Warbler Spring Migration 2011 (and others)

[Loupey]

Hi, all. The migration has been going strong for the last three weeks and I've logged nearly a thousand miles trying to photograph as many of these beauties as possible.

All of these shot this year in and around central Ohio and along the shores of Lake Erie:

Black-throated Blue warber, 5~5½", wintering grounds: West Indies


Cape May warber, 5", wintering grounds: Caribbean


Northern Parula, 4½", wintering grounds: Florida, Mexico, and West Indies


Wilson's warbler, 4½", wintering grounds: Mexico to Panama


Yellow-Rumped warbler, 5~6", wintering grounds: US to Panama


American Redstart, 5", wintering grounds: Mexico, West Indies, Brazil, northern Peru


Nashville warbler, 4½", wintering grounds: south Texas to Guatemala


Magnolia warbler, 4½", wintering grounds: Mexico, West Indies, Panama


Black-and-White warbler, 4½~5½", wintering grounds: southern US to northern South America


Blackburnian warbler, 5", wintering grounds: Costa Rico to Peru


Black-throated Green warbler, 4½~5", wintering grounds: southern Texas, Florida to Colombia


Prothonotary warbler, 5½", wintering grounds: Mexico to Columbia, Venezuela


Chestnut-sided warbler, 4½~5½", wintering grounds: Central America


Yellow warbler, 5", wintering grounds: Mexico to Peru

[OldClicker]

Very nice shots and what a great collection! - Terry

[Loupey]

Very nice shots and what a great collection! - Terry

Thanks a lot Terry!

[Loupey]

Other incidental migrants while looking for warblers...

Baltimore Oriole (male)


His mate in the same tree, different branch


Black-billed cuckoo (my first)


Philadelphia vireo I think. If so, my first


Rose-breasted grosbeak


Immature summer tanager I believe


Yellow-breasted chat (my first)


Scarlet tanager (winters in Colombia to west Amazonia)

[mjs1973]

Great collection Loupey! Makes me want to jump in the truck and head to Ohio.

[Loupey]

Great collection Loupey! Makes me want to jump in the truck and head to Ohio.

Mike, I realize you're probably joking about heading over here, but you should come!

Most of these were shot at Magee Marsh in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Noted author Kenn Kaufman (who I believe lives in that area) is predicting the much anticipated (and late) massive second wave to arrive this weekend. His forecast can be found here:

http://cranecreekbirding.blogspot.com/

I'm probably heading up this weekend for the last time this season.

It is such a world-class birding location that the parking lot is loaded with cars from at least 1/3 of the states of the union. I've seen cars from Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Vermont, etc. I spoke to one group of birders who came out from California specifically for this location. Another group from Florida drove up. Both groups said it was the best location for migrating warblers they had ever seen.

Often crowded, but the people are the friendliest and most helpful group around. They will help identify any bird you find and will often come and tell you to point your camera at a more rare specimen. The photogs there are very friendly too.

I'd like to try to coordinate a photo-gathering next year there for people of PR.

[mjs1973]

This year is out of the question for me, but after I posted that, I started to think about next year. It could be a pretty easy trip for me. Oak Harbor is about an 8 hour drive from here so I could easily be there in a day.

[ksbryan0]

A pretty awesome set of images! Looks like you had a lot of fun.

[frog4gators]

What a fantastic series!!! Such beautiful birds! I'd be very interested...

[Loupey]

This year is out of the question for me, but after I posted that, I started to think about next year. It could be a pretty easy trip for me. Oak Harbor is about an 8 hour drive from here so I could easily be there in a day.

Let's start talking about this early next spring.

There are thousands of birders and photographers staying between the Maumee Bay area to Port Clinton during this time. Special lodging rates are available. Great times!

[Loupey]

A pretty awesome set of images! Looks like you had a lot of fun.

Thanks for the comment, Ken!

