It took about 30 minutes of listening to the call before this Yellow-throated Vireo showed its face. I wasn’t able to get any amazing photos, but I did grab a couple acceptable snaps before it disappeared. This is considered a “rare” bird around here, so this was an awesome treat to start the day!
Yesterday, I finally got some good snaps of a bird that has been giving me a lot of trouble when it comes to taking photos. Blackpoll Warblers are a pretty common warbler to hear in May…their song resembles the sound of a tambourine ringing, but they are less-often spotted due to their tendency to stay high and hidden in the canopies of trees. This Blackpoll gave me a quick photo opportunity, and I was lucky enough to catch it! 🙂
This time of year, its easy to find a lot of birds…the males are enthusiastically announcing their presence from the top of every bush and tree. This Scarlet Tanager, however, did not say a word…I was lucky to round the corner and find him sitting on a low branch right in front of me. What a great photo opportunity with a spectacular bird!
I don’t see Red-shouldered Hawks very often…maybe a few times a year…it is much more common to see the familiar Red-tailed Hawk. Yesterday, I was lucky to see a pair of Red-shouldered hawks pass by overhead, and I was able to get some good snaps of one as it came closer. Not a lifer, but definitely a bird I had not taken decent photos of until yesterday! 🙂
Brown Thrashers are very secretive birds…they tend to remain hidden, and are more often heard than they are seen. Usually when I spot a Brown Thrasher, it is a brief encounter, so I have not had many photo opportunities with this species. Finally, the other day, one came out into the open to sing and I was able to snap a few pics.
Grasshopper Sparrows are a bird that rely on open grassland habitat. With a lot of this habitat diminishing, they are usually hard to come by. Fortunately, one of their known breeding grounds is located only a half hour from where I live, so I was able to find a few yesterday morning. They are more often heard than seen, but this guy was nice enough to pose out in the open for me!
This Warbling Vireo was life bird #240 for me. He was quite vocal, which made him easy to find. It’s a pretty dull-looking bird, but he was definitely pleasant to listen to! 🙂
To some people, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are a common yard bird, but where I live, they don’t show up very often…that is why it took me so long to finally see one. This beautiful male gave me some nice looks and sang for me too…their song has been likened to “a Robin that has had singing lessons.”
Prairie Warblers have a distinct rising song and today I got great looks at this one singing his heart out. Fortunately, these are one of the few warbler species that stick around my area through the summer.
This morning I saw my first Bobolink…life bird #238! Here on Cape Cod they are seldom seen, and only in the springtime when they migrate north. This was a particularly vocal and active male, which made for some nice photo opportunities…here he is singing his heart out across the pasture.
