September 28th 2021
| LOCATION: Breslau area and Kitchener | WEATHER: Mainly sunny |
For a change I headed to the Breslau area, where I heard there was a lot of shorebirds hanging in the partly flooded fields at some of the sod farms that are common in that area. I did find lots and lots of Kildeer, but little else, and to make it more difficult they were all directly into the early morning harsh light, so I gave that up as hopeless, and did some exploring in the same area. I found a gravel road that had quite a lot of activity - Chipping Sparrows and Golden-crowned Kinglets for the most part, but also some others.
Later in the day, I was aware that there were a few birds hanging out in my front yard (in the city) and I was delighted to see that there a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finches and an Easter Phoebe as well ... The Yellow-rumped was the first Warbler I had ever seen in my yard, so it ended up a good day.
Later in the day, I was aware that there were a few birds hanging out in my front yard (in the city) and I was delighted to see that there a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finches and an Easter Phoebe as well ... The Yellow-rumped was the first Warbler I had ever seen in my yard, so it ended up a good day.
Tip of the Day: xxxx
September 25th & 27th 2021
| LOCATION: Halton Tracts | WEATHER: Generally sunny, but a cool start |
As I mentioned in an earlier post, fall migration is winding down, but "new" to fall species are emerging. The Warblers have distinctly moved on, but the Yellow-rumped is kicking in, as I am seeing them almost every day now. The big mover right now are the sparrows, with lots of White-throated and Chipping Sparrows. It's quite depressing to realize that once these guys have passed through then migration will be almost done, and all we can now look forward to are the winter birds ..
Tip of the Day: The best money you can spend on photography is .... Travel. More true for landscapers, but also somewhat true for nature shooters as well.
September 23rd & 24th 2021
| LOCATION: Flamborough (23) and Burlington (24) | WEATHER: Sun and cloud, but getting cooler |
Migration is ongoing, but distinctly slowing down, as far as Warblers are concerned, but new species are starting to show. Over the last couple of days I'm seeing more sparrows - mainly White-throated, but some others as well. Another species more common this week is the Hermit Thrush.
It is certainly way cooler - today (24th) I would have been thankful for a pair of gloves - the wind was distinctly cool. Maybe I have gotten too used to the warm summer days, and now feeling it !!
It is certainly way cooler - today (24th) I would have been thankful for a pair of gloves - the wind was distinctly cool. Maybe I have gotten too used to the warm summer days, and now feeling it !!
Tip of the Day: Fall Warblers - Look for a great background, which is one of the keys to an excellent warbler photo. You want a background that is not too close to the bird so that the bird will stand out from the environment and create a pleasing bokeh.
September 19th - 21st 2021
| LOCATION: In and around KW | WEATHER: I can't remember :) back roads !! |
For the last couple of days I have been drifting around a few spots fairly close to Kitchener, but I would be lying if I said I could remember exactly where (it's an age thing) .. anyways it hasn't been too productive, but at this time of year, it seldom is. The big thrills were the sightings of the Tennessee and the Rusty Blackbird. One thing for sure, the bird sightings are down from a few days ago.
Tip of the Day: xxxx
September 15th & 18th 2021
| LOCATION: Elgin County, near Aylmer | WEATHER: Sun, cloud and some haze |
The highlight of the last few days around SW Ontario is the arrival of a rare visitor from the southern US - a Swallow-tailed Kite. Their white plumage on their heads and undersides contrasts starkly with their black backs and the outer feathers on their tails and wings. Their swallow-like tails constantly change shape, spread wide as they soar, a narrow V as they dart, twisting to one side and then the other as they bank and respond to the wind. They can even dive backwards to catch prey behind them. The dragonflies, grasshoppers and some other winged insects buzzing over the crops didn’t stand a chance.
A fantastic experience watching and observing this beauty.
A fantastic experience watching and observing this beauty.
Tip of the Day: Photographing these beauties isn't that easy when in flight as they most often are foraging quite high and quite a distance away. However a bit of patience and a bit of luck you might find that they fly close to your location, so be prepared. Set your shutter at a speed somewhere around 1/1600 and try to pre-focus somewhat then wait until the bird falls into that range. If you are fortunate enough to have an R5 then the animal eye setting on this camera is a winner - by continually clicking, while following the bird in flight will give you an almost 100% success with focus.
September 12th & 14th, 2021
| LOCATION: Halton Tracts | WEATHER: Mix of sun and cloud.. mainly |
Sometimes I get bogged down with other stuff, so this and the next couple of entries are pretty much catch-up items. My apologies to anyone who has been following my reports .. I will try to keep on top of things going forward (I hope)
Anyways .. a few birds moving through the area, and like always they play a little hard to get, but with a little patience, perseverance and a lot of good luck I managed to grab a few frames. No big surprises, but I was really pleased to see the Least Flycatcher. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak was part of a flock of about 7 or 8, but they tended to stay well back and not expose themselves to the lens, but one did .... eventually.
Anyways .. a few birds moving through the area, and like always they play a little hard to get, but with a little patience, perseverance and a lot of good luck I managed to grab a few frames. No big surprises, but I was really pleased to see the Least Flycatcher. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak was part of a flock of about 7 or 8, but they tended to stay well back and not expose themselves to the lens, but one did .... eventually.
Tip of the Day: Exposure - I get asked occasionally about settings and for the most part I shoot manual. I set my shutter speed as appropriate (on a tripod I can afford to set it as low 1/320, but I like to be a min 1/400. Aperture is dependent on light, but when light is a bit low I set at f5.6 (the lowest based on my lens/TC combination will allow), but I prefer to be bit more closed and like 7.1, as standard. The first two items are fixed for me and then I adjust ISO on a minute to minute basis, as the light levels fluctuate. My opinion is that speed and aperture are #1 important, but ISO not so much so.
