I’ve seen more bird species than I’ve photographed. With nearly 800 in my image library, I have a few but there are a lot more to be added. But it’s a challenge, you could say I’ve photographed all the easy ones. Easy here being defined as seen more often in more places. I’ve been fortunate to feed my passion for birds in 2022 going after species on my list and successfully adding them to the library. This week I was pleased to add one, not on my list that I last saw over a decade ago but had never gotten glass on until yesterday. The Veery is a small thrush that migrates at night south to South America in the fall and is just now getting back to its nesting ground. It’s a secretive bird that prefers the forest floor. It’s a busy place down there. This morning we saw one in the first soft light of the day. Grabbing the Z 9 / 180-400 off the tripod, I was able to get low and get a fortunate clean shoot of it in an uncluttered piece of the forest floor. I was so happy to have my Veery first photo!

I have two basic goals when I go after bird photographs, loving the situation and coming back with images. Today, we tend to travel to specific locations for specific birds. Often, there is some rarety(s) that are the target but can be elusive. Tunnel vision on that one species might garnish you with the photo, sometimes you come back with nothing. You can either chase it or, let it come to you with time and basic biology. The difference I think is loving the situation. There are many magnificent rare warbler species at Magee Marsh, then there is the Yellow Warbler. A gorgeous, goofy little warbler, they are pretty common. While waiting for the Yellow-throated or Black-throated Green, Blackburian, Bland & White, Magnolia, or other rarely seen, there is the Yellow Warbler everywhere. I’ve taken thousands of photos of the Yellow Warbler, looking for that uncommon of the common photo waiting for the other rarities to come through. The twofer here is, I sharpen my skills on the Yellow so when the Cerulean buzzes through, I can get the glass one it and the picture made. In loving the situation, I can do common.

With Magee Marsh out of reach for the last two years, I really dying to get back here because it is a magical place. And it did not let me down! Magee Marsh is an avian refueling station for warblers heading north right now. These little guys the size of your thumb dart around like a feather in the wind and the challenge is to find them. You first literally locate them in the forest, then continue to observe them hoping they come close, out in the open with a clean background, and then hold still for at least 1 second. They do which is the joy and fun. Shooting with the Z 9 / 180-400VR making acquiring focus and focusing so close to deliver a large subject size makes the whole process so much fun. Even in the rain today, Magee Magic was in the air!

For the last ten to fourteen days Sharon & I have seen flashes of yellow flash about The Ranch as the male Golden Finches start to change into their spring finery. While a very small bird, they sport a really big color that can’t be missed. In fact, the first male to turn yellow got nailed by the Sharpie so we’re not the only ones seeing the flash of color! Well, they aren’t the most photogenic as they shift especially their black caps so I’ve been very impatiently waiting until the black was pretty well filled in to photograph them. This male, though not totally in his spring tux, isn’t too bad-looking. He’s the first of the season I’ve photographed. Here’s the thing, last year we only saw one or two males total, they had just found The Ranch feeders and were pretty shy. We were hoping they would come back and in bigger numbers this year. We had them during the winter mixed in with our siskins and redpolls but they were in their winter drabs so we were never really sure how many goldfinches were mixed in. In the last week or so, with all the yellow darting about, we can see they have multiplied! At the moment, we’re up to nine males in (would be 10 but the Sharpie), and about the feeders. We’re really excited and delighted to see them! And I was really happy yesterday even in the snow flurries to get some in the viewfinder and make some clicks. It’s only going to get better, I can’t wait to see if any actually stay and nest!

Photo Gear
Finalize the gear you’re going to take at least a month prior to your adventure! Get it all packed in the bag you’re going to take making sure it fits in the overhead of the smallest airplane you’re going to fly in. If you’re renting gear, pad the time you receive so you can practice and get to know it. Do Google searches and broaden your idea of photographic possibilities. Check the weather for the time you’re going to be shooting so you have what you need be either a Miops or white towel, or both. And most importantly, think through all you read and apply it to you, and don’t take any of it at face value.

Personal Gear
Rain gear, footgear, binoculars, meds, computer, power, make a bloody list of EVERYTHING you think you might need and want, NOW! Then start to ponder that list asking yourself if you need all those items. Can you break down your list into must-haves, need, and want? Less is more and as you start packing you will find how true this is. Prepack everything into your luggage a month prior to your trip to make sure what’s on your list fits and can go.

I realize some of this seems obvious. But having traveled with folks who haven’t traveled for the last few years seems to be, out of practice. A great way to be prepared for that great adventure is to start getting ready for it now. Now’s not the time to relax.

The Ranch is a hotbed of sex right now with seven birdhouses with nesting Red-breasted Nuthatches and one with White-breasted Nuthatch. This pair of Red-breasted drilled out (the video at the top of the landing page) a cavity in the dead log I planted for just that reason a couple of years back. Being home for long stretches, I’ve been afforded time just watching the activity as it unfolds. This morning the White-breasted were doing a display flight for nearly thirty minutes. No clue what that was about but they both seem to be loving it. And then yesterday, I saw this.

The drilling was being done by the female, never saw the male take part in the drilling. But the male would come in every so often and from a distance would seem to be kissing the female. I put glass on the tree trunk to see what he was actually doing was feeding her. There must have been a hatch of spiders somewhere because he just fed her spiders. As you can see, she (female lower bird) would after he offered her the bug, would come up and grab it. The half dozen times I watched, she would tear the spider, which was still squirming, in half. It must have worked because they seem to be in their cavity and I assume in the process of laying eggs. mtc