Flash Refinement

(May 19th) After yesterday, I knew I needed to improve my flash usage. Today was completely overcast, which means definitely need some flash for the warblers. I probably looked awfully strange when I spent the first thirty minutes in the parking lot shooting pictures of a beaver Beanie Baby I put in a tree. But those thirty minutes were invaluable. I sorted out just exactly how I wanted to use the flash. The warblers were pretty good today. I finally found a Northern Parula who wasn't at the very tops of the trees.

A Chestnut-sided Warbler came in close for me to take a few shots. Maybe he wanted to see if I could use my flash properly :P

New Tool in the Shed

(May 18th) Today I made a pact with myself, it was time to start using flash, and really start using it. Without it, there are just too many shots missed - especially with the warblers and other songbirds in the foliage. First of all I headed over to the House Wren nest to see how they were doing. I got a few shots without flash at first, like this picture of one of the soon-to-be-parents on a log near the nest. It's all ruffled having just shown me an extensive grooming session. After a few flash shots of the nest, it was on to the warblers.

This Canada Warbler is one of those warblers that is in the dense foliage most of the time. So flash helps me get a shot where normally none would be possible. It adds some fill light and also corrects the color balance.

The flash helps a lot, but like any new tool, it will take some time to master. Sometimes I was using too little flash, sometimes too much. This Bay-breasted Warbler shows you what it looks like when you use too much. Definitely going to work on this...

Mission Accomplished

(May 17th) There are some critters that you see all the time but for some reason you don't have a good photo of them yet. You don't really aim to go out and shoot them because they are so common, but if you see one, you sure try to get some pictures. You know that time is on your side and you'll eventually have the right circumstances for it. Believe it or not but Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays are on this list for me. For the warbler migration, there has been one warbler that's there every day, but still no images. That's the Black-and-white Warbler. All warblers move a lot, but these guys seem to be on some extra stimulant. They also cling to the tree trunks a lot so are facing bad positions or in deep shade, etc. Today I was quite happy to finally get a few decent shots of one.

Since the migration has been moving along, some of the earlier species have given way a bit to the later ones. This Wilson's Warbler is one of these later species that is starting to become abundant. Here you can see the prominent black cap that the males possess.

Of course there was still time for some of the favorites that I've photographed many times already. Yellow Warblers are setting up their nests now and many of them like to check out what you're doing if you walk near.

Back Down to Ohio

(May 15th) The sun was back today, so Magee Marsh again. Again no good photos of migrants were in the cards today, but there was plenty else to keep me occupied. I started off the morning with this American Robin. The light was incredible and a nice composition. I usually don't like pictures with man-made objects in the background, but it doesn't bother me here.

I discovered a great House Wren nest which the two parents kept attending to. Many birders ask what I was photographing and when I told them it was a House Wren, they usually went "Oh" and quickly walked down the boardwalk as if I was crazy. I didn't try and get great shots today - in my thinking the wrens will be here for a few weeks so I can come back any time. I definitely am planning on returning. But with these shots and the next subject, I really felt like flash needs to become part of my arsenal.

Less than 12 hours after the Great Horned Owl of yesterday, my subject was another owl. Turns out a pair of Eastern Screech Owls rest each day in the same tree in Magee Marsh. Of course the foliage is everywhere and they often are in positions where you can't see much of them, but today wasn't so bad. This is one time where you really feel the restriction of having to stick to the boardwalk. These guys are a lot smaller than the Great Horned Owl, about the same size as the Burrowing Owls in Florida.

Surprises Even in Dolph

(May 14th) It had rained the last two mornings so I didn't think it was worth it to drive down to Ohio. But after that time off, when the sun peaked through in the afternoon, I had to shoot something. Usually the afternoon isn't as good as the morning and I needed to stay local, so off to dependable Dolph Park. I was expecting the usual jays, cardinals, and possibly a few of the common warblers. I was in for a surprise when I saw the first water. A lone Solitary Sandpiper (apt name, huh?) was taking a break to forage on its way up to Canada. At first glance I mistook it for a Spotted Sandpiper, not having seen a Solitary before. Had to shoot through a thick cover of leaves, but in return it popped into a few nice rays of light.

Then we walked to the main trail and off in one of the largest trees was the second big surprise. A Great Horned Owl was perched in the late afternoon. He was somewhat visible too, although very far away. This is one huge bird. He would be able to snack on the small Burrowing Owls I had posted from Florida. He's larger than most hawks. We took a few shots from a distance and tried to move in closer to get some better shots. Not with his eyes and ears! He immediately flew off when we started to move.

Cuckoo, Cuckoo!

