One of the delights of Magee Marsh in May is the Prothonotary Warbler. The Magee Marsh boardwalk, is of course, the main highlight of The Biggest Week in American Birding…drawing upwards of 10,000 birders to Erie Shore of Ohio every May. There are generally several Prothonotary pairs nesting, or about to nest, within easy view of the boardwalk. And they sing. The song is, of course, beautiful in its own right, but it also makes the Prothonotary easy to locate. Not that you could miss one if it is in view. I think the Prothonotary has the most deeply saturated yellow of any bird…and it looks even more bright in contrast to the blue-grey of the wings…and especially bright and rich on a dull rainy day like yesterday. All in all a striking bird.

This specimen was actually below eye-level, inches above standing water in a tangle of willow and other brush. It was a blessing that he was so busy establishing his ownership of the territory that he stayed in a small area and offered several photo-ops.

Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation.  840mm equivalent field of view. f5.8 @ 1/200th @ ISO 800 and ISO 500. The advances in sensor tech and in camera processing in this last generation of super-zooms is nothing short of revolutionary. Who would have though you could get this kind of quality at high ISO?

Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.