May 29th & 30th 2021
| LOCATIONS: In and around Flamborough | WEATHER: Sun and cloud |
Day1: was a fairly quiet day with not too much showing up. I did, however, catch some movement, while sitting parked, along the side of the road, and was delighted to see that it was a Wilson's Warbler ... I was reasonably prepared with my camera on the passenger seat so managed a couple of shots before the bird headed back into the brush, never to seen again (for me at least). Unfortunately the shots were not sharp, so was a bit disappointing..
Day2: was around the same area, but this time I was with a birding partner, who has amazing hearing, so lots more birds were sighted and photographed. Hearing the birds is absolutely important ...... but for me, I have a huge disadvantage, being that my high end hearing has left me may years ago, so rely solely on sighting and habitat knowledge.
Day2: was around the same area, but this time I was with a birding partner, who has amazing hearing, so lots more birds were sighted and photographed. Hearing the birds is absolutely important ...... but for me, I have a huge disadvantage, being that my high end hearing has left me may years ago, so rely solely on sighting and habitat knowledge.
Tip of the Day: Bird photography is about having fun, so get out there and get your camera pointing at a few birds. It doesn't have to be a rarity - quite often the best subjects are the common garden birds, that can be found in your back yard or in the local park.
May 28th 2021
| LOCATION: Carden Alvar | WEATHER: Cloudy after some light rain |
Forecast was pretty much rain all day here, so after a little research we discovered that Carden was only rain until around 10:00 am, so it seemed to be a good idea to make use of this opportunity. A friend a couple of days ago had found a Lawrence's Warbler, and being that this would be a lifer for the three of us, sealed the deal., especially given that we were privy to the exact location.
Almost immediately we found the Lawrence's so personally I was ecstatic, right from the get go, and that anything else we found was going to be a bonus. After some scouting around I found a few other birds that gave me a few opportunities. Getting a life bird after a dozen or so years in this wonderful hobby, isn't something I get every day, so I had a couple of glasses of vino to celebrate when I got home.
Almost immediately we found the Lawrence's so personally I was ecstatic, right from the get go, and that anything else we found was going to be a bonus. After some scouting around I found a few other birds that gave me a few opportunities. Getting a life bird after a dozen or so years in this wonderful hobby, isn't something I get every day, so I had a couple of glasses of vino to celebrate when I got home.
Tip of the Day: If you want incredible bird photos, you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone. and get down low. Specifically, you need to get on a level with the bird. Your lens should be about even with the bird’s eye. It will likely mean laying on your belly, but boy! it can be worth the effort. Happy shooting
May 25th & 26th 2021
| LOCATIONS: M25 - North Dumfries M26 - Caledon | WEATHER: Bit of of sun and a bit of cloud |
Day one, the target was the Scarlet Tanager, and we were fortunate enough to actually see three males and two females in this area. One of the males was very curious and came down low a couple of times.
Day two: we headed up a bit north of Toronto looking for some interesting Warblers - we had heard there was a couple of interesting species lurking in certain areas. After some looking around we were delighted to find the Blackburnian and the Black-throated Green about 2 km from each other. A local pond we passed had a GBH that was completely at ease with our fairly close presence, so getting a few shots of him was a bonus.
Day two: we headed up a bit north of Toronto looking for some interesting Warblers - we had heard there was a couple of interesting species lurking in certain areas. After some looking around we were delighted to find the Blackburnian and the Black-throated Green about 2 km from each other. A local pond we passed had a GBH that was completely at ease with our fairly close presence, so getting a few shots of him was a bonus.
Tip of the Day: Photographing birds can be a hugely rewarding exercise or one of extreme frustration at the same time. Besides a great deal of patience, the most important considerations to bear in mind are the equipment you use, how you use it - not only for the environment but of the behavior of the birds you're trying to photograph.
May 24th 2021
| LOCATION: Brant County/Elgin County | WEATHER: Hazy sun |
A good day out, with a few decent birds.
Tip of the Day: The hot and sunny days may seem like the best day to try out your new camera or binoculars to view wildlife, but in contrast these can actually be some of the worst days to go and see your favorite birds. Like many other animals, birds can be less active on hot days so you may not get the imagery you hope to achieve. To get around this, we would recommend going near a water source where you are more likely to see greater activity. Likewise, windy days are also days to avoid. The reason for this is that the wind can quite often muffle the various bird calls you would usually hear, while also birds can be less easy to spot in the wind due to a decrease in general activity as well as moving foliage obstructing your view of them.
