Kitchener Waterloo & Area Birding: Blog commentary on my, (Bill McDonald) birding and wildlife sightings & observations
  • Grenfell's Birding Blog
  • Locations /Hot Spots
  • Bird Library
  • HOW TO
 

JUNE 2022

31/5/2022

1 Comment

 

June 30th 2022

LOCATION: In and around my neighborhood (KW)
WEATHER: Sunny and hot
Another "Birds first then Bugs" day. Initially started off in the North Dumfries area then as I drifted closer to home I picked up a few insects.
Tip of the Day: Insect  Macro Tip: At such a close range to your subject, your camera won’t be able to autofocus correctly. As a result, you will need to use manual focus. But, because your room for error regarding sharp focus is so thin, you will also need to use your camera’s live view feature so you can inspect the image on your camera’s LCD. This will give you the best view to determine whether your image is in focus or not.

June 29th 2022

LOCATION: KIncardine area
WEATHER: Cloudy with some sun
I always keep an eye on one or two of the rare bird alerts for southern Ontario, and  sometime something will pop up that tweaks my interest. Yesterday a report came in of a Dickcissal being reported along a side road just inland from Kincardine, so it's only a two hour drive, so off we went. Unfortunately after a few hours we were still without a sighting or even hearing their distinctive call. Oh well luck of the draw so to speak. 
Tip of the Day:  There is a rule that photographers use to compose great images. It’s called the Rule of Thirds. Rather than placing the subject right in the middle of a shot, try placing it roughly one third of the way along the photograph. Add more interest to the photo by including some other interesting features to frame the main subject such as tree branches or leaves.

June 27th 2022

LOCATION: near Woodstock
WEATHER: Bright sun and Hot
Headed down to Sweaburg Swamp with the thought that this area might be worth checking out. It had been a few years since I had visited, but it was a tad disappointing.

June 26th 2022

LOCATION: Halton region near Guelph Line
WEATHER: Cloudy with some sun
The weather looked very promising, with cloudy skies, and a little cooler, and not too much wind, so it was very much the kind of day to go birding. The Guelph Line area has always been pretty good to me over the years, so it was a fairly easy choice of location for the day.
Almost immediately on getting there I am picking up several warblers on Merlin (I have no high end hearing, so I rely so much on Merlin).  Over the period of the next few hours I was able to get a few decent shots of my favorite bird genus ... Warblers. There was a even a few species I ignored .. ie Redstarts and Yellow Warblers.
Tip of the Day:  Learn everything that you can about birds. Any type of photography can be improved by studying your subjects, and this is especially true of Bird Photography. Since birds don’t necessarily pose whenever a photographer points a lens in their direction, you need to understand their behavior so that you can be ready when opportunities present themselves. Know your subject. The more you know about the way birds behave, the better your images of birds will be.

June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2022

LOCATION: In and around Kitchener
WEATHER: Mixed, but mainly sunny
The last few days have been "Bug Days", which is what we bird photographers often revert to when birds are slow, and getting harder to find.  We unclip the large telephotos and snap in the macro lenses. Macro has it's own magic, and I think I like shooting insects almost as much as birds ... almost :)

June 20th & 21st 2022

LOCATION: Sundridge & Huntsville
WEATHER: Day1 hot, but dull Day2 sunny & hot
As you see from the pics below the trip was pretty successful. My main targets (again) were both the Bay-breasted Warbler and the Cape May Warbler. I did hear a couple of Cape Mays, but I never once caught a glimpse, so a tad disappointed in that respect, but very happy with my captures overall.  
On the, other than birds, side of things I did see a couple of interesting mammals - First thing a Wolf ran across on front of me, then a bit later a Fox wandered past. Mid morning on Day 1 I had a Moose stand in the middle of the road for a couple of minutes.
Season is most certainly advancing as many of the bird sightings were with food in their beaks, so chick rearing is well under way.
Most common sightings were Magnolia Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Northern Parulas and Blackburnian Warblers. Merlin also picked up a lot of Ovenbirds, but only a couple of sightings. The one singly most common call that Merlin picked up was the Winter Wren (at almost every stop), but even after making lots of calls I saw, or glimpsed movement, approximately zero birds  ... strange, I thought.
Tip of the Day: Looking outside is a great way to start your bird photography journey, but sometimes it’s hard to catch all the little details from so far away. Buying binoculars is a great way to enhance your experience and analyze the vibrant colours and rough edges each bird has to offer, as well as confirming the species and target. Binoculars can range from tens of dollars to thousands, but a tip from someone who has went down that road .. if you are serious then buy the best you can afford.