(May 12th) Another warbler day in Magee Marsh, but full of some big surprises. Today the highlight was definitely a fine-looking Yellow-billed Cuckoo who perched on a tree right near the trail. I was amazed at the several birders and photographers who I saw pass it when I discovered it. I guess they were too busy looking for warblers to see it. Cuckoos are great birds, longer than a crow but more slender. They are uncommon, but definitely not rare. However, seeing one is rare since they tend to be shy and spend their time in foliage. This one hung out for quite to the delight of people passing through. Yes, these are the birds the clock is named after, but a slightly different species. (For some reason the eye in this small version doesn't look right, so see the larger version if you care)

Another non-warbler sighting was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This one of the most commonly seen birds during the migration, but most come earlier in the migration. They are tiny birds, smaller than a mouse. They are balls of energy though and quite friendly and curious. They are one of the few birds that typically doesn't mind coming close. This one was curious and flew in to watch me.

Of course there were some warblers today as well. The best photographs were of this Chestnut-sided Warbler who also had no fear and after time came in close. Great colors on this one, and one of the more common warblers at Magee. After looking over some of today's shots (like this and the kinglet), I'm realizing that I need to add just a touch of flash to these shaded shots.

Lotta Looks, Few Shots

(May 11th) Today was one of those days where the birds are great and it is the people who are the difficulty. Every time I would start to get things going, someone would scare things off before any pictures could be made. For some reason it was extra crowded at Magee today - and it was a Monday too... Regardless, the birds were fun. Here's a Blue-headed Vireo in flat light and not a stellar background.

The highlight of the day was a very nice Black-throated Green Warbler. He popped down in front of a huge crowd of people. No way I was going to get up close to get a shot. Fortunately he swapped trees and came in front of me for a few shots before the crowd moved him along again.

A 3-Hour Tour

(May 10th) Another 3 hours round trip drive down to Magee Marsh. No place else "nearby" to find such good warblers. As dawn came up, the light was awesome again. And you guessed it, Palm Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers everywhere. I'd have posted a shot of the Palms, but I think you've seen so many already.

While shooting the warblers, there were lots of birds on the ground nearby. Like yesterday, most were catbirds. But there were a few other species. Unfortunately I missed getting a decent shot of the lone Brown Thrasher that flew in for a few seconds. But the White-crowned Sparrows were more plentiful and a bit easier subjects.

Sometimes you happen to catch a humorous moment. You might be surprised, but wildlife does some very funny things. Not just the things you happen to see on You Tube either. Sometimes the humor in a shot comes out because of how you shoot it rather than what the subject was doing. Some of the Yellow Warblers are migrants, but quite a lot are residents at Magee. All of them are very cool looking birds. I'm not sure if this guy was here to stay or just moving through, but I managed to catch him as he hopped from one branch to another. Sometimes they don't bother to fly.

Warbler Triumph

(May 9th) This morning I again took the drive down to Ohio to check out the warbler migration. I had seen a few in Ann Arbor, so I was optimistic. I can't keep getting skunked every day... Persistance paid off, as did the strategy of becoming part of the environment. It was easily the most amazing warbler day I have ever had. It started off at dawn with some more common birds. Again a lot of Palm Warblers, but I was happy to get some very nice shots as they perched on some sumac.

The sumac turned out to be a hotbed as the morning passed. In the early hours, Yellow-rumped Warblers were almost as prevalent as the Palm Warblers. Again, the two warblers I seem to always see during migration, but a very handsome bird.

There were other birds around besides warblers too. The ground seemed to be covered with Gray Catbirds that were foraging for anything they could find. They hopped and flapped, rarely staying still, but with this many to keep you occupied, getting a picture is just a matter of trying.

Later in the morning, the warblers really picked up. One of my favorites is the Cape May Warbler - gotta love the burgundy cheeks they have. We saw three of these birds in the morning. At one instance two of them were in the same tree. They even came fairly close giving some nice shots of this beautiful bird.

There were many other warbler species (and non-warblers) throughout the morning. I had somewhere around 20 warbler species seen and most of these captured with the camera. If the Cape May was not the highlight, then it would have to go the blazing Blackburnian Warbler. These tiny birds just explode with color and energy. Their head and throat just seems unnaturally bright. All in all, it was wonderful to have seen all the great birds and felt nice to have Magee Marsh finally help us out.

Camera Doesn't Do It Justice

(May 8th) Often when you go out photographing, you see exciting things, but fail to capture it. Today was one of those days. I spent the morning in Dolph Park and the highlight was when a flock of Cedar Waxwings came by. The landed in an apple tree quite close to me. As I watched, I saw them munch on all the petals of the apple blossoms. It was quite a sight. Of course, there were branches in the way the whole time, an overcast sky, a terrible upward angle, etc. I really wanted to be able to move to get a nice picture, but I knew if I moved the flock would fly away. So I just watched them and hoped they might move to where I could get a nice shot. It never happened though. Eventually a bird watcher came and walked up to me and asked what I was looking at. Of course the waxwings flew away as she came up, and when I told her didn't seem that interested. Some birders only want to look at the uncommon birds, I don't know why... Anyway no good shot, but I enjoyed the time and hopefully the waxwings will be better to me next time.