Posts in Category: biggest week in american birding

Black-throated Blue Warbler

On May 6, 2019 by lightshedder With 0 Comments - biggest week in american birding, birds, Magee Marsh, nature, Ohio, wildlife

It does not get any better than this. We were watching this Black-throated Blue Warbler feeding in the foliage a few yards from the boardwalk at Magee Marsh on the Eire shore of Ohio, during the Biggest Week in American Birding, when it popped up onto the trunk of a big tree just a few feet from the rail of the boardwalk. I had to zoom back from 600mm equivalent to fit the whole bird in the frame. 🙂 It was fast and hopping all around the trunk, looking for bugs in the crevices of the bark, so it was not easy to catch. Lucky for me (and the other dozen or so other delighted photographers and birders) it worked the trunk for a good five minutes, during which time I shot off a hundred or more frames. Bound to have a few keepers. 🙂 Sony RX10iv at 490mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.

Ruby-crowed Kinglet

On May 5, 2019 by lightshedder With 2 Comments - biggest week in american birding, birds, Magee Marsh, nature, Ohio, wildlife

Though the weather has been dark and dismal, Ruby-crowned Kinglets totally “own” the boardwalk at Magee Marsh on the Eire shore during the first few days of the Biggest Week in American Birding. You could almost walk across the marsh on their tiny backs. They are feeding everywhere…mostly at or below eye-level. And the males are displaying their name-sake ruby crown. Kinglets are hard to photograph. They are constantly in motion, landing only long enough in one spot to be tempting…but moving on incessantly enough to be frustrating. You end up with a lot of empty frames, but occasionally you catch one. 🙂 Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.

Palm Warbler

On May 4, 2019 by lightshedder With 0 Comments - biggest week in american birding, birds, Lake Erie, Magee Marsh, nature, Ohio, wildlife

I am not sure what to think about this year’s migration yet, here at Magee Marsh and The Biggest Week in American Birding. I have only had an hour or so on the boardwalk, but the mixture of warblers is odd, to say the least. I saw very few Yellow-rumped Warblers, and several Cape Mays. Yellow-rumps are early birds, and Cape Mays are late comers. And yet it is early in the week yet. Of course, everything might be different today 🙂 This is Magee! This Palm Warbler was holding court about midway along the boardwalk, practically underneath a roosting Screech Owl. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.

American Redstart

On May 3, 2019 by lightshedder With 0 Comments - biggest week in american birding, birds, Magee Marsh, nature, Ohio, wildlife

I am not finished with my photos from the Dry Tortugas but I am already on the shores of Lake Erie for the Biggest Week in American Birding and that means warblers!!! This is very much a working trip for me, but I got out to the boardwalk for an hour or so on a rainy yesterday, and it did not disappoint. This American Redstart (male) was feeding just a few feet off the boardwalk at eye-level. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.