Black and white
Black and White Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2025 — There were some rare warblers in the marsh yesterday, along with the highest number of individuals of species I have already seen this year, and several species I had not seen yet. I did not manage to get a photo of any of rarities, but I did manage some decent photos of several of the species missing from my collection for this year. This Black and White Warbler entertained us at one the spots where birders were gathered to wait the resighting of a Hooded Warbler (which I am pretty sure never did reappear). Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Chestnut close
Chestnut-sided Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2025 — Another warbler that is generally cooperative…always available for at least one full frame portrait at Magee, is the Chestnut-sided. A very appealing warbler with its pattern of rust and black and white with yellow highlights. I have not yet gotten a full unobstructed view this year, mainly because the foliage is so far advanced that such views are almost impossible to get, but the warblers are doing their part. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Another most wanted
Magnolia Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2025 — I suppose I do have a most wanted list in my head when I come to the Biggest Week in American Birding on the Erie Shore of Ohio. I am happy to see anything I see, and I would love to see a Kirtlands or a Canada (birds I have rarely seen) or a Worm-eating (which I have never seen) but I don’t really expect to see any of those, so I am not disappointed to come home without a photo. However I would be more than a little disappointed to come home without a new photo of a Magnolia Warbler, or a Blackburnian, or a Chestnut-sided. These regular warblers are on my most wanted list because I do expect to see them and they are often possible to photograph well. I went 3 days without my Magnolia and I was beginning to wonder, but yesterday I walked up on one feeding close and low, without a lot of other photographers in the way, so I could spend some time following along as the bird actively feed and moved down the boardwalk and around the corner where it branches. It was not still for more than a few seconds at a time, but I took about 100 shots and did manage to get a few keepers. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm. Program with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Sing like you mean it!
Prothonotary Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2025 — There are lots of Prothonotary Warblers busy establishing territories and building nest along the boardwalk and Magee Marsh this year. They are such a joy to watch. And, as usual for Prothonotaries, completely un-fazed by all the human appreciation they are getting. This is pretty much a full frame shot from about 6 feet. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio. May 2025 — My first day at the Biggest Week in American Birding…warbler central in May…I only saw half a dozen species of warblers, but the most of the ones I saw were so cooperative…close and so busy feeding that they paid no attention to photographers…that I came back with over 2000 exposures. I even managed to get a few keepers 🙂 …not easy yesterday as the foliage is well developed in the marsh this year and, while close shots are available, clear shots are very rare. This Blackburnian, perhaps my favorite warbler to photograph, fed busily over and on either side of the same stretch of boardwalk all afternoon. There was always a scrum of photographers on hand, and I suspect he features in a 100,000 images by now. I must have taken 200 or more on my three visits to his territory. This shot catches a bit of his abundant energy and amazing color. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm (almost a full frame shot…cropped only for composition.) Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Snowy Cotinga
Snowy Cotinga: La Selva Biological Research Center, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — Just a quick post as I am on my way to do my first workshop at The Biggest Week in American Birding here in Ohio. This bird was at the extreme limits of photography…so small in the viewfinder that only its extreme whiteness allowed me focus on it. 🙂 And, actually, this is as close to this bird as I have gotten in Costa Rica. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Cropped drastically and upscaled during processing in Photomator. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications.
Red-lored Parrots ?
Red-lored Amazons: Puerto Viejo, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — we went to the field by the police station in Puerto Viejo to look for the Great Green Macaws that roost there, but they were already off for day on their feeding rounds…we did see lots of Red-lored Amazons…which used to be called Red-lored Parrots. These birds were FAR away, and this is a heavy corp of a shot with the Sony a6700 and the Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Side-striped Palm Viper
Side-striped Palm Viper: Frog Heaven, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — After the Eyelash Viper the folks at Frog Heaven brought out a snake I had never seen before. This Palm Viper is only found in Costa Rica and Panama, though very similar snakes are found in Honduras (also called a palm viper), and on the Pacific Islands and in South-east Asia. The green was much more difficult to photograph well than the bright yellow of the Eyelash. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 348 and 600mm. Aperture preferred program with my macro modifications. f16 at 1/10 second at ISO 12500. I had to use -2 EV to keep the green from washing out totally in the light of my Ulanzi Photo Flashlight. Processed in Photomator.
Eyelash Viper
Eyelash Viper: Frog Heaven, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, March 2025 — One of the highlights of a visit to Frog Heaven, for those who are so inclined (and I know it is not everyone) is the snakes they bring out towards the end of your time there. There is nothing quite like a bright yellow Eyelash Viper posed on a branch in the dark of the night. Eyelash because of the pointy scales above the eye. Viper because it is. a pit viper…notice the little heat sensor between the eye and the nostril. Photographed by the light of my Ulanzi Photo Flashlight (not a flash but a handheld led torch). Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 409mm equivalent. Aperture program with my macro modifications. F16 @ 1/40th from my little travel tripod. -1 EV to tame the highlights.
Hoover
Red Squirrel: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, May 2025 — I call him (or her) Hoover because he (or she) comes after the Raccoons have been emptying our sunflower seed feeders all over the deck, mostly on rainy days for some reason, to clean up the mess. She (or he) lets me open the deck door for an unobstructed view and photographs. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 543mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. (ISO 16500 by the way.) (And a second by the way…I am not sure, of course, if our Hoover is a individual squirrel, he or she, or if we have a whole tribe of Hoovers living the woods across the road, just waiting rainy day, “clean-up on the back deck aisle” call??)