June 16th & 17th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Sunny
Over the past few weeks I have been seeing things that I have never really noticed before. As many of you know my hearing is pretty poor especially at the higher frequencies ie bird calls, so over the years I have compensated by watching and observing, and to some extent playing a few calls to attract birds.
So with the advent of the Merlin app it has opened up so many more opportunities for me. Anyways ... I have noticed that a couple of birds that show up on Merlin eg the Philadelphia Vireo are not what they seem, and although this species has been a target bird for all this season, the calls are in fact those of the Red-eyed Vireo. It would seem that the Red-eyed is mimicking the Phillie ... This hasn't been an isolated event as it has happened several times. 
Another bird that seems to have a tendency to mimic is Yellow Warbler. Several times Merlin has popped up an unlikely Warbler (eg Cape May or similar) and the next thing I see is a Yellow Warbler. 
I wonder how many other species has this trait ?? 
Tip of the Day: As the hot weather is now here be aware of ticks !! Here’s what you can do to avoid getting a tick bite. Wear: ....
  • light-coloured clothing, so it’s easier to see ticks
  • closed-toed shoes
  • long-sleeved shirts
  • long pants, tucked into your socks
  • special clothing designed to repel ticks

June 14th 2022

LOCATION: Luther Marsh
WEATHER: Sunny for the most part
Luther is quite a well known area where the Sedge Wren can be found and so we headed up there with this target high on our wish list. Unfortunately, although the Merlin app was picking up the call in several spots, we never did see one, even for a split second. Oh well sometime it doesn't work out. However, what we did find were several Canada Warblers, so the day was still a success.
Tip of the Day: If you’re not poised and ready to shoot, there’s no way you’ll have enough time to capture that once-in-a-lifetime shot. So, remember to set your baseline settings before you head out, and make sure you’re fully ready to pick up your camera and shoot at a moment’s notice

June 12th & 13th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Mainly cloudy 
I headed down to the North Dumfries area again, but for these two days I did a little exploring on some of the other roads and trails in the area, that I don't usually go to. I am certainly glad I did, as I found some new spots that I now have added to my "go to" spots. The Yellow-throated Vireo was at one those locations and it was a real nice surprise to come across him. 
Tip of the Day:​ As with most living subjects, observe what the birds are doing, and think about how you can best take a picture of them. Try to take a profile (showing one of the bird's eyes, or full view of it's face, with both eyes visible. If you can't see the eyes, the image will have less impact.

June 10th & 11th 2022

LOCATION: Halton & North Dumfries
WEATHER: Continuing sunny
Another Bird and Bug day. Day 1 we headed up to one of the Halton tracts, as I had been hearing about a Hooded Warbler that is hanging out there. A few years back I remembered about one we had been seeing quite a ways along the track next to a swampy area, so off we went. Unfortunately we came up blank after a significant amount of time so we gave up and headed back to the parking lot, and would you believe it .. we spotted the bird right in the parking lot (could have saved some shoe leather <wink> )
​Tip of the Day: Head out early in the morning when birds are actively feeding will improve your chances of a good sighting

June 8th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Sun and cloud
As you can see from some of the images it is getting in to macro season, which is something that I do as the birding starts to slow down., so for the next few weeks you can expect to see a mix of both birds and bugs.
On the birding side I drove around some off the back roads fairly close to home and spotted a few birds, but the highlight was the Vesper Sparrow, which was a FOY (first of year) for me.
Tip of the Day: Respect your subject. The beautiful birds did not ask us to click a picture of them in the first place. So during the process, it is only fair to come back with photographs putting least stress on our subjects. Approach and part from them as unobtrusively as possible, so they would ignore you immaterial of you bagging the shot or not.

