Yesterday marked the change of seasons for me—I switched the walkaround lens on my camera from my 180mm macro, which has been my almost constant companion throughout the spring and summer, to my much longer 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens. The change signifies my reluctant acceptance of the reality that the insect season is slowly drawing to a close and that increasingly I will be focusing on birds.
Warblers are still passing through our area as they head south, so I decided yesterday to try to find some at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a location where I know that other photographers have spotted a variety of warblers. Although early morning is usually the best time for birding, I went at midday to avoid any potential crowds.
Most of the leaves are still on the trees, so it is a challenge to spot little birds and even tougher to photograph them. I was thrilled when I caught a glimpse of yellow after a long fruitless search and managed to get this mostly unobstructed view of a handsome warbler. I had no idea what species it was, but some experts on a Facebook birding forum informed me that it was a Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina), a species that I had never before encountered.
Cape May Warblers breed in the spruce-fir forests in the North and winter in the Caribbean, in lush habitats with plenty of insects and flowers—I think I might enjoy that lifestyle. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, the tongue of the Cape May Warbler is unique among warblers—it is curled and semi-tubular and is used to collect nectar, almost like a hummingbird does.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Awww, started so sad but…ended chirpfully! 🙂❤️
Thanks, Laura. I can’t help but feel a little wistful when I think of the dragonfly season coming to a close. There are some still around, though, and I hope to keep photographing them, as I did yesterday. It is an interesting challenge to readjust to shooting with my long zoom lens–I have used it a lot in the past, but I am out of practice, so I had trouble finding my subjects when I was zoomed all of the way out.
Nice photo, Mike. We all have to adjust to the season.
Thanks, Dan. The new season brings new opportunities and more pleasant weather. I definitely won’t miss the hot, humid days of summer here in Northern Virginia. As the situation changes, we all adapt and keep moving forward. 🙂
Very nice Mike! Fall opens different photo subjects and opportunities!
Thanks, Reed. Years ago I realized that if I was going to keep going outdoors to take photos, I had to switch subjects with the seasons. I suppose I could have switched to landscape photograph, but that does not have the same appeal to me that wildlife has.
Lovely bird.
Thanks, Louella.
That is a beautiful warbler, Mike, and nicely captured. We’re seeing some pass through, too, but the leaves and dull days we’ve been having are making it tough to photograph them. And did we mention they are fast?
I am amazed that people get shots of warblers. They never seem to sit still and move in and out of the leaves all of the time. I was quite lucky to get this shot on a day that was quite sunny, though a bit cool and breezy.
I’ve come to believe that luck plays a huge part in it, Mike, and the more you are out there the more opportunities you’ll have to get lucky!
How wonderful for you, Mike, to see this special little warbler. Great photo too! I’m impressed, as I can hardly follow these ‘butterflies of the trees’ with my field glasses, much less get a photo of them. These warblers are a fun find for birders!
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I really like your expression “butterflies of the trees,” Mitzy, which fits so well my experience with warblers. I am not really a birder in the traditional sense, but I have learned quite a lot about birds by photographing them and then trying to figure out what I have photographed.
It’s a grand pass-time any way it is cut, Mike. BTW, I read that phrase somewhere, cannot claim it as mine, though it is true, so true. 🙂
Such a pretty one – great capture, Mike!
Thanks, Eliza.
Congratulations Mike.. I was amazed you got such a nice shot of a little bird. It’s very pretty! Unrelated topic.. I was thrilled when a NZ print magazine asked to use one of my images the other day. I get a photo credit with my name and the url of my blog – the editor sent me a mock-up the same day! It’s a Nov issue, I felt pretty excited! Just small on an inside page but 1st time I’ve had a request!
That is such wonderful news, Liz. Congratulations. We put ourselves out there on a daily basis on the internet for the whole world to see and it is definitely nice to be noticed by an editor. Seeing your name in print is really special.
That’s great news, Liz, what a treat for you! What magazine is it, and will you let us know when the issue with your photo will come out?
Garden related 🙂 nearer the end of Oct I’ll find out what I can share about it! Just a pic taken with my (extremely basic) cellphone but I guess it was what they needed for their story!
Since there’s no point at all in overly-lamenting the situation that has prevented us from enjoying another northern-hemisphere summer, it’s good to hear your thoughts of preparing for autumn-to-winter, as we prepare for spring-to-summer here. I’m seeing many new tiny orb-webs and little jumpers around, so things are looking very promising. And I’ve seen a few crimson rosellas in our little orchard too.
Thanks, Gary. This has been a crazy year in so many ways, but the seasons change on schedule, lending some modest sense of normalcy to our lives. I look forward to seeing your spiders and other critters as you move into warmer weather.
[…] I spotted a Cape May Warbler last year at the start of October—check out that posting entitled Cape May Warbler. I relied on the help of experts last year too and somehow never internalized the identification […]