Well, my poor warbler luck continued at Pelee this year. While there were a very few warblers most were up high. The beach on the west side of the tip that used to be great on some afternoons is totally gone, eroded away by storms. When there was a bird down low there were often 10-30 birders in close proximity. The woodlands along many of the trails that used to be somewhat open are now overgrown with very few clean perches and lots more clutter than I remember. The one bit of positive news is that the beach on the east side of the Tip has been somewhat restored, nourished probably by the same storms that took away West Beach. It would not shock me to learn that there was a wave day within a day or two of my leaving.
With Pelee pretty much dead I spent three full days photographing at a feeder set-up in Rondeau Provicial Park about 50 miles west of Leamington. Though there were no Red-headed Woodpeckers coming to our set-up we had lots of action and lots of good opportunities.
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| This American Robin was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/7.1. |
It was rare to get a robin up on a perch so having one on the bark facing that I placed atop our log perch in early morning light was a big thrill.
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| This male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 320. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/10. |
We had several males of this species on the set at the same time. One of them, and one of the two females, were amazingly cooperative subjects.
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| This White-crowned Sparrow was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 320. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/8. |
Creating images of the birds just as they are about to jump off the perch is a challenge. If they are facing you, you are pretty much dead as far as focusing accurately and having enough depth-of-field. I was lucky here with this bird almost parallel to my position.
I drove for fourteen hours (702 two miles) yesterday and got to my Mom’s house in Holbrook, NY at 8:05 pm. Yikes! As always, you can click on each image to see a larger version. I will post a few more images in a day or two. Thanks for all the good kidney stone wishes.
ps: The final Galapagos spot was filled.