June 4th 2022

LOCATION:  Along 4th side Road, Halton
WEATHER: Mainly cloudy
It was a nice day ... cool and little or no direct sun. This road always seems to be quite birdy, and today we managed to find a reactive and inquisitive Blackburnian Warbler. Always nice to see this beauty not too far from home.
Tip of the Day:  Shutter speed should be the equivalent of the focal length of the lens to get cleaner shots. In aperture priority the shutter speed is controlled by the camera. The bigger the aperture (small f/stop number) the faster the shutter speed. Shutter speed can also be increased by elevating the ISO and/or adjusting the exposure compensation down. Note: The use of a tripod provides a bit more flexibility with being able to use a slower shutter speed as the camera is more stabilized.

June 1st - 2nd 2022

LOCATION: Sundridge area
WEATHER: Mainly cloudy
Up by 2:15 am and out the door in Kitchener before 3:00am. It wasn't easy to get the butt moving this early, but the anticipation of catching a few Warblers during the best part of the day (ie before 7:00am) made it a little easier than I thought it would be.  The drive to this most awesome songbird area was generally easy enough, other than a very dramatic drive through a severe thunder & lightning storm. 
Arrived at my destination and was looking at Warblers very soon thereafter. I had a list of birds in mind and other than a couple of species that eluded me a bit - the Cape May Warbler and the Bay-breasted Warbler. I did actually see them, and even managed a coupe of absolutely terrible shots, so I suppose I reached all my targets.
This was a two day trip so after a decent sleep at a local Hotel I was back out there at the crack of stupid. Day two was pretty good, but not quite as active as the day before.  
Now I cant wait for the next trip up these, which might end up being pretty soon. 
Tip of the Day:  Funny enough, one of the most difficult aspects of photographing warblers is actually finding them in the viewfinder of your camera. Because they like to hop around in varying densities of foliage, they often disappear for a short period of time into the brush. You’d be surprised at the number of times you look through your camera and completely lose sight of your subject. The best advice we can give you is to use an obvious detail in the surrounding landscape to get you started. A unique shape of a tree branch, a distinct bark texture, anything that’s easy to point out quickly through the viewfinder. First, use your naked eye to map out the general distance the warbler is away from this feature. Then, find your “landmark” feature in the viewfinder, and scan in the direction you noted before bringing the camera to your eye.
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title ​
1 Comment

MAY 2022

7/5/2022

3 Comments

 

May 29th - 30th 2022

LOCATION: Blair to North Dumfries
WEATHER: Sun & Cloud
Basically the same route both days, and with very similar results (not too surprising I suppose)., but still a great set of locations. Day 2 was a bit on the hot side, with the first fiery day of the spring at approx 32C, so ended up calling it a day quite early. 
Tip of the Day:  Good backgrounds in warbler photos can be very difficult to obtain.  In practice, because the birds tend to move so quickly, often the best you can do is to take at least one shot of the bird every time it moves to a new perch, and to hope that at least one of the shots features a decent background. However noticing the pest perch at any particular location is a good plan, and with a bit of luck the bird will land there, and you will be ready (I hope)

May 27th - 28th 2022

LOCATION: Close to home (Blair & N.Dumfries)
WEATHER: 27th sunny, and 28th Cloudy
Birds are pretty much settled in to their breeding spots and the males doing some chasing of females around their respective areas (I remember those days myself <wink>). It is my favorite time, and where its almost the easiest time to get a good looking bird on a nice perch. It still takes a lot of pre-work and effort and whole SL of patience, but that effort can pay great dividends. Foe the last few weeks I have been relying so much on the Merlin app - knowing what's in the vicinity makes it a tad easier, that's for sure. I think this app was developed for people with terrible hearing like me. 
Tip of the Day: ​ Before trying to photograph a flying bird, it is important to practice your focusing so that you can get sharp images of a moving object, and which is also composed effectively. Set the focus mode to continuous focusing (AI Servo AF Canon/AF-C Nikon) so that the lens can constantly maintain its focus on the flying bird. Choose a fast shutter speed of 1/1000s or higher to freeze the action. Be aware that smaller subjects are harder to focus.
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title ​

