Tag: Bird

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)

My first visit to The Beanery and my first time seeing this warbler.

After walking for 90 minutes on my field trip around The Beanery, I still had no bird photographs. Despite the group's enthusiasm, I started to feel that I had wasted my time. I wanted to quit the tour, leave the group, and return to the car. However, I didn't relish telling Bhavna we had driven two hours in the rain to return home empty-handed. We heard trills and high-pitched chips as we approached a pond near one of the farm buildings. We could see rapid movement in the vines growing on the other side of the pond. Someone called out, with a surprisingly disappointing voice, that we were looking at Yellow-rumped warblers. Finally!

The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) is a well-known bird species. Yellow-rumped Warbler species exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females have distinct appearances. While editing my photos, I realised that I had photographed females only. Female Yellow-rumped Warblers are referred to as "Myrtle."

Like most warblers, Yellow-rumped warblers are primarily insectivorous during the breeding season, feasting on insects and other invertebrates. Pond flies were buzzing around the pond as I photographed the birds hopping between the leaves of the thick vines and the branches of the dead shrubs near me.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler plumage provides camouflage in various environments where the warbler lives. During the breeding season, Myrtle females have grayish-olive upperparts with streaks on their back and wings. Their throats and undersides are pale yellow. However, the prominent feature of Yellow-rumped Warblers is the yellow patch on their rump. The colour is more subdued in females than males but still noticeable.

After the early morning disappointment, seeing these Yellow-rumped Warblers in their natural habitat was rewarding.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

Inspired by Michael Stephen Wills' post on wild ducks, I ventured to Charles H. Rogers Wildlife Refuge, capturing these elegant Wood Ducks.

After I read Michael Stephen Wills’s post on wild ducks, I remembered photographing some in the Charles H. Rogers Wildlife Refuge early in May.

It was very early in the morning. With bleary eyes and brimming anticipation, I stood on the observation platform, clutching my XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR. I heard some noisy splashing in the far corner of the swamp. I didn’t know what was happening. Peering through the viewfinder, I zoomed to 600m, and voilà, there they were—ducks. But what kind? "Is this a mallard or a duck? Is there even a difference?" My knowledge of ducks was about as extensive as a duck's knowledge of cameras.

Fortunately, Merlin ID has a Photo ID feature and an excellent database of birds. Photo ID offered a short list of possible matches. With a few quick taps, I identified the bird as the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), not to be confused with its cartoonish cousin, Daffy. Unlike Daffy Duck, Wood Ducks have a crested heads, a thin neck, and a long, broad tail. Their silhouette shows a skinny neck, long body, thick tail, and short wings.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) · Friday 5 May 2023 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

Unlike Daffy Duck, known for his dramatic flair, Wood Ducks possess crested heads, slender necks, and long, broad tails. Their silhouette might remind you of an elegant dinner guest—skinny neck, long body, and short wings—except for the thick tail.

You may not be able to see it from the photographs, but males have glossy green heads adorned with white stripes, chestnut breasts, and buffy sides. They'll look dark overall in low or harsh light with paler sides. On the other hand, the females sport a grey-brown dress with a white-speckled breast. Regrettably, no females for my camera that day.

With a fondness for wet locales with trees or extensive cattails, Wood Ducks thrive in wooded swamps like the Charles H. Rogers Wildlife Refuge. They stick to wet areas with trees or extensive cattails. It's a lifestyle choice, really, one that sets them apart from their Looney Toon counterpart.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Hummingbirds are a challenge to photograph.

So, I recently learned that there are four kinds of hummingbirds in New Jersey, but three are rare. I've only spotted the Ruby-throated ones. The bird in these photographs is either a juvenile or female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

I'm a big fan of tiny birds, especially hummingbirds. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats its wings about 53 times a second. Their speedy movements are fascinating to watch. I've wanted to take pictures of them for ages, and since they like red or orange flowers, over the years, I planted some Eastern Columbine in my balcony garden planter to attract them.

Now and then, I've spotted Ruby-throated Hummingbirds near the flowers, but Eastern Columbine only blossoms in Late Spring to Early Summer, which is a bit of a bummer. I decided to get a hummingbird feeder for the balcony, and that's when I started seeing the Ruby-throated ones more. Taking their picture through the glass door was a pain, though – too reflective. Then there's our cat, Alphonso Mango (we call him Alphie). He loves sunbathing on the balcony, and I was worried he might be a threat to the birds.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird · Friday 18 August 2023 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

So, I moved the feeder to the backyard, hanging it under some woody vines near the edge fence. It took a week or two, but the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds eventually found it. I figured out when they usually visited the feeder in the mornings and late afternoons, and I'd sit and wait for them. Shooting in the late afternoon light was tricky, and I had to use ISO 12,800 on my Fuji X-T3. The photos had a lot of digital noise, but I made them look better thanks to Adobe Lightroom's Denoise feature.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird · Friday 18 August 2023 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

I'm still chasing that perfect shot of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in flight, but these pictures are the best I can do now.

This weeks LAPC reminds me thats it almost a year since my first visit to The Edge.