Yes, it is always fun to go up there. Frankly, I've given up chasing warblers in my area - too wary and too few in between. Up at Magee Marsh, in such a small concentrated area, one can easily find over 30 species of warblers and vireos without even trying.

[Loupey]

What a fantastic series!!! Such beautiful birds! I'd be very interested...

Cool! It would be great to meet all you guys. Definitely an event worth sharing with as many people as possible.

[Loupey]

Photographs of Photographers (sorry for the bad quality - cell phone images):

A sight I saw as soon as I got out of my car (these folks are just beyond the parking lot):


So of course I had to join in to see what they were shooting. Turns out a scarlet tanager at eye level:


I ran into some friends that I had met the previous year:


A group from Florida. You know, that guy in the foreground might have been CanonBob (I didn't have the opportunity to ask):

[Loupey]

Some last images of birds unless I go back up this weekend and get other species.

I'd like to get better retakes of the black-and-white, blackpoll, bay-breasted, Canada, and vireos - yellow-throated, blue-headed, red-eyed, and Philadelphia.

There were reports of the mourning warbler, hooded warbler, cerulean, worm-eating, and orange-crowned warblers being spotted there but I had not seen those. They all would be a first for me.

We'll see what's there.


Thanks for looking and following this thread!

[paulnj]

These arwe some amazing shots my friend and ID's are spot on(though the nashville is a female)

Bob was in FL all week...... just saying ;-)

[Loupey]

Thanks, Paul, for the comment and also for inspiring me to start photographing birds back when I first joined PR.

I've learned so much about birds (not saying I'm a good birder - far from it) and have come to appreciate them so much more.

[Loupey]

I did make it back this past weekend for one last try. I've never been up there this late in the season and shooting through fully leafed out trees and shrubs made it a little challenging. Many of the early migrators are gone and females of many species outnumbered the males.

A lucky shot of a male Prothonotary plucking easy meals from another predator's trap


A male bay-breasted at close range (too close for adequate DOF)


A female black-and-white


A female Canada warbler


Another female black-and-white. Unfortunately I never did get a good shot of the male (again) - will try again next year


More magnolias

[paulnj]

that canada warbler is so cool. They are not easy to get in the open , thogh magee is the place to break all the rules

So glad I could inspire you to enjoy nature and especially birds!

[Loupey]

Paul, perhaps the most enjoyable part (to me at least) is that birders, as a whole, are the most enthusiastic, happy group to be around. I can't think of any other type of photography which is centered around so many people of such enthusiasm.

Young, old, very old - even those with walkers and in wheel chairs. You can see joy in their eyes that show no age. I still vividly remember the elderly gentleman last year who grabbed me and jerked me into his "spot" so that I might better see the bird that they were all looking at.

I shot some video of that place this year. Gotta figure out how to edit a talkie so that I can upload it

[paulnj]

yeah, most birders are indeed happy to share info and teach those of lesser knowledge. I wasn't born a bird nerd, I became one with plenty of help.

[frog4gators]

Paul, I was looking at another blog on Crane Creek State Park. Between your photos and the Blog I've all but booked a flight... When would be the best time to head up there in your opinion?

[billy320]

Great shots .................. How do you get them so clear

[buglinbilly]

Very nice Loupey. I sure wished I lived close enough to a place like that. I bet its a riot!

Thanks for sharing and again great job.

Have a good one. BB

[Loupey]

Paul, I was looking at another blog on Crane Creek State Park. Between your photos and the Blog I've all but booked a flight... When would be the best time to head up there in your opinion?

First two weeks of May. The festivities peak during the "Biggest Week in American Birding" which is the 2nd week of May.

[Loupey]

Great shots .................. How do you get them so clear

Thanks. A lot has to do with the magic of that place. They are so close which means less air to shoot through and minimal/any cropping. Some fill flash helps too. And then the usual stuff... no filters, low ISO's, prime lens, monopod, ...


Would be fun, if we could get a substantial number of people from PR to go next year, to all stay in the same place so that we could review our shots each night, discuss techniques, and post process some images as a group.