May 26th 2022

LOCATION: Guelph Line
WEATHER: Mix of sun and cloud, quite warm, but windy
Picture
Northern Flicker
I went back up into the Milton area today, to continue my ongoing "exploration" of decent birding spots. It wasn't bad with a few likely spots added to places top drop by in the coming weeks, as the songbirds continue their territory marking etc. I'm already starting to realize that in a few short weeks songbirds will be really hard to locate,  and at which time I will likely hang up the telephoto lenses and dig out the macro stuff, for a month or two. Actually I almost enjoy the macro stuff just as much as the birds ... almost <wink>

Todays highlights were minimal, but the Mourning Warbler that I found was almost suicidal as it came out in the open several times. It was almost like he wanted his picture taken, and to be honest, I was happy to oblige. As always I didn't hang around more that 15 minutes as birds in this situation can get quite stressed, so I moved on and looked for a new target or two.

​
Tip of the Day:​ Respect your subject. Don't invade habitat carelessly. Birds and other wildlife can be very sensitive to humans, so, even though you want the shot, don't get so close that your proximity will alter the behavior of the bird or animal..

May 23rd - 24th 2022

LOCATION: Back near Milton, both days
WEATHER Sun and cloud .. variable
Day 1 was a short one for me as I had things to see to at home, but still managed some decent shots of the Scarlet Tanagers, both male & female, before hitting the road home. Row 1 below was the results of said Day1.
Day2 we had much more time, and as it would seem many more opportunities as well - seems that we managed a few decent and somewhat varied sightings. This would be rows 2, 3 & 4. Basically all the shots on both days were taken along the one road in Halton region, so it will definitely be on my goto list for the coming couple of weeks. Not that there were any rarities in the days captures, but the birds were most certainly active, and volunteered some awesome poses for us.
Tip of the Day: Many of us these days use Canon R5's and I suspect that the same "issue" exists for other mirrorless camera bodies. Its not that it is a serious problem and many of you will probably say that it it isn't an issue at all.  Personally I have my exposure settings to manual, with my order of importance being speed, aperture then ISO. What I have been finding is that if I have my settings such that it looks perfect in the viewfinder, then once uploaded to my PC, the image looks a bit more towards being over-exposed. Now to compensate I set my settings in the camera a little towards underexposed  in the camera (approx 1/2 stop) then on the PC it is bang on. 
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title ​

May 22nd 2022

LOCATION: Near Milton
WEATHER: drizzly start then cloud, but cool
Some days just seem to work, and even when the weather looks, on the surface, to be poor and not very birdy looking. So these kind of days I think give the most pleasure. 
Tip of the Day: a) Try to capture a "catch light" in the eye(s). b) Light in the eyes keeps the bird looking "alive" in photos.
 and c) Keep the eyes in focus and get some light in there to really make them pop.
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title ​

May 21st 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries to St George
WEATHER: Quite warm, part cloud then Thunderstorm
Like many of my fellow bird photographers, I much prefer to shoot in cloudy dull conditions, but even better that that can be a morning with very subdued & hazy conditions, whereby we get the best of both worlds ie lots of light but with almost zero shadows, but with some light variances. This morning, for the first hour, was like that, but sadly it didn't last. The light around mid morning turned to harsh sun, then oddly at around noon turned very dark and then a dramatic thunderstorm erupted. At that point I scooted home as the high winds in a forested area isn't a good combination.

I toured around a few of my favorite spots and saw and (Merlin) heard several species, so I was able to get a few snaps. I also, as I often like to do, check out back roads that I hadn't been to in a while or ever, and so this am I checked out some of the back roads in and around St George, with some success.

