At this time of the year Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata) are probably the most numerous warblers in our area. You can often seem them in constant motion flitting about high in the trees. They rarely stay still for more than a moment and it is unusual to get a clear view of the entire body of one.
I have spent a lot of time this week patiently tracking these little birds at several locations at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and managed to get a few shots that I really like. The first image shows a Yellow-rumped Warbler perched at ground level on the trunk of a tree that had fallen across the road and had been cut up and moved to the side. I particularly like that it shows the tiny feet of this bird that is about 5 inches in length (13 cm). The little yellow streaks just under the wings help to identify this as a Yellow-rumped Warbler.
The second image, possibly my favorite, shows the yellow patch on the bird’s rump that is responsible for its name. The intense focus of the warbler as it looks upward help to give this image a dynamic element that is absent in many images of perched birds.
The final image has a studio-like feel to it, because the sky was completely overcast and turned white as I was processing the image. I had tracked the bird when it entered into the vegetation and managed to get this shot when it finally popped up at the top of the tree and stretched its neck to look around.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
That last image has a botanical painting quality to it, Mike!
Thanks, Chris, I had the same impression. I think the white background helps to give it that feel, plus the way that you can see the veins of the leaves. It certainly looks a lot different than it would have if there had been a bright blue sky that day.
Exceptional shots again Mike, well caught!
You did well!
Beautiful, Mike. Your patience paid off!
Nice Mike! They are tough to photograph. Well Done as usual!
Have you considered submitting your photos to publisher of bird identifier books? Wonderful!
Thanks, Molly. Interestingly enough, many bird identification guides use artists rather than photographers, because artists can put in multiple identifying marks that might not be visible in a single photo.