Jamaica Bay never disappoints. As you enter the path that circles the bay you are greeted by beautiful grasses growing from the shore. They shelter numerous animals and are common hanging places for birds.

Grasses

As you continue to walk down the path, a majestic osprey nest appears. If you watch them long enough, you are bound to see one of the adults carry in fish to their chicks.

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus)

No outing would be complete without seeing a few red-winged blackbirds, standing guard over their nests. They can get territorial, so I usually keep my distance. The red patches on their wings can be spotted from afar.

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

As I walked further around the bay, this American robin got my attention. He was surrounded by what I think were mosquitoes or small flies.

American robin (Turdus migratorius)

If you look closer to the shore, you can spot seagulls trying to crack oysters. They would fly with an oyster in their beak and drop it from a high distance onto the rocks. They would repeat this motion multiple times until the oyster would crack, not an easy feat. That is a brilliant use of force.

Gulls

Ruddy ducks are very small, and I have not yet spotted them on the shore. The characteristic blue beak of the males almost looks cartoonish. They are on the shy side and I am yet to get a better picture of them.

Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)

It is always a treat to see snow geese. If you are lucky in the winter, you can see the large flocks of them in Jamaica Bay. Their breeding grounds are in the Arctic but they migrate through the area in the winter.

Snow geese

I am yet to learn how to tell all the warblers apart, but sometimes I get lucky.

Yellow-rumped warbler

And there goes Eastern phoebe….this bird looks unreal. It looks like a plush toy.

Eastern phoebe

I love to go to Jamaica Bay, there is always something new to admire.