May 20th 2021
| LOCATION: Bruce County | WEATHER: Really hot, with almost no cloud |
 Golden-winged Warbler | Three of us made our annual trip up to Bruce County with the target being Golden-winged Warblers, and with a bit of luck one of of the hybrids (Brewsters and/or Lawrence Warblers) that often happen between the Golden-winged and the Blue-winged Warbler. There was no shortage of sightings of the Golden-winged and luck was with us somewhat, as we also found a Brewsters Warbler that gave us a few shots, thus making our short day trip a success. Unfortunately we were out of luck when it came to the Lawrences Warbler .. .a species I have yet to see and photograph ... Oh well maybe next year |
Tip of the Day: Speed of action is very important if you want to get that great shot, but take a moment and think about composition – what else is in the frame of the picture; have you included all of the bird or missed one of its feet; is it looking in the right direction? Make the most of the time you have to get the best shot you can.
May 18th & 19th 2021
| LOCATION: Halton then North Dumfries (again) | WEATHER: Yep ... Sun |
Nothing too exciting, but I took a drive around a few back roads, and saw a few interesting subjects. Nothing earth shattering, but fun nonetheless.
Tip of the Day: ISO is often a key to a decent image. You can push your ISO much further than you think. I’ve found that if your bird is well in focus, grain is a problem only in the background, where you can easily remove it with post processing (with Photoshop for instance).
May 16th & 17th 2021
| LOCATION: A mix of Halton & North Dumfries | WEATHER: Sun, sun and more sun :) |
 American Redstart (M) | With the advance of the month, and with improved temperatures, more and more migrants are hitting our area. |
Tip of the Day: Even when they’re perched, garden birds are almost always moving - bobbing and twitching, which means you need a high shutter speed to get a nice crisp photo.
May 15th 2021
| LOCATION: Halton | WEATHER: Pure sun in the morning then cloudier later |
It was a Warbler kind of day ... there was quite a bit of activity high up in the trees, but seeing anything low was tough, but every now and then one would venture lower and give us a few opprtunities.
Tip of the Day: Birds often choose favourite perches. Even if it flies off before you can get your shot, if you wait silently for a few minutes, it may come back.
May 13th & 14th May 2021
| LOCATIONS: 13th North Dumfries and 14th Halton | WEATHER: Sun with little or no cloud |
A couple of days of bright sun, with very little cloud, makes it quite a challenge to get decent images, that aren't too harsh - ie without deep shadows and blown out highlights.
In order to try and get the best light, that wasn't too harsh, was to start early and shoot in that soft morning light. However that great light doesn't last too long, so the rest of the morning was spent looking for birds in the shady areas, or at best trying to keep the sun behind us.
In order to try and get the best light, that wasn't too harsh, was to start early and shoot in that soft morning light. However that great light doesn't last too long, so the rest of the morning was spent looking for birds in the shady areas, or at best trying to keep the sun behind us.
Tip of the Day: A handy tip for all of us bird photographers, is that photos often turn out to be much more eye-catching when you get down to the same level as the bird or animal itself when getting that image. Try to see your subject eye to eye - this not only shows the world from the creatures perspective but also increases your chances of portraying meaningful eye-contact with your subject.
May 11th & 12th 2021
| LOCATION: Kitchener & North Dumfries | WEATHER: Sun, cloud & cool |
Lets just say it was a tough day to get any shots. Birds are getting harder to find until the next migration push from the south.
Tip of the Day: Getting your exposure bang on is very important, but if you have to err one side or the other, then always err as an under expose, rather than an over expose. The reason being it's always easier, and more successful, when repairing the problem in post processing. An under exposed image can generally be brought back to normal as the detail is usually not lost. However an over exposed image, the highlights are likely blown out, and getting any detail back is unlikely.
