Sunday, April 4, 2010

WARBLERZ!!!


I went to the BirdMobile Saturday to get things ready for May Madness and the Biggest Week in American Birding. Well, you know when you get to close to Magee Marsh...it's hard to get any real work done. It was getting very dark and stormy...winds gusting to twenty mph! Our neighbor Judy was helping me move a bunk bed from her BM to our BM...in the rain...and wind. I really wouldn't recommend carrying mattresses and plywood on the back of a golf cart. Though it must have been fun to watch.

Anyway...I decided to go visit our buddies at Black Swamp. They told me about the warblers that were spotted on the boardwalk. Thanks, I'm trying to get chores done and you guys are taunting me with stories of warblers. Since it was stormy and my camera doesn't like to get wet, I went to town and buy bird seed for myself and my brother. On the way back there was this great opening in the sky...a BLUE opening! Right over Magee. I took it as a sign that I should give up on my tasks and head to the boardwalk. Oh yeah! Warblerz Babee!!

My first warbler of 2010!
This poor Yellow-rumped Warbler was hanging on for dear life in those gusty gusts!

The temperature was 75 in the morning, then it dropped to 55 when I reached the boardwalk.
You can tell the temps by the puffiness of the birds.

I'm still struggling to get a photo of a Brown Creeper...a good photo...
from ANY angle...one of these days.


The underside of a Brown Creeper isn't brown.
There, you learned something today.


This was a surprise. When I took this shot, I was watching a group of Hermit Thrushes working through the bramble.
Well looky there, a Fox Sparrow was mixed in!


"Are you lookin' at me?"
The Golden-crowned Kinglets were back in force and as jumpy as ever!


A lone Great Egret looking very dapper in his Easter finery.

The Hermit Thrushes tried very hard to stay hidden from me.
I'm sure they were laughing as I low crawled on the boardwalk to shoot through the brambles.


Ha! Got another one!

There were a few ducks to be seen also.
Ring-necks, Mallards and this pair of Northern Shovelers.


Remember the fish skull? It's still there! Or at least part of it...

3 comments:

  1. Hi Dave,
    Well looks like you got a nice day despite the weather! The Golden-crowned Kinglet picture is wonderful, I never managed to get our goldcrest over here so I guess this one was not easy too... And creepers, well same for this, I got one single shot after many attempts and it is still not a perfect one!!! looks like you have to try several time to get a nice picture of creeper too!

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  2. Thanks Chris! Those Kinglets are mighty fast, and we won't talk about the creepers...

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  3. Great shots. Still waiting for my first warbler. Did see a Phoebe today so we're getting closer.

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