​All in all a reasonable day.
Picture
Eastern Wood Pewee
Tip of the Day: Spring songbird photography brings colorful, vibrant photography opportunities. If one of your favorite birds is in a colorful tree, stay with it and take advantage of the moment. Birds dart in and out as they are curious little creatures. Watching their movements will help anticipate where they may be next .... so be ready!​

May 20th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries - wide range
WEATHER: Wet start then some sun
Another local day, but today I decided to explore some adjacent roads to my normal routing ... with mixed success. 
Tip of the Day: One of my favourite things about birding and bird photography are the locations to which my passion takes me. Bird habitat is not only often beautiful, but it’s necessary for their survival, and the survival of a multitude of other species. By including habitat in your photo, you can tell more of a story with your imagery. You also won’t have to approach as close – and risk disturbing birds – to get a great shot. When you do want to get closer, use techniques such as photo blinds, observing behaviour to predict movement, and staying low to the ground (obscuring the human silhouette) to help minimize your impact.

May 19th 2022

LOCATION: Bruce area
WEATHER: Damp start and colder a bit
Another trip to the spots we were at a few days ago, and it always amazes me how so different things can be from just a day or two ago. The other day we had some good sightings and a few decent captures, but today it was if the switch was thrown and it was back into the darkness of "no sightings" (or at least very few sightings).

Early on we managed a few oddball Warblers, but as the day progressed they seemed less interested, and like many other times, we had to be happy with what we got.
​Still Nashville's and Northern Waterthrushes are still pretty good ... almost <wink> 
​
Tip of the Day: More than any other part of a bird’s body, the eye absolutely, 100% needs to look good. 
What does this mean? For one, if there is no light in the eyes, birds look dull or lifeless. Whereas birds with a clear catchlight look much, much better.
Picture
Golden-winged Warbler

May 18th 2022

LOCATION: Halton Tracts, then back roads home
WEATHER: Cool start, mix sun and clouds
The last time I was up at these Tracts a few days ago, it wasn't too successful, so it made sense to leave it a few days, then have another go. Unfortunately, nothing much changed, and although these particular trails over the years have been very productive, it would seem as if they haven't kicked up into high gear yet.

Oh well ... we have good luck and poor luck, so I started the trip back home by taking many of the back roads and  checking out some likely looking habitat, with some success I am glad to say. The two highlights were a very cooperative Blue-winged Warbler, and a shy Bay-breasted Warbler - both of whom made the day worthwhile.

A pretty common bird in the winter and early spring is the White-throated Sparrow, but as breeding season emerges, they tend to be much harder to find, so thanks to Merlin (again) I was able to get a few shots of a nice looking bird in breeding plumage.
Picture
Blue-winged Warbler
Tip of the Day: ​When targeting songbirds, it might seem natural to enter the forest itself in order to find the Warblers and other songbirds. While you certainly can have success this way, but it doesn’t tend to be the most productive method with regards to photography. Beneath the forest canopy, light can be scarce., which can mean high ISO’s and slow shutter speeds. The flowering and fruiting shrubs and small trees that thrive along the forest edge tend to be far more attractive to songbirds of many varieties. Not only for feeding, but also for nesting where the dense growth creates plenty of cover.

May 17th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Sun and cloud
A close to home day, with a few decent sightings, but I couldn't get them in the viewfinder .. one of those days LOL
Sightings included Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blackpoll Warbler, Eastern Meadowlark and a few others ... 
Tip of the Day: You’ll find different species in wetlands than you’ll find on beaches and in forest areas. In Ontario, it’s possible to spot close to 340 species of birds, many of them along the shores of the Great Lakes ... so get out there and look/listen

