It is always a fun challenge to get an interesting shot of a flock of birds. I like the interest here with a shallow depth of field with only some birds sharply in focus.
The Sanderling is one of the most widespread wintering shorebirds in the world. It is found on nearly all temperate and tropical sandy beaches throughout the world.
The future of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is uncertain. Populations are declining precipitously throughout its distribution.
Warblers and other fall migrants are starting to stop off in the green places in New York City on their journey south. Central Park is one of my favorite places to view and photograph warblers during this season. Other than trees, the many fences in Central Park are popular perching places for these birds.
The Lesser Black-backed Gull is an uncommon visitor to Eastern United States.
I glimpsed this beautiful Northern Flicker while walking in the forest in the New York Botanical Gardens basking in the sun on an exposed limb. He kindly remained there while I was able to get this shot.
If you have ever wondered as I have about the small feathers around the eye of a bird, here is an explanation that I gleaned from a really good description of bird feathers from Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feather
Bristles are stiff, tapering feathers with a large rachis (main shaft of a feather) but few barbs (branches from main shaft). Rictal bristles are bristles found around the eyes and bill. They may serve a similar purpose to eyelashes in mammals. It has been suggested that they may aid insectivorous birds in prey capture or that it may have sensory functions.