Early May at Jamaica Bay Park, Queens

After a winter break, I finally visited Jamaica Bay Park. It is a heaven for bird watchers all year round. It is full of tree swallows. Their wooden nesting boxes are always occupied.

Tree swallows are always on guard, constantly watching and patrolling their nests.

There is something distinguished about their posture, head up and chest forward.

You can often see them stretching their wings with extreme flexibility. Their feathers remind me of origami and the myriad of shapes they can take.

Yellow warblers, are very brightly yellow and fluffy. They hop from branch to branch at extreme speeds. Males have black eye and small beak. Surprisingly, they blend it very well with the trees, as their back feathers are yellow-green.

A trip to Jamaica Bay cannot be considered successful without capturing a cardinal.

I still have lots to learn to distinguish different species of sparrows. This one is likely American tree sparrow.

Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) flies to Northern parts of the United States during its breeding season. Surprisingly, this one decided to have a peak out of the bushes.

Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), a master of sounds. They can imitate many sounds and other birds. Hearing a mocking bird sing is always a surprise, as you cannot predict what will you hear next.

Mute swans are majestic birds. There is some kind of mystery and elegance in their poses. Many people disagree, as swans are loud and are not easily scared. For me, part of their charm stems from my childhood memories and sentiment to European birds. In my childhood literature, swans played many central roles.