May 16th 2022

LOCATION: Bruce Peninsula
WEATHER: Rain early then stopped on arrival, then cloud
Targets on this trip were the Golden-winged and the Blue-winged Warbler, and especially the hybrids produced by these two individual species - the Brewster's Warbler and the Lawrence's Warbler. We did quite OK with both the Golden-winged and the Brewster's. Both of which are hard to find . Funnily enough we didn't locate a Blue-winged, which is the much easier of the quad, or did we find a Lawrence's, the harderst of the group. All in all  - I was very happy.
Other sightings were The Yellow-throated Vireo - an odd find this far north (but I wasn't complaining), an Ovenbird (which we heard almost everywhere), a Nashville Warbler an a Black-throated Green Warbler.
A pretty good and successful day 
Tip of the Day: Spring migrating warblers are looking for a place for a pit stop, so they need food and shelter. That usually means forested areas for warblers. Some species like low, wet areas; some like spruces; some will look for clusters of willows. Look for either large areas of forest that many warblers will shoot for, or stop at a random cluster of trees amidst a large expanse of unsheltered open space. Warblers may stop there after not seeing shelter for a while

May 14th - 15th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries and Grass Lake
WEATHER: Bright and sunny
For the most part I only spotted what I expected to see .. except!! I found a Blackpoll Warbler - now that was a huge surprise. I see this species on rare occasions only, so I was pretty happy... and at one of my favorite and least known spots.
Grasshopper Sparrows are back at Grass Lake, joining the Savannah Sparrows that have been here for a few weeks now. I was keeping my eyes open for Lapland Longspurs, but so far I haven't seen any, but you never know  
Tip of the Day:  Research your subject - have an idea what you are hoping to see, and know what kind of habitat etc ​​

May 12th 2022

LOCATION: Lakeside Park, then North Dumfries
WEATHER: Clear blue sky and very warm
Started off at Lakeside that over the last few days has been quite active with migrating songbirds, but today it was very quiet with only a couple of common species, so I went some of my old favorite spots in the North Dumfries area.
Big surprise at one spot, with a Yellow-throated Vireo visit, but unfortunately only for a few seconds then he was gone
Tip of the Day: As many of you know I have very bad hearing that generally has affected the higher frequencies. This has made it impossible for me to hear most of the birds, so when I am birding on my own I have to rely on sight only. HOWEVER, I was reminded a few days ago that the Merlin App for my phone would make things much easier for me, and I have to say the app is amazing. What it does is ID the birds in the area, by picking up the sounds from the phone's microphone and ID'ing the species. It is amazing, and well worth the download and installation.

May 11th 2022

LOCATION: Point Pelee
WEATHER: Cooler start but quite hot later
A very early start this morning, with my alarm set at 2:15am and out the the door at 3:00am for the 3.25 hour drive to one of Mays hotspots - Point Pelee. Arrived at 06:15 and even this early the main parking lot was full, so ended up parking at the West beach parking lot. 
The plan was to meet up with a couple of friends from Scotland who were there for a couple of weeks. We met up at the Visitor Centre, and then walked a few of the trails with mixed success, but still managed several FOY (first of year) sightings, so all in all well worth the trip, but Boy, was it busy with hundreds of birders and photographers. It was incredible to meet up with Iain again, and his wife .. thanks folks:)
Highlights for me were the sightings and photographs of both Cuckoo species (Black-billed & Yellow-billed Cuckoos), but only managed a decent shot of the Yellow-billed.
Tip of the Day: If you are like me and you shoot manual, then you like to choose all your exposure settings. I always choose my shutter speed first (based on what my subject is likely going to be doing - sitting or flying, and whether I have camera on a tripod - also plays a part in the decision) Next up is aperture. Generally with birds it's not too important, but if I have lots of light I will adjust so that my shutter isn't too wide open, but if light is an issue then I will keep the shutter as wide as I can. Lastly and for me it's the least important option, I adjust my ISO to suit conditions/light. With modern cameras you can shoot at very high ISO, and get away with very detailed images, even when ISO is 10,000 plus.