May 10th 2021
| LOCATION: Halton Tracts | WEATHER: Really cold, but sunny |
Migration can be a little frustrating as we head into what should be prime songbird sightings and photography time, and find out that because of cooler temperatures, which are generally due to winds that are coming from the north instead of the south, as is ideal for migration, that birds are just not moving through. Today was one of those frustration days where almost no activity was seen, other than a couple of stray birds. Saying that both birds photographed this morning were pretty awesome ... a Wood Thrush and a yellow-throated Vireo. A 3rd bird made a very brief appearance - a Brewsters Warbler ... I would have loved to have had him in the frame, but sadly it wasn't to be. Makes good sense to keep checking weather patterns, especially wind directions and overnight temperatures. A south wind and decent overnight temperatures could like trigger a good overnight push of songbirds ... I hope
Tip of the Day: In order to get into the zone and to know what it takes to be able to take those amazing bird shots, look to see what is in your own back yard. I suggest this, as you’ll see that birds that hang around in your back yard are sort of used to you and also being in your back yard it is also a little easier to observe their patterns of behavior, and so probably a little easier to get some great images
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
May 9th 2021
| LOCATION: Kitchener, then North Dumfries | WEATHER: Cool, but sunny start, then cloud rolling in |
 Bobolink | Our first stop this morning was the the quite well known hot spot of Lakeside Park in Kitchener. Here we have a public park in the middle of a city, and there has been a flood of birders and photographers descend on the spot looking for and snapping migrating Warblers. The main target for 90% of them has been the Prairie Warbler, that has stuck around for around a week so far, and which I was fortunate to see and photograph a few days ago. Today, at Lakeside, I teamed up with fellow birder and photographer Helen and between us we saw a few Warblers, but unfortunately they were generally quite high in the trees, so no shots of worth .. unfortunately. Sightings were Black-throated Blue Warbler, Catbird, Hermit Thrush, Nashville Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Coopers Hawk, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Palm Warbler. From here, we headed to Grass Lake for the Bobolink and whatever else we could find. The Bobolink was an easy find as was the Savannah Sparrow, but we were very pleased to see the Virginia Rail, and ecstatic to see and photograph, a Veery. This guy hopped back and forward, giving us some great shots., and all thanks to Helens awesome hearing and bird call recognition skills -- OUTSTANDING, I have to say .. Tks Helen I owe ya :) |
Tip of the Day: Forest birds move fast. You can’t expect them to stay on a perch for ten seconds for you to fine-tune your shot. One second, maybe two, and they are gone (if you are lucky). Therefore, you need to anticipate. Keep your camera up, at the ready and when you spot a bird, try to guess in which direction it will move next, and position yourself to maximize the opportunity.
May 8th 2021
| LOCATION: Halton Tract, then Flamborough | WEATHER: Sunny, but still a bit cool |
Not a very productive day for the most part, and the images we did managed to get, were hard earned. However every day out is a pleasure, and very enjoyable. Other sightings other than posted below ... Gray Catbird, Nashville Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Common Yellowthroat
Tip of the Day: Whether you’re photographing people or birds, it’s always important to focus on the eyes. This is because our attention is naturally drawn to a person or animal’s eyes. If the eyes are not in focus, the viewer won’t feel connected to your subject, and the whole image may seem slightly off. Of course, with bird photography, you’ll usually only have the option of focusing on one eye at a time, which actually makes it easier. If the bird is moving quickly, you may need to use a slightly higher f-stop number as this will increase your chances of keeping the eye in focus.
May 7th 2021
| LOCATION: In and around the area | WEATHER: Generally cloudy, but some sun |
| Another generally flat kind of day, but with occasional highlights. I suppose like most other days, the highlights are what keeps you going back. Today it was a couple of first of year birds,, and another couple that posed perfectly on a perfect branch. The FOY's were the Virginia Rail, of which there were two of them and the Bobolinks, which seemed to be everywhere in this field ... males & females - I don't often see females, so that was particularly interesting. As for the perchers ... The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher sat nicely for about half a millisecond (maybe a tad more) and a pair of Yellow-rumped Warblers that passed through my chosen spot, and briefly sitting on a nice branch for a few seconds. In the coming days I'm hoping for a bit more warmer weather, both through the night and also through the day, and I suspect when we get that there could be a good sized flood of songbirds passing through .. lets hope it's soon :) |  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher |
Tip of the Day: One really easy bird photography tip is to remember is that you don’t need to show the entire bird. If you can get close enough, have a enough enough zoom, or have the ability to crop your image in post processing, then try focusing on just one part of the bird (eg the head or the upper section), to create a really striking image.
May 6th 2021
| LOCATION: Kitchener & North Dumfries | WEATHER: Mainly sunny, but a little cloud later |
A pretty good day !! Today I headed out on my own to visit a local park (Lakeside), where amongst a few other migrants, was a reported Prairie Warbler. After a little rooting around and with some help from a fellow birder, I saw and photographed this celebrity, which was feeding down low along the side of one of the trails ... a great start to the day.
