Streetside Woodlot Birds

[Shortsighted]

August winds down and very little to see so far.


Juvenile Wilson's warbler

[Ally]

Nice, I didn't even get to see an adult this year. Is this a good year for warblers? The couple I met in Rattray said they found 7 pairs of Mourning warblers in one trail. That would be my life time supply.

[Shortsighted]

I'm inclined to concur with that estimate. I've seen mature (breeding) Wilson's warbler maybe half a dozen times and juvenile maybe twice before the posted specimen. I've never managed to get close enough with my 70-200mm to refrain from cropping with heavy machinery, which does not produce really fine results with my sensor. I would have needed a better sensor, such as an FX model, or a lot more pixels, like the pixel density offered my some mid-range Nikon models. Also, when I see a Wilson's it is always lurking in the gloom of leaf cover and my resultant image is more chiaroscuro than reference book quality.

Vireos are easier to get close to. This one even flew right in to apparently check me out. It didn't feed or fart, just acted as if curious, never having seen a two-headed birder before.


Juvenile Warbling Vireo

[Shortsighted]

House wren without much to say. Too hot for proclamations.

[thouc]

Stunning!

[Shortsighted]

A flash of yellow catching the morning sunlight can be seen from across the street, but what is it?
Ya, I know ... it's a bird.
Ok,ok, ... it's a yellow bird.
It's a warbler.
It's a _____________.


Shot it wide open at f4, which was a mistake because I didn't stretch my DOF even though there was plenty of light.

[Ally]

A flash of yellow catching the morning sunlight can be seen from across the street, but what is it?
Ya, I know ... it's a bird.
Ok,ok, ... it's a yellow bird.
It's a warbler.
It's a _Yellow Warbler____________.


Shot it wide open at f4, which was a mistake because I didn't stretch my DOF even though there was plenty of light.

[Shortsighted]

 Let’s face it, small flycatchers are cute and the cutest to my eyes is the Yellow-bellied FC. Their numbers are increasing and have been for many years. I still see more Least FCs than those saffron tinged cuties but that might change in the future. Their rounded head and big eyes are adorable. Bonus: they prefer to catch their prey from low-level branches, sometimes only a meter above the ground. I mean, how cool is that? They may spend a long time in a small general area making it easy to station yourself on the grass at a woodland boundary and wait for it to utilize a close branch. As long as you don’t move about the friendly and tolerant FC will ignore you. It might even pose. 

[Shortsighted]

 The most common migratory warbler in these parts is probably the Eastern Yellow-rumped warbler and it is certainly the first species I’m likely to see in April, as well as the last one in November. Yet it is the Magnolia warbler that I see the most often; not necessarily large numbers of them at any given site, but definitely the most likely warbler to suddenly appear at a hotspot, or even at any location at the right moment during migration. I’ve even seen one in the backyard from time to time. It is usually the first juvenile warbler I see in late summer as well. This year I spotted a juvenile Wilson’s first and that was not expected. I’m even given to expect no sightings at all while I’m unable to visit hotspots. The street-side woodlot, which extends for about 300 – 400 meters before the road turns away from the woods remains a minor blessing otherwise I would never see any warblers.
 

Juvenile Magnolia warbler

[Ally]

We are blessed through your blessing.

[Shortsighted]

Why thank you, my child.You may now kiss my lens hood.Blessed be the birders that use blessing in a sentence.

[Shortsighted]

Juvenile Blackburnian warbler



Juvenile (female) Black-throated Blue warbler



Juvenile Bay-breasted warbler

[Ally]

Great pix! And I am jealous.

[Shortsighted]

 Of all the warblers that migrate through the GTA the Black-throated Blue is perhaps the most unpredictable, especially during the fall migration when I might see one as August closes up for the year or as late as the end of October, or even early November. Then again, some years I don’t see any at all. Perhaps that is over-stating it; being more accurate to assert a complete failure on my part to successfully photograph one in any meaningful way. When I’m fortunate enough to see one while having a camera to bring to bear there always remains the problem of exposure. If the bird is in shadow then the blue feathers look black. If in the revelation of direct sunlight the blue is stunning but the white feathers are easily blown out. Gripe, gripe, gripe … just let me see one and I’m happy.
 

[Ally]

It's years until I got the blue out of one of those!