May 9th 2022

LOCATION: Puslinch, and surrounding area
WEATHER: Mainly sunny, and getting warmer
The back roads on the north east side of Puslinch Lake have always been on of my local favorites, and today I visited a few spots that, in the past, I have had some luck. The land is owned by the Grand Rive Conservancy people, and is very well maintained, and of course, is awesome habitat for the current hot targets ... Warblers.
Although I spotted several birds that I would loved to have photographed, they were for the most part quite high ib the trees and reluctant to drop down to a height where shooting (with a camera LOL) is decent. I spotted at least 3 Blackburnian Warblers at 3 different spots, and a couple of Nashville Warbler. I also got a quick look at what I think was an Orange-crowned Warbler. 
On the plus side I spotted several Northern Waterthrushes along the edge of a couple of slow moving creeks. Other sightings were Pine Warblers, of which there were a few, and a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. The male was kind enough to pose for me for a few minutes. 
Non-bird wise I spotted this Comptons Tortoiseshell butterfly, and another FOY for me. I shot it with the long lens - I did head back to the car for a macro, but it had moved on by then.
Tip of the Day: Be careful and quiet when shooting - slow and sure is always better. Sudden movements or unnecessary chatter will often scare the bird away, so be quiet, be still and if the subject bird doesn't feel too threatened, then you, as the photographer, might just get that shot of a lifetime. Good luck ​

May 8th 2022

LOCATION: Grass Lake area
WEATHER: Cool start, then really warm. Sunny
A cooler start, but things warmed up very nicely a bit later. Lots of new birds arriving and several FOY for me. The target for me was, and the reason for visiting the Grass Lake area, was the Bobolink. Quite a few warblers around and several species seen, but unfortunately not all photographed .. they can be tricky little devils sometimes. Seen: Yellow Warblers, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Nashville Warbler.
Tip of the Day: Personally, I keep a birding diary, and have done for many, many years, which keeps track of what, when and where of birds I've seen and photographed. Birds typically hang out in pretty much the same places around the same times of year, so useful to know when, looking for a spot to go.

May 1st - 6th 2022

LOCATION: Lake Hope, Ohio
WEATHER: Mix of sun and cloud, but very warm
As you can see from the location above, I was in SE Ohio for 5 days, along with another pair of bird photography fanatics (Steve & Cerian), on what used to be our annual visit to this part of the US until Covid hit, and so after 3 years we were able to return, and shoot a few of that areas specialty songbirds. Most of them can be found in Ontario, but for the most part are quite rare, so it is real nice to have them fairly easy to find.
Personally, I had a target list which I was able to get, other than the Yellow-breasted Chat - we saw one almost daily, but couldn't get a decent shot, other than a couple of snaps  for record purposes..
The last time we were in the area we found it quite a challenge to see and photograph the Cerulean Warbler, but this year we found several cooperative birds, and managed several decent images ... so all in all I was really pleased with the collection, as below, and dozens more that I haven't published. Roll on 2023 :)
Tip of the Day: Its been a while since I posted a tip, so my apologies for anyone that follows my ramblings. 
There are two of our human senses that make locating and photographing birds .. especially songbirds, a definite must. First is obviously sight, and to enhance that is a good pair of binoculars. The second sense is good hearing, and in a lot of ways the more important of the senses for locating our targets. Personally I have lost the high end of the frequency ranges, so I have to rely on someone else, and thankfully I have a couple of birding partners that have excellent hearing. Good hearing is only the first part - it is incredibly important to learn the bird songs that are sung by the birds. These songs can help you identify what is out there and the direction and distance that they can be found. So learn your bird calls !!  ​
3 Comments
    Feel free to send me Comments  :)



    ​     Me >>>

    Picture
    COMMENTS WELCOME
    LINK to my WEBSITE
    LINK to my FLICKR page

    ​Blog Author

    Pretty much all my life I have had an interest in nature photography albeit in, off and on, phases of interest. Around 13/14 years ago, I found myself, again, getting that nature bug, and I am now, especially since I retired just over 6 years ago, very passionate about  wildlife & wildlife photography.

    ​Enough about me ...             I hope that you enjoy my ramblings and the occasional  decent  image.

                       Bill McDonald

    “In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” 
    ― Robert Lynd
    ​

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013


    Fatbirder's Top 1000 Birding Websites

    If you like my blog then check out my other stuff on FLICKR and on my Webpage ....(hyperlinks are at top of this page)