Monthly Archives: May 2022

Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — The Magnolia Warbler seemed to be the default warbler during the second week of the Biggest Week in American Birding, at least along the boardwalk at Magee. There were more than I ever remember seeing there. And it is such a striking bird. And you have to look at every single one you see, just to make sure it is not, well, the bird you would rather see (Kirtland’s). So the Magnolias keep you busy (and wake). This is all good. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Black-throated Green

Black-throated Green Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — Often among the most numerous and photogenic of the warblers at Magee every May, the Black-throated Green tends to feed right at eye-level and to favor the edges along the boardwalk. This year was no different…though this year it was outnumbered by Magnolia Warblers for the first time in my memory…perhaps it has something to do with the habit changes at Magee. This is adult male in full glorious plumage. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f5 and f5.6 @ 1/1000th.

Warbling Vireo

Warbling Vireo: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — There were as many Warbling Vireos this year at Magee as there were any individual species of warbler…more than most. It seemed that every third bird you looked at was a Warbling Vireo. 🙂 The Vireos are all relatively plain when compared to the bright spring warblers, but they are still good birds to see. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th. (One of the results of the storm damage the marsh suffered last August is the absence of canopy over much of the area, which certainly gives a lot more light for photographers to make use of…and has not seemed to deterred the birds either.)

Northern Parula

Northern Parula: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — The Parulas only came in on the last day I was in Ohio, but when they did, they were unusually cooperative. This one, was spotted along the dead end section that used to be the inner loop of the boardwalk before the giant cottonwood fell across it. The bird came directly toward me at eye-level and ended up too close to focus as it passed within inches of my head. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Cape May!

Cape May Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio. USA, May 2022 — Every migration season is exactly the same…and every migration season is totally different. This year, when first got to the marsh, the only warblers in any numbers were Yellow and Cape May. From past experience I would have expected the Cape May to be later in the migration stream. You just never know. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/800th.

The Heron and the Fish

Green Heron: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — There is an active Green Heron nest in the brush across the pond from what used to be, and may be again after repairs are completed, the inner loop of the boardwalk at Magee. Right now it is a dead end, but certainly on of the birdiest sections of the boardwalk. The male heron could be seen several places along east end boardwalk, hunting a new area each day. This was my first sighting…and it happened to be during my first Point and Shoot for Warblers workshop. Not a warbler! Still we stopped to photograph the action as the heron took a fish…not easy shots as the brush above the heron, and in front of the heron, was dense. Worth the effort though. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent (these are essentially full frame shots). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Assembled in FrameMagic. ISO 250 (first shot) and 160 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Wilson’s Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — The Wilson’s Warbler is not an easy bird to see, since it is one of your classic skulkers…staying deep in the low vegetation most of the time…it’s greenie yellow tones blend in particularly well with the emerging leaves of May. It is a testimony to both the number of Wilson’s Warblers and the number of birders amassed at Magee Marsh this year, that I actually saw several Wilson’s and managed to photograph a few. I am sure this one thought it was well concealed deep in the bush, but the Sony at 600mm was able to penetrate the tangle and focus on the bird. That I caught it singing is a just a bonus. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .7EV.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — Some warbler names are just to prosaic…I mean, what is this warbler going to be if not “black-throated blue?” There were many Black-throated Blues along the boardwalk at Magee Marsh this year, and though they like to stay well tucked into the foliage, when there are numbers you can generally find a cooperative bird if you are on the boardwalk often and long enough. This one was within 5 feet of me. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Canada Warbler: my first shot

Canada Warbler: Metzler Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — As I mentioned yesterday, the Canada Warbler has eluded me for a dozen years of visits to Erie Shore in Ohio, looking for warblers during the Biggest Week in American Birding. I have seen a few but never gotten a photo. This is not a great photo, but as they say, it is my own! Typically this Canada was working through dense brush on the back side of the little woodlot next to the parking at Metzler Marsh, rarely showing more than a glimpse of yellow through the twigs and leaves, and working the bird and taking 100 or more exposures, this the only image I got. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Blackburnian Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler: Magee Marsh Boardwalk, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA, May 2022 — I started the day, my forth at the Biggest Week in American Birding, with two goals. One was to find and photograph a Canada Warbler…something that has eluded me in the 12 years I have been coming to the Biggest Week, and the second was to find a cooperative Blackburnian Warbler in good light and close enough for a decent photo, something that had so far eluded me on this trip. The Blackburnian is always fun to photograph. I found my Canada Warbler near the Metzer Marsh parking lot at my first stop of the morning. Not a great shot, and a female, but you will probably see it if I don’t get a better one. The Blackburnian on the other hand had to wait for the end of the day, when the sun was getting low and the light was warm, on “one last” turn around the boardwalk. It was not as close I would have liked, but there are few other places in the world, other than Magee Marsh in May, where you can decide to find a Blackburnian Warbler photo and have at least a reasonable chance of coming home happy. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed (and enlarged from a crop) in Pixomator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/640th.