Jamaica Bay

Here’s a variation on a common sight: a young Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura). Note how much darker it is than an adult. You might almost want to make it another species, although there aren’t really any other options on this end of the country.

We’ve been lucky enough to catch the changing of the guard at this Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) nest a couple of times. Parent flies to hole, perching outside. Other parent bird flies out. First parent scoots in hole.That black mark, the malar, on the cheek means this is the male. He spends a minute looking…

  Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge bakes in the summer sun, with only a few shady areas in the north and south “gardens” along the eastern edge of the West Pond trail, but there is so much wildlife activity out there right now it’s worth putting on a big hat and lots of sun-screen. I’ve been…

Spotting an American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) male at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge recently was a surprise. There was actually another nearby, too. The bird-list put out by the NPS says they are “probable nesters” there; the state breeding survey, more recent, has them confirmed. This was news to me. Nice to see a “revival” of migration’s…

  An adult American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) sticks out of the landscape like a sore bill. Sand-colored young American Oystercatchers, however, are not so easy to see or photograph. But they, or their parents, or all of them combined, sure do make a lot of noise.

Let’s get a little closer, shall we…?There is definitely some yellow in the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron’s crown.We’d see it better if the sun wasn’t so bright. Because I could hardly have been closer: I was in a blind, less than ten feet from the bird.

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) absolutely owning the place.There are a good number of Songs nesting at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, which is part of Gateway National Recreation Area.Another was singing on top of this Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nest box. There’s probably a whole family of swallows in there behind the parent seen poking out.The…

  Troglodytes aedon, the House Wren. Don’t think I’ve so noticed or appreciated the yellow of the lower part of the bill before.Hard to miss when they’re singing, characteristically from an open, exposed spot above their territory. This year, I’ve seen/heard them in Jamaica Bay, Native Flora Garden, and Prospect Park. Last year a pair…