High Island Week 4 day 2

I was planning to get up early to try to find the Prothonotary Warbler that I didn't see the previous day, but when the alarm went off at 6:30, I went outside to see what the weather looked like at that point.  It had rained pretty heavily the night before and there was still cloud cover out there.  I decided to take my time since I wouldn't be gettting very good pictures, or so I thought.  I took my time packing and by the time I got out, picked up some Kolaches and drove from Winnie to High Island, it had cleared up.  I got there in time to take the 8:00 tour.  The day started the same as it had the day before.  I only saw three warblers in the first hour (Worm Eating, Hooded, and Tennessee).  I also saw a Swainsons Thrush, but again that was all.  I left after an hour the same way I had done yesterday.

There was an obvious difference when I got to Smith Oaks.  The woods were alive with birds.  The entrance was constantly showing a Blackpolled Warbler, a Bay Breasted or a Chestnut Sided Warbler, as well as Summer and Scarlet Tanagers and Eastern Wood Peewees. 

After spending about an hour at that location, I decided to try to find the Prothonotary Warbler that had eluded methe day before.  As soon as I got to the entrance to the Rookery, he started calling again.  I eventually saw him.  He then flew across the path and I was within 10 feet of him for a good 5 minutes.  Unfortunately, the quality of most of the pictures was subpar because he was deeper into the wooded areas so I didn't get good opportunities to get decent shots.

There were a number of Tanagers eating mulberries at the parking lot.  It is interesting how the birds eat mulberries.  They hold the berry in their beak and bite them and swallow the juice before finally swallowing the berry.  It may take 30 seconds to eat a berry instead of just swallowing it whole.  Look at the slide show above to see a few shots of a Summer Tanager chewing on a mulberry before swallowing it.

The Black and White Warblers were not as common as the previously mentioned ones, so when I found one, I would try to get as many pictures as possible so that I could maybe get a couple of good ones.  Black and White Warblers NEVER sit still!  They are always on the run and just when you think that you are going to get one, they are gone.  Either that or you get a black and white blur as they are off after another insect.  What a great looking bird though!

There were Magnolia Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers, and American Redstarts around too.  The American Redstarts flash their tails all of the time.  I assumed that it was just the males, but the females do it too!

I got pictures of the Prairie Warbler, which was a big deal there.  As far as I know that was the only one for a long period of time and may have been the only one seen.  i will have to go through the reports.

 Later in the afternoon, I found another Prothonotary Warbler on the other end of the dike.  It stuck around for a longer time but went further away on the ditch that I was watching him in.  It looked like he had some  trauma  to his head  and right eye, but he was calling out and eating like there was no tomorrow.

After watching him for a while I turned around and saw a Blackburnian Warbler.  Unfortunately, the light was bad and he stayed behind the branches to make it hard to get a good shot. 

A nice Indigo Bunting male was sitting in the next tree.

As well as a nice female Summer Tanager

I saw Yellow Warblers fleetingly.  They were a lot more timid than most of the other warblers.

11:45 PM - May 2, 2009 - post comment

Bird pix

Hi Dave,

Thanks for kind words. Checked your generous site. It's a personal thing, but I'd run fewer, crop tighter, and edit pictures ruthlessly (comes easier as your good ones grow!).
Sorry if that's too much tough love, but you did ask.
Cheers Tony

Tyto Tony - 1:09 AM - May 17, 2009

Thanks Tony

Hey, Tony, I appreciate your response. I will try to make it better in those ways. Unfortunately, not only am I a new birder, but I am a worse photographer, so hopefully that will improve with time.

DDolan1075 - 2:44 PM - May 17, 2009

It's about passion

(I'm embarrassed I'm only now getting through IATB#100. Travel takes a lot...)

Dave - As a published nature photographer, let me say your images are spectacular for a beginner--both in birding and nature photography. There's no need to be a perfectionist. My first published image came from a Canon point-and-shoot that couldn't zoom beyond my own nose. Being too focused on technically perfect images means you're not focused on the world around you, and that means you miss the shot. And don't worry about cropping and editing and such not. Show what you photograph and what you think counts, not what you think people want to see. It's the sentiment that matters, not the grade you get.

Also, I enjoy the high number of images in each post. Most people are on high-speed access now anyway, so the number of pictures is meaningless.

Ultimately it's about biophilia and not about meeting standards or gaining acceptance. Your work is beautiful and full of passion--and it's the passion that holds the most value.

Thank you for sharing!

Best regards,

- Jason
xenogere.com

Anonymous - 4:46 PM - May 25, 2009