May 31st (+ Jun 1st)
| LOCATION: South River & Sunridge | WEATHER: Cold starts, but sunny both days |
As a last minute decision, Helen and myself decided on a trip up into the North country, just this side of North Bay, to see what songbirds we could find - as you can see from the gallery below we done pretty good . We also had planned to see what insects (primarily butterflies) would be around. Although we didn't bring along macro equipment per say, we also done pretty good, just using telephoto.
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
May 27th -29th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries | WEATHER: sun and cloud |
Will update later ...
May 23rd & 24th 2024
LOCATION: Day 1 .. up around north Waterloo and Day 2 .. along Guelph Line
May 22nd 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries | WEATHER: Bright and sunny |
After yesterdays drive up north, it was a day to stay local. I did my usual drive around a few of the back roads in this area, and managed a couple of shots, but of nothing special.
May 21st 2024
| LOCATION : Bruce County | WEATHER: Wet start then mildly cloudy |
A long drive from Kitchener to almost Tobermory, but, as always, worth the drive. One of the best areas I know for Golden-winged Warblers. In previous years we have been fortunate enough to also find some of the hybrids .. the Brewster's and the Lawrence, but today they weren't showing up in my viewfinder ... unfortunately. Oh well ... looks like another trip is in the schedule !!
May 20th 2024
| LOCATION: Grand Bend | WEATHER: Cloudy a bit, but warm |
Today was a bug day with the emphasis on Butterflies .. didn't go exactly to plan but we did OK ..,
May 18th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries County | WEATHER: Pleasantly warm |
A drive around North Dumfries ... nothing special, but a few birds game me a shot or or two
May 16th 2024
| LOCATION: Along Guelph Line in Halton | WEATHER: Mix of sun and cloud, and warm |
Another great day with a couple of talented bird photographer friends (Helen & Cerian), who with myself work as a great team .. listening to, finding and ultimately photographing our spring targets .. generally migrating songbirds, but open to any avian opportunities.
Tip of the Day: During migration, many songbirds aren’t as finicky about their habitat preferences as they are when they’re breeding. For some birds, any place with available food and shelter will do for a pit stop during spring migration, so keep those eyes and ears open and watch for that movement
May 15th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries ring !! | WEATHER: Pleasant |
Birds are getting a little more plentiful are as the number of insects that are showing up so ... definitely kicking to the next gear with wildlife photography :)
Tip of the Day: Sometimes the biggest challenge isn’t taking the photo, but finding your subject. You can have all the skills in the world, but if there aren’t any birds around, you’re out of luck.
So where do you find the birds? Well, the world is filled with potential bird photography locations. But you’ll need to do a bit of detective work first. Look up bird habitats, migration patterns, and bird hotspots in your area. Find out where the birds are and when they are likely to be there.
So where do you find the birds? Well, the world is filled with potential bird photography locations. But you’ll need to do a bit of detective work first. Look up bird habitats, migration patterns, and bird hotspots in your area. Find out where the birds are and when they are likely to be there.
May 13th 2024
| LOCATION: Halton Region .. nr Guelph Line | WEATHER: Mixed - cool, cloudy damp start + hot later |
Met up with a couple of good friends, both keen birder/photographers so it was an excellent and pretty productive day. The highlight for me was coming across the Wilson's - being one of my most favorite Warblers it made my day when it sat nice for a few milliseconds ;)
May 9th & 10th 2024
| LOCATION: Day1 - North Dumfries, Day2 - Guelph Line | WEATHER: Sun and cloud and a bit cooler |
Day 1 (which is the first two images below) was a little on the slow side, with lots of birds calling but too much action near the camera, I tried everything including using bird calls to get things moving but ... oh well wasn't to be. Still grateful for the two shots I did get.
Day2 was a lot better - I was with my great birding compadre Helen - one of the best birders I know when it comes to hearing and recognizing species from their call, and the main reason day2 was so much better. Highlight for me was the Winter Wren who gave us some great views. Birds just seemed to be more inquisitive to our presence than on other days.
Tip of the Day: Be aware of shadows on the bird you are photographing, caused by the overhead angle of the sun or when you’re not in the best position with respect to the direction of the sunlight. In the field you often don’t notice a shadow, but because shadows are more obvious in photos, it’s good to watch specifically for shadows and adjust your position to avoid them when possible.
