Some Photo Upgrades

Tennessee Warbler

I had been feeling burned out birding for a few weeks. Dipping over and again on the Baird's Sandpiper, Royal Tern, and Dickcissel had made birding not very fun. That is the main reason I went to New Hampshire instead of Block Island last week. I just wasn't enjoying birding. It was the absolute right decision. I enjoyed every minute in New Hampshire, while my friends enjoyed every minute on BI. I would have gone back to New Hampshire this week had it not been for the rain yesterday. So instead I went to Snake Den. Snake Den in Johnston is only about twenty five minutes from my house. I didn't really care what I saw as long as there were birds. I hoped to practice put to use some of the photography techniques I have been practicing.

 

Blue Grosbeak's are not very blue this time of year.

   Luckily for me, the sky was awesome at first light. Just wave after wave of cool clouds. My friends Sue and Tim were already in the back field when I got there. But it took me forever getting to them because I kept shooting the sky. I don't remember the last time the sky was so dramatic. The birds were there too. For me, the prize was a Tennessee Warbler that was close enough for a good photo. I had only seen one other one in my life, it was at the top of a sixty foot tree. So this one was an easy photo upgrade. While watching and shooting it, I was having fun. The most fun I have had birding in a month.

    Later, right before we left, I spotted a Blue Grosbeak. However, before I could figure out what it was, Jan identified it, and asked me why I didn't call it out. Blue Grosbeak is a very rare bird this far north. It is probably more unlikely than the Tennessee Warbler. The Grosbeak was another much improved photo upgrade. My only other Blue Grosbeak photo is a tiny silhouette in a tall tree. 

A beautiful Bobolink

  Today, Sunday, my bird buddies decided to take a day trip to the Block. The wind was perfect and they knew there would be birds. I chose not to go. I wanted to get Nelson's Sparrow and honestly, I just wanted to relax. I got my Nelson's near the West Wall. However, I got three for the price of one. Before I even got near the water a Bobolink popped up. It flew to the top of some brush and just stayed in perfect light. I took photos for ten minutes before I moved on. I got the Nelson's and headed back to the car. Over by my tires, I saw what looked to be a weird sparrow. It turned out to be an adult White Crowned Sparrow. This is a species that can be very rare around here. I had seen some juveniles in the spring, but at any time of year, adults are pretty rare. It turned out that there were two of them. They were very cooperative. They would feed in the dirt of the road or along the edge. They would periodically fly up to a branch or a tree and then back down. I watched them for thirty minutes or more. I had fun

The photo above and below are
White Crowned Sparrows.

There are a bunch of photos below. I started this post saying how dramatic the light was. I was glad to be out there.

Sue and I having a quick draw contest with
our cameras

Jan, right after finding the Tennessee.

Eastern Phoebe

Another photo of the Blue Grosbeak
against a tough sky

Two more photos of the Boboloinks