The feeders at Rondeau Provincial Park near the Vistor Centre at the head of the Tulip Trail are rife with birds, but photography there is difficult at best on sunny days. On my last day of photography in Ontario, with Graham Smith and Angie, it began to drizzle at about 3:30 and was raining pretty good by 4pm. Agie found an adult Cooper’s Hawk perched for us on the Tuip Trail and after photographing it, we headed for the feeders in the low light and began photographing from under the overhang at the back of the feeder area to stay out of the rain. There are few clean perches in the trees and bushes there but with patience and high ISO settings, we were able to get some good stuff.
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| This male American Godlfinch was photogrpahed with the Canon 800mmm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 800. Evalutive metering +2/3 stop: 1/60 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash with Better Beamer at -3 stops. |
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| This Rose-breasted Grosbeak male was photographed exactly as above except that the ISO was raised to 1000 as it had gotten even darker. |
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| Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Same gear and settings as above with an ISO of 1250. |
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| Same as above, rain-bathing. |
I am leaving my Mom’s in Holbrook, Long Island, NY headed for the mountains of central western Virginia in hopes of finding some warblers at 4:15 am today. More on the visit with my Mom and some Jamaica Bay images next time.
Hello Arthur,
There are other fine birding areas other than the south shore of Lake Erie.
For any wildlife photographer, I highly recommend Algonquin Park about 3 hours north of Toronto. Within the boundaries of the park, there is a great diversity of species: 53 species of mammals, 272 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles and amphibians, 54 species of fish, about 7000 species of insects, over 1000 species of plants, and over 1000 species of fungi.
While there are not feeders set out as you describe them in your blog, it is comparatively easy to get close to wildlife. Since Algonquin is on the border between the St Lawrence lowland forest and the northern boreal forest, you can expect to find northern species such as Spruce Grouse and Gray Jay that are easily accessible on the Spruce Boardwalk Trail.
While you can visit Algonquin Park any time of the year, be prepared for limited access requiring cross country skis or snowshoes in winter and to contend with hoards of flying insects such as black flies and mosquitos. The plethora of insects is the reason many birds migrate to Algonquin to breed and raise young.
Most of the park is accessible only by canoe but there is enough drive to an walk areas along the Hwy 60 corridor to keep you busy for months.
If you would like more information about this park, you may e-mail me of Google it.
Regards,
Brian