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.
White-throated Sparrow Spring
Central Park was filled with the lovely White-throated Sparrows in breeding plumage yesterday. Crisp facial markings make the White-throated Sparrow an attractive bird as well as a hopping, flying anatomy lesson. There’s the black eyestripe, the white crown and supercilium, the yellow lores, the white throat bordered by a black whisker, or malar stripe.
Ruby-crowned Male Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Male
The picture of this male Ruby-crowned Kinglet on a branch was taken in the New York Botanical Gardens near the Twin Lakes area.
One of North America’s smallest birds, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet can be recognized by its constant wing-flicking. The male shows its red crown only infrequently. The length of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is 3.5 to 4.5 inches and is constant motion making it quite the challenge to photograph.
Yellow-rumped Warbler Breeding Plumage
Black-capped Chickadee on Twig
The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, North American songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is the state bird of both Maine and Massachusetts in the United States, and the provincial bird of New Brunswick in Canada. The Black-capped Chickadee is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights. I took this picture in the azalea garden and the New York Botanical Gardens.
White-throated Sparrow Breeding Plumage
White-throated_Sparrow
The picture of this very handsome White-throated Sparrow was taken in the Azalea Garden at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Spring is definitely attempting to peek through the winter drapery – there was an azalea flower in full bloom. This means that the White-throated Sparrows will be taking off soon – I will miss them and the image of them diligently scraping the ground for food.
It was great to see a Red-winged Blackbird at the New York Botanical Gardens this weekend as this is an indication that spring is on it way – especially since it is supposed to snow in New York City today. Not exactly sure when this guy has taken this pose. It could be that he is “playing dead” – he did fly off right after I took this shot.
The picture of this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in Flight was taken in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY.