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 |
 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.
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.
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. |  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. |  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. |  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 ...
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
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
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
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.
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.
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 :)
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 !!
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 !!
