Its game on!

[jbird]

I was wakened repeatedly this morning by a violent thunderstorm starting around 3:30am. It raged off and on thru dawn. As daylight started breaking, I was lying there listening too big rumbles. In the stillness in between was the usual morning chorus of birds in my surrounding forest. Suddenly, I hear a song I dont recognize. My eyes snap open and I lay staring at the ceiling listening. Yep, thats a new bird.

As I strolled the property I was seeing one new species after another. Almost as if they blew in on the storm. The migration has begun! Hundreds of warblers were busy in the tree tops. Grosebeaks, Orioles and Phoebes sang loudly from everywhere. I saw more birds I couldnt ID than ones I could. The photo ops were limited with a very dark day and non stop rain. But I did squeeze off a few. Most of these shots were set at 2000 ISO and higher do to darkness. Really impressed with the way this Nikon handles the high ISO!

The rose breasted grossbeak was the song I awoke to.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/jbird35/_JDS9542.jpg

There were 3 or 4 pairs coming to the feeders today.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/jbird35/_JDS9535.jpg

Heres a male and female. Pretty amazing how different they look.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/jbird35/_JDS9550.jpg

It is a challange shooting warblers in perfect conditions. They are small and fast and allways moving. The incredible lush canopy here in Wisconsin is going to add to the challange of getting an open shot of these guys. There are so many different, beautiful species that migrate thru here, I cant wait to chase em!

Heres a warbler that I was unable to ID

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/jbird35/_JDS9528.jpg

This seemed really unusual to me. A red winged blackbird has been visiting my feeders.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/jbird35/_JDS9525.jpg

Im really hoping the conditions will improve and the migration will strengthen and I'll soon be getting some amazing ops. I hope.

[Slice]

Jbird, your pics make me want to leave the state i love.

I pulled into sf last week at about 4am and saw a bum doing somehting horrible to a bum watching a bum doing something horrible to himself and i thought' should i take a picture of this?

Man, it would sure be nice to wake up to the birds in your pics...

[Troutstalker55B]

Good stuff Jbird! I think the warbler may be an immature morning warbler? At mt house in Plumas County I had red wing blackbirds at my feeders in late spring all the time. Many breeding pairs set up shop in the Tules on my ponds then - Love their song. Thanks for sharing.

Jon.

[Ben J]

Once again your songbird pictures make me miss the midwest! I grew up in Kansas and about this time of year the nesting pair of scissor tailed flycatchers would show up in our pasture.

At the same time the pair of prothonotary warblers (my other favorites) would show up in the timber around our creek. And the painted buntings were everywhere in between!

Spring migration is an incredible time and you never know what you'll find in the treetops!

[Darian]

Once again, great photography and the variety of birds back there continues to amaze me.... Please keep 'em coming. :D

[Larry S]

Jay,
Those Midwest thunderstorms are truly spectacular. I've always wondered how
the critters felt about them. Thanks for show.
Best,
Larry S

[jbird]

Jbird, your pics make me want to leave the state i love.

I pulled into sf last week at about 4am and saw a bum doing somehting horrible to a bum watching a bum doing something horrible to himself and i thought' should i take a picture of this?

Man, it would sure be nice to wake up to the birds in your pics...

Now thats funny! LOL. Gotta love the big city wildlife.


Good stuff Jbird! I think the warbler may be an immature morning warbler? At mt house in Plumas County I had red wing blackbirds at my feeders in late spring all the time. Many breeding pairs set up shop in the Tules on my ponds then - Love their song. Thanks for sharing.

Jon.

Jon, I was thinking the same warbler but the yellow is just in the wrong place. I keep coming back to the Nashville Warbler based on the size, shape and color.

Thats interesting about the blackbirds. I was worried that this one had flipped his noodle. Guess its not unusual tho :-)


Once again your songbird pictures make me miss the midwest! I grew up in Kansas and about this time of year the nesting pair of scissor tailed flycatchers would show up in our pasture.

At the same time the pair of prothonotary warblers (my other favorites) would show up in the timber around our creek. And the painted buntings were everywhere in between!

Spring migration is an incredible time and you never know what you'll find in the treetops!

I would love to see prothonotaries! I really hope I get them here. This is the top edge of their range. Hooded and Canadian Warblers would be cool. Definitly too far north for the painted buntings but I should get Indigos. Scarlet tanagers would really round out my bucket list :-)


Once again, great photography and the variety of birds back there continues to amaze me.... Please keep 'em coming. :D

Thanks Darian. Im glad theres a few guys on here that share the passion. I actually bought my Fishing license saturday. I may actually fish again some day :-) All the water around here is cocoa colored right now.


Jay,
Those Midwest thunderstorms are truly spectacular. I've always wondered how
the critters felt about them. Thanks for show.
Best,
Larry S

Im in heaven with the active weather here. The tornado warnings are much less amusing now that I own a home tho.

It seems as tho the critters dig the storms. Just like me ;-)

[Kneedeep]

Lovin' the pics, jbird.
They're a real "tweet"!:D