Wednesday, April 14, 2010

And so it begins...

Pine Booty.

Well, here we are at last...another season of warbly things hiding from me behind twigs and leaves...or flashing their bright booty's at me...

Last weekend at Magee Marsh along the boardwalk was very exciting, if you're a birder and you love the first warblers of spring. This was the first time we were around enough to get all of the warblers sighted in the area! These are the sentinels of the first wave...in a few weeks all "Mayhem" will break loose, warblers everywhere...and birders chasing close 'behind!'

Let the festivities commence.

My 'life photo' of a Pine Warbler! I was so excited after hearing about it and finding it with help from our bird buddies...
I couldn't hold the camera still while aiming into the tree...oh well...


I got the tree focused...sort of...

This Palm Warbler was the only one to be found along the boardwalk.

Until we found this one trying to hide...soon the trees will be dripping with them!

"Are you lookin at me?"

Palm from below...

This was the LONE Louisiana Waterthrush at Magee this week.
There are always a lot of helpful birders along the boardwalk, more eyes, more better!

I don't think we would have found it without help.

I think this was the only Prothontary Warbler in the area.
You could spot him by the white blotch on his tail. And you wonder why I shoot bird butts...


"Yeah, I've got my eye on you!"

"La, lalala...eat the bugs...!"

Oh, the fun of trying to find an opening in the foliage to get a shot!
Wait until the leaves are out!

And why do they call them "Yellow-rumps?"

This is a fine example of Olympic Bug Diving.
I'll give him a 8.5...he didn't tuck his legs...


This looks like this guys first spring at Magee!

Pretty soon, we'll go back to calling these "Myrtle" Warblers on the east coast, and "Audubon's" Warbler on the west coast.

Here's a pretty female Yellow-rumped Warbler...checkin' out the guys...

A day without a butt shot is like a day without sunshine...or is it 'moon'shine?

"I don't think that's funny!"

10 comments:

  1. Yeah!!! It's so exciting see these birds return. Love that Prothonotary...love them all! I went to the Little Miami Tuesday and saw lots of Butter Butts...a few Pine and Yellow-throated Warblers, and heard several Northern Parulas too. It was great. Glad you were able to see so many. I can't wait to see the boardwalk this May!

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  2. A good set of birds especially the Prothontary Warbler, and the Yellow-throated Warbler is in my dreams. Well done Dave.

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  3. Hi Dave,
    I'll give the yellow-rump a 9!!! What a bug dive he did!! Really cool. Man, this post is fantastic and I'm happy you got some fun... Cool that the season has really started... We will soon see plenty of this nice and funny Dave's posts!!

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  4. Howdy Kelly! Thanks, I hope the Parulas will be up here this weekend!

    Bob, you'll have to live your dreams and visit us in May! Thanks!

    Chris, I shot over 400 pics of those warblers...quite a few empty branches and the tail ends of the birds. They just don't like their photos taken I guess!

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  5. You certainly got to grips with those warblers Dave. Really nice shots especially of Prothonotary and Pine Warbler. I had forgotten how yellow some of your warblers are.

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  6. Thanks Phil...It's easier coming to grips with warblers than real life!

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  7. Great pix as always, Dave. Love the Pine especially.

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  8. Hiya Binaca! Thanks! See you soon at Magee!

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  9. Wow, all the way from Indonesia! Thanks for visiting!

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