September 11th 2021
| LOCATION: Gravel roads in Flamborough | WEATHER: Generally sunny, but not too warm |
As I wrote in the date above it gave me goosebumps and a strong sadness - memories from 20 years ago are still strong in my mind as they are with most people, I suppose.
Anyways, I headed down into the Flamborough area first thing this morning, as I had been promising myself for a few days, and boy I'm glad I did. Along this one particular road, about 8:30 this morning a wave of Warblers passed through giving me several opportunities and some great views of several different species that seemed to be migrating together. It was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time, but it ended just as suddenly as it had started ... great day. In order to get the images you have to get out and explore likely habitats and as always the best time is before 9:30 at this time of year.
Anyways, I headed down into the Flamborough area first thing this morning, as I had been promising myself for a few days, and boy I'm glad I did. Along this one particular road, about 8:30 this morning a wave of Warblers passed through giving me several opportunities and some great views of several different species that seemed to be migrating together. It was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time, but it ended just as suddenly as it had started ... great day. In order to get the images you have to get out and explore likely habitats and as always the best time is before 9:30 at this time of year.
Tip of the Day: Personally I'm not much for going to the Conservation areas and other public and poplar locations looking for fall warblers. Yes they can be very effective, but I much prefer checking out back roads in more remote areas. I look for deep and dense forest areas with open pockets, close to running water (small streams) and away from human habitation. Little or no vehicular traffic if you chose an area on a roadway. Then it's a case of waiting and hoping ... and being prepared !!
BTW ... I recently updated my website, so feel free to check it out - There is a link on the right side of this web page, or you can access by clicking... http://www.tekfx.ca
September 6th & 7th 2021
| LOCATION: My fav location near Burlington | WEATHER: Way too bright, and almost no cloud |
Went back two mornings running to this same spot, which can often be really birdy, but unfortunately during both days there were long spells of not too much happening ... but that's bird photography to a tee, I suppose.
Tip of the Day: In bright conditions the harsh highlights and shadows make it very difficult to get a good balanced image. Wherever possible try to point your shadow at the bird (ie the sun directly behind you and in line with your subject). Your image will be very highlighted, but way easier to "fix" in post processing.
September 5th 2021
| LOCATION: near Ridgetown | WEATHER: Sun and cloud, and pleasant |
Left home around 7:00am in torrential rain, so I wasn't very positive about how the day was going to work out, but it cleared up on the way down, and ultimately turned into a very pleasant day, weather-wise. As it happen it was an awesome day on the birding side as well ... certainly the best of the fall migration season, so far !! I have to thank friends for the opportunity of being at a location where migrating songbirds were in good quantities and in constant movement through their property, pretty much all day.... Awesome !!
Tip of the Day: During migration, many birds including warblers, migrate at night Under the cover of darkness, they face less risks of getting caught by predators. But after a long night of flying, they’re hungry and need to refuel on a breakfast of bugs. Your best opportunity to see them in good numbers is early morning, after sunrise, when the sun has begun to warm the trees and all the bugs hiding there
September 2nd 2021
| LOCATION: My favorite spot near Burlington | WEATHER: Bright and sunny, with a cooler start |
Met up with a couple of good friends, and headed into a trail system near Burlington, looking for more Fall migrating songbirds. There were moments of quite good activity, especially with Vireos - I had a couple of Philadelphia Vireos, a Warbling Vireo or two, and about a million Red-eyed Vireos (a tad exaggerated I know, but several for sure).
On the Warbler front we had .. Canada, Bay-breasted, Cape May, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, Redstart and a Chestnut-sided. Some were kind enough to pose, but generally they played quite hard to get ... Still, we had a good morning!!
On the Warbler front we had .. Canada, Bay-breasted, Cape May, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, Redstart and a Chestnut-sided. Some were kind enough to pose, but generally they played quite hard to get ... Still, we had a good morning!!
Tip of the Day: Everyone loves seeing all the beautiful warblers in their breeding colors during spring migration but, seeing fall warblers can be just as much fun. The only trouble can be that some of the birds will cause more of an identification challenge during this time of year. One of the most common challenges is deciding if you’ve seen a Blackpoll Warbler or a Bay-breasted Warbler. Although you would never mistake these two species in the spring, it can be quite easy to do in the fall. Easy tip is the Blackpoll has yellow feet, but the Bay-breasted are black
September 1st 2021
| LOCATION: Halton Area | WEATHER: Sunny, but cooler |
Boy!! it was a lot cooler this morning - I headed down the trail at 7:30 am without a sweater and shivered for the next couple of hours until the sun poked through. I suppose since September kicked in then I should expect it thus :)
The spot I chose to setup can often be quite birdy, but this morning even after a few hours of waiting, was a little thin when it came to migrants ... However I was visited with a couple of nice birds .. ie the Veery and a nice Bay-breasted Warbler, so shouldn't complain.
The spot I chose to setup can often be quite birdy, but this morning even after a few hours of waiting, was a little thin when it came to migrants ... However I was visited with a couple of nice birds .. ie the Veery and a nice Bay-breasted Warbler, so shouldn't complain.
Tip of the Day: Pre-focus !! Personally since I moved up to using the R5, I found that the quite poor snap focusing of the R5 has me trying to be more diligent as to where the birds might land, so I have been pre-focusing a likely spot with a much better success rate of sharp images, and being a lot less frustrated overall.