After the Park, I headed to one of my favorite spots in North Dumfries, and again was delighted with a couple of sightings .. specifically the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and the Blue-winged Warbler
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
After the Park, I headed to one of my favorite spots in North Dumfries, and again was delighted with a couple of sightings .. specifically the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and the Blue-winged Warbler
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
Tip of the Day: An excellent piece of kit that will likely a big difference to your bird photography is a tripod. What a tripod allows you to do is for you to drop your shutter speed, thus allowing your ISO to be lower as well. This lower ISO will give you more detail in your images.
May 4th & 5th 2021
| LOCATION: Halton & N. Dumfries | WEATHER: Cloudy with a bit of light rain |
First thing in the morning of that first morning, we took a short walk along one of the excellent Halton trails looking for Warblers and/or other songbirds. It was a tad quiet, but a few good Warblers (Blackburnian & Magnolia) did pop up but they were too quick for us, so sadly no shots. However a Black and White did show and gave us a plenty shots. While we were hanging around waiting on something happening, I glanced over and was delighted that a Veery had ambled on to the trail and gave us a couple of shots, before heading back to the obscurity of the trail edge .. awesome!
On Day 2 we were back on the same trail, but again very quiet but we did manage a few sightings incl Magnolia, Black & White, Warbling Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a brief visit by a Common Yellowthroat.
On Day 2 we were back on the same trail, but again very quiet but we did manage a few sightings incl Magnolia, Black & White, Warbling Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a brief visit by a Common Yellowthroat.
Tip of the Day: Birds don’t like facing away from the wind, as it ruffles their feathers and increases the wear and tear on them, so it’s important to know the direction of the wind and position yourself accordingly - ideally, you want the wind to blow to the left or to the right of where you’re standing, in order to capture the best flight and landing photos. Even when they’re on the ground, birds like to face directly into the wind
May 3rd 2021
| LOCATION: Halton Tracts | WEATHER: Dull, and rain later, but mild |
First thing this morning, on one of my favorite Halton Tracts, we had a brief "Mini Fallout" experience, which started, as I was walking the trail cameraless (doh) and had a Cape May Warbler jump out into the open in front of me. After quickly returning to my vehicle to gear up and returned to the same spot, and of course the Cape May had moved on, but almost immediately a Magnolia Warbler popped up. For the next 10 minutes or so we had Black & White Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-headed Vireos, another Magnolia, Pine Warbler and a Golden-winged Warbler, which were all mixed in with several Ruby-crowned Kinglets. It was stupendous, but they moved through so quickly, that shots were all but impossible
On another Halton Trail we managed a few other FOY birds ... Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a Least Flycatcher and a Baltimore Oriole and our old favorite ... a Yellow Warbler
On another Halton Trail we managed a few other FOY birds ... Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a Least Flycatcher and a Baltimore Oriole and our old favorite ... a Yellow Warbler
Tip of the Day: Always make sure that you carry a) at least one spare battery, and b) an extra memory card. - Yes I have on a few occasions had a battery die on me .... and based on Murphy's Law, it's bound to happen just as a great shot presented itself. Same goes for the memory card !
May 2nd 2021
| LOCATION: Halton & Flamborough | WEATHER: Mix of sun and cloud, and warm |
Each day, it seems, we are seeing more and more new migrants a they hit our area, and today was no exception. I had a later start than I had expected due to a small emergency that happened, but even from late morning, which is typically not the best part of a birding day, I was seeing a few birds. I was very happy with the images I got, but I was extremely excited by a sighting that I was too slow to focus on ... a Golden-winged Warbler. Every year I see a few of these 'babies" but always a thrill to see my FOY of this species.
Tip of the Day: Be familiar with your Field Guides, and look through them as often as you can. Look particularly at the different groups of birds and try to see the differences and the similarities - you will find identification a lot easier once you have managed to recognize what group a bird is in, just from a quick glance. Unfortunately there are no short cuts to this process – you just have to keep on looking and looking and looking.
May 1st 2021
| LOCATION: Halton | WEATHER: Pure sun, but a bit of cloud later |
May.... my favorite month for birding and for photographing my favorite kind of birds, which is migrating songbirds. Today was a little sunny for my liking, but it did bring in a few new birds - Black & White Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Palm Warbler & Yellow-rumped Warbler. These little guys can be a real challenge to photograph, as their time in the open can be very brief, so be ready and act fast.
Tip of the Day: A high key effect can be very effective for bird photography, but to pull it off needs a little thinking before hand. First thought is to have a nice clean background of either a clear sky or something light coloured and even. The cleaner your background, the less work involved in the post-processing. Overexpose your image by two full stops or more so as to completely blow out or overexpose the background. Then during the post-processing of your image, bring back the shadow areas of your subject.
