from the parking lot just after the Cross Bay Blvd bridge before the entrance to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge when coming from Manhattan. This is a favorite place of mine to photograph water birds close up.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
A common, but slow-moving and secretive denizen of woodlands, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo eats large quantities of hairy caterpillars. Its loud call is heard far more frequently than the bird is actually seen.
Click below to hear the sounds of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Common Yellowthroat Warbler Immature Male
Common Yellowthroats live in thick, tangled vegetation in a wide range of habitats—from wetlands to prairies to pine forests—across North America.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are restless, acrobatic birds that move quickly through foliage, typically at lower and middle levels. They flick their wings almost constantly as they go.
To hear the sound of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, click below.
Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfishers need access to bodies of water for feeding, and vertical earthen banks for nesting. They hunt in unclouded water that allows them to see prey below the surface, with perches nearby but minimal vegetation obstructing the water.
To hear the rattle sound of the Belted Kingfisher click below.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is the northernmost-occurring species of gnatcatcher, and the only truly migratory one. Most members of its genus are resident in the Neotropics. The soft, rambling song of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher usually contains some mimicked songs of other bird species.
Snowy Egrets Sparring
Snowy Egret hostile displays involve crest-raising and rasping calls . Upright posture and moderate plume erection proceeds in low-intensity displays (Snap, Stretch) to full attacks with inclined body and fully erected feathers.
Click below to hear the hostile display sounds of the Snowy Egret
Red-eyed Vireo
Click below to hear the song of the Red-eyed Vireo.
Eastern Wood-Pewee
The Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens) is a small tyrant flycatcher from North America. One potential cause of the decline of Eastern Wood-Pewee populations during the last 25 years is the overpopulation of white-tailed deer in the Eastern forests. In areas with high deer density, the intermediate canopy is disturbed by browsing, affecting the foraging space of the flycatcher.
Click below to hear the sound of the Eastern Wood-pewee
American Redstart Female
The brightly colored “flash patterns,” which the redstart displays while fanning its tail and drooping its wings, appear to flush prey from vegetation. Flattened beak with well-developed rictal bristles and proportionately large wing and tail area enable in-flight pursuit of insect prey.
Great Blue Heron
Despite their impressive size, Great Blue Herons weigh only 5 to 6 pounds thanks in part to their hollow bones—a feature all birds share. This picture of the Great Blue Heron coming in for a landing was taken at the East Pond of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
Semipalmated Sandpiper at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Semipalmated Sandpipers from eastern populations probably undertake nonstop transoceanic flights of 1,900 – 2,500 mi (3,000 – 4,000 km) from New England and southern Canada to South America, powered by extensive fat reserves. This picture was taken at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge while this Semipalmated Sandpiper was storing reserves.
Look for Yellow Warblers near the tops of tall shrubs and small trees. They forage restlessly, with quick hops along small branches and twigs to glean caterpillars and other insects. Males sing their sweet, whistled songs from high perches.
Click below to hear the song of the Yellow Warbler
Spotted Sandpiper
The Spotted Sandpiper is the most widespread breeding sandpiper in North America. With their richly spotted breeding plumage, teetering gait, stuttering wing beats, and showy courtship dances, the Spotted Sandpiper is among the most notable and memorable shorebirds in North America.
Glossy Ibis in Tree
Glossy Ibis breed mainly in freshwater marshes, river-edge marshes, but are also commonly observed in brackish and saltwater marshes, mudflats, mangroves, ponds. Glossy Ibis nest colonially on ground, in shrubs, or in trees, often far from feeding areas. Glossy Ibis breed in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.