In search of Common Redpolls...

With the exciting posting from Blake recently about Common Redpolls near Sarnia, I have been trying to visit Ojibway Park at least weekly. Of course, no Redpolls yet, but, even just the everyday common birds that hang out are nice to see. Below I share a few...

 Nice looks at a House Finch... looks like the Spring Plumage might be starting to show up...

 I attempted to photoshop the branches behind the bird but I'll leave it...

 Two downy woodpeckers male and female doing some really strange dance... territory or mating? Don't fight over the suet feeder guys!

 WB Nuthatch

 White throated Sparrow

Dark Eyed Junco

Florida Birding Trip Update:
Well, I've booked a short trip to Florida in March. I'm really excited! I'm basically going to start my trip in Fort Myers in the South West part of the state, visit several incredible parks in the area and then drive up the east coast of Florida and hang out in Mid-Florida for some Merrit Island birding. I decided on the trip, but also decided that I'm not upgrading my camera to a Canon 7D. I'd love one, but I'm going to get another year or two out of my Canon 40D.

If anyone hears of Redpolls in Essex County, please let me know! :^)

Good birding!

PS:

*My likeness is featured on Point Pelee's website. http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/on/pelee/index.aspx . Thanks Crystal for letting me know!

** David Sibley's blog also featured an Owl photo I took at Point Pelee. See this link if interested:  http://www.sibleyguides.com/2011/02/still-more-examples-of-false-faces-in-birds/

*** Ojibway Park will soon be opening their new Nature Center. http://www.windsorstar.com/almost+moving+beast+alike+Ojibway+Nature+Centre/4353497/story.html 

Detroit River CBC & the search for Red Breasted Nuthatch!

I just returned from birding the Ojibway Park area and the Provincial Ojibway Oak Savanah Reserve. This is one of many local areas covered in the Detroit River CBC which covers areas on both sides of the Detroit River. Nothing out of the ordinary was seen but we did hear a Carolina Wren and get good looks at both male and female Hairy Woodpeckers.

I'm sure all the reptile lovers will love this one!

In late December I was visiting my parents and happened to notice a nuthatch hanging around their bird feeder. It was a tiny bird (Kinglet sized), I had no camera or binoculars, but I could tell by its behavior (its gestalt) that it was a nuthatch and it had a greyish - cinnamon colour... a Red Breasted Nuthatch.  On New Year's Eve I had to drop something off at my parents and figured I would bring my camera... Maybe I would get lucky!

I was there at about 4pm ... It seemed really slow with the exception of a few Black Capped Chickadees, a pair of House Sparrows and a Downy Woodpecker.

Then, yes... after about 20 minutes of patiently waiting, my target species arrives (sitta canadensis!). This is a great bird... I still remember the day I lifered this bird back in Feb 2010. More can be read about the Red Breasted Nuthatch here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/id .

 Would you identify this as a female? It seems to have a greyer cap than the eyestripe. Males have more dramatic black-white-black colourations if I'm not mistaken.

I can't help but wonder if this bird is just passing through or overwintering at my parent's south Windsor home? They have a nice 5-acre parcel of land with lots of evergreens around. I will check weekly and keep you informed if it stays!

Good birding!
Dwaynejava

PS: I sometimes will re-post articles from the local paper that are birding related. These articles discuss what CBC's are, and feature Paul Pratt, an incredible birder and Naturalist that works at Ojibway Park. Paul  has been a huge influence in my birding awareness and knowledge.


Video about Christmas Bird Counts Featuring Paul Pratt:
http://www.windsorstar.com/Video+Paul+Pratt+discusses+Christmas+Bird+Count/4033775/story.html

Article about Christmas Bird Counts Featuring Paul Pratt:

http://www.windsorstar.com/life/Christmas+Bird+Count+sprung+from+shoot+protest/4034101/story.html

Backyard Kestrel

 I have checked Malden Park a few times since last weekend for another look at the Shrike with no luck. I did not scour the grounds, but rather did a quick 20 minute walk along the Northwestern Quadrant of the hill where I originally saw it. Today's walk just had the regulars BCCs and a few Downy Woodpeckers. The one above looks like he was in the midst of making a duplex.

While working in my backyard today, I was shocked today to see a raptor like bird glide across the sky and land in a neighbor's tree about 5 houses down the road. I could not tell what type of raptor is was, but I knew it was a raptor because I noticed large talon reach out to the branch as it landed. I grabbed my camera and walked down the road to discover a beautifully perched American Kestrel!

Av / F11/ ISO 200

Av/ F9.5 / ISO 400

I've been wanting to talk about 'Digital Workflow' for a while now. Basically I 'm trying to find the sweet spot for my lens to get as much detail as I can when I photograph a bird. I use Aperture Priority when I shot and typically set the ISO to 800. Lately, I have been realizing that maybe I should set my ISO to 400 or 200. When I see a cool bird though, I don't really have the mindset to try different settings and look at what gives the best outcome.


Has anyone ever experimented with the similar birds in similar lighting conditions and changing the ISO settings and Aperture settings?

I've been running with ISO 800 and F/9 as my typical starting point (in Av mode). If the lighting is low, I might open up the aperture to F5.6 and move ISO to 1600. Do any readers mess around with manual settings on their cameras? Or are you in a simple Portrait or Automatic mode?

This site discusses this discussion much better than I am doing (http://digitalbirdphotography.com/windows/contents.html) and section 6.1 is really where this is touched on. My problem is that I feel like the settings I've been running with are not the most wisely selected.

Any thoughts?

Good birding,
Dwayne