Day2 was a lot better - I was with my great birding compadre Helen - one of the best birders I know when it comes to hearing and recognizing species from their call, and the main reason day2 was so much better. Highlight for me was the Winter Wren who gave us some great views. Birds just seemed to be more inquisitive to our presence than on other days.
Tip of the Day: Be aware of shadows on the bird you are photographing, caused by the overhead angle of the sun or when you’re not in the best position with respect to the direction of the sunlight. In the field you often don’t notice a shadow, but because shadows are more obvious in photos, it’s good to watch specifically for shadows and adjust your position to avoid them when possible.
May 7th & 8th 2024
| LOCATION: HNA, then North Dumfries | WEATHER: Sunny and quite nicely warm, but windy |
Started of at Huron Natural Area in Kitchener, but even though there was plenty of avian calling from lots of different species, not too many sightings in front of my lens. Some days its like that, so I flipped to some insect macro stuff ... in the North Dumfries area.
Tip of the Day: (Macro) You can control composition and eliminate the variable of a moving camera very simply: don’t move it. Put it on a tripod, a bean bag, or a mini-pod so it goes nowhere. Whether you choose to shoot with a tripod or monopod, or simply are careful to position yourself in an “anchored” position, you should be conscious to steady your camera when shooting extremely close-up. The smallest unintentional shifts in framing can change an entire shot.
May 6th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (again) | WEATHER: Mainly sunny, and warm |
..Took my regular drive around a few spots and was delighted with the variety of sightings. Every day we seem to get a few more FOS sightings (First of Season), so as spring rolls on I cam pretty impatient for some of the more exotic warblers and vireos to arrive ....
May 5th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (usual) | WEATHER: Damp start but brightened up later |
Forecast initially was for rain and showers for most of the day, but .. when I looked out this am it didn't look too bad, so off we go!! I am so glad I did - it turned out to be quite productive .. see below!!
Tip of the Day: One thing I have learned over the years is to be aware of what perching possibilities is available at any particular shooting stop. Be prepared, and have a bit of prefocusing and exposure settings in place, because when the bird drops in at your location and you fumble for focus and settings, the bird will be gone before you know it !!
May 4th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries | WEATHER: Sun, cloud and pleasantly warm .. perfect |
Weather . getting going early this morning, I was sure was perfect for seeing and photographing some migrants, but it was surprisingly a little flat - I could hear all sorts of species, but even when I used a bird call they remained hidden and unresponsive. It was that kinda day, I suppose. On the plus side I managed a few shots of a Sapsucker .. one I have been looking for for weeks.
May 3rd 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (yet again) | WEATHER: Sun, cloud, then a bit of rain |
I only had a bit under 2 hours this morning as I had to back by 9:30, so didn't go too far, so headed to a spot in the area that has been fairly productive in previous springs. Worked out well ... with a few decent sightings
Tip of the Day: Sometimes you just want a standard, identifying, classic pose bird photo., but you can add interest by getting an action shot, whether that be nesting, eating, fighting, or preening. Extra points for courtship displays! Interesting action can trump a perfectly focused and exposed shot, though having all of that is best.
May 2nd 2024
| LOCATION: Lakeside Park. Kitchener | WEATHER: misc |
Had a walk around a local park - Lakeside Park in Kitchener. There had been reports of lots of Warbler activity. but for the most part they kept pretty hidden.
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
May 1st 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries | WEATHER: Pleasantly warm |
I took my regular, almost daily , drive around North Dumfries and into Brant County a short distance, in search migrating songbirds .. especially Warblers and Vireos. Lots of birds around, but most not jumping into the open, so not too many images. I did, however, manage to spot one of my latest targets .. the Tennessee Warbler, so all good!!
As I was huddled over my tripod I spotted a dead looking bug on a plant, so I scooped it up into a container and took it home, with a view to doing a little setup and running a stack ... worked out well!!
As I was huddled over my tripod I spotted a dead looking bug on a plant, so I scooped it up into a container and took it home, with a view to doing a little setup and running a stack ... worked out well!!
Tip of the Day: As warblers push north on their mad dash to their breeding grounds, the frequency of their singing and level of intensity increases. Listening for bird songs and short call notes can be a great way to find an unexpected bird. You don’t need to be an expert at birding by ear. Simply listen and try to track down any songster uttering an unusual vocalization.
