Over The Summer, I Decided I Had Reached A Plateau In The Quality Of Shots I Could Expect With My Beginner

Back in May of 2022, we were out at the UW Madison Arboretum looking for Warblers. We came across a couple of older folks with binoculars staring intently into the trees, so I thought for sure they found a good one. But no! Turns out they had spotted this little guy.

[ID: A juvenile Barred Owl sleeps in the shade of a tree. It's mostly brown and fuzzy, with grey marks throughout and a browner "mask" around the eyes and beak. It's sitting on a large branch with a pair of slanted tree trunks on either side, and a few young green leaves framing the scene. End ID]

This is a baby Barred Owl, having a little snooze in the shade. They woke up briefly to look around and check us out, but they seemed perfectly content to sit in full view from the path as people jogged by and stopped to peek at them.

I didn't get a chance to go birding this past weekend, so it's time for another post from the archives. I wouldn't call this my best bit of photography, but it brings me joy nonetheless.

[ID: A female Snowy Owl rests on the ice of Lake Monona. She's crouched next to a small ridge of ice, wings folded and eyes closed to black slits. She's almost entirely white, with black flecks on her wings, breast, and head. The rest of the scene is nearly featureless white snow, with just the occasional ripple made by the wind. End ID]

Last year around this time (late January) we had experienced an irruption of Snowy Owls in Wisconsin. Two owls in particular chose Lake Monona as their favorite rest spot for a couple of months, and they became locally famous for their continued presence around the Monona Terrace.

I had never seen a Snowy Owl in person before, so I took several opportunities to wander the lake and the surrounding areas hoping to catch a glimpse of my first one. It wasn't until late February that I was walking along the Terrace and spotted a lump on the ice that was much darker and less reflective than anything else out there. My heart began to thump faster and my pace increased as I realized what I was seeing. The Owl was resting in the windbreak caused by a small ridge of ice, so I carefully crept into the barest edge of photography range so as not to disturb her.

I probably spent a half hour crouched on the ice, taking the occasional photo each time she moved. Mostly I was happy to sit in her presence and try to match that level of calm and restfulness. I was inspired to make this post today because I just learned that we've had another Snowy Owl visiting Dane County the past two weeks. I'm thinking it might be a good time to go for a drive, looking for a speckled white mound among the corn stubble...

[image id: a four-page comic. it is titled “do not stand at my grave and weep” after the poem by mary elizabeth frye. the first page shows paleontologists digging up fossils at a dig. it reads, “do not stand at my grave and weep. i am not there. i do not sleep.” page two features several prehistoric creatures living in the wild. not featured but notable, each have modern descendants: horses, cetaceans, horsetail plants, and crocodilians. it reads, “i am a thousand winds that blow. i am the diamond glints on snow. i am the sunlight on ripened grain. i am the gentle autumn rain.” the third page shows archaeopteryx in the treetops and the skies, then a modern museum-goer reading the placard on a fossil display. it reads, “when you awaken in the morning’s hush, i am the swift uplifting rush, of quiet birds in circled flight. i am the soft stars that shine at night. do not stand at my grave and cry.” the fourth page shows a chicken in a field. it reads, “i am not there. i did not die” / end id]

a comic i made in about 15 hours for my school’s comic anthology. the theme was “evolution”

Here's a bird that took me completely by surprise. (Content warning for a predator eating/carrying prey. I've put the more graphic pics below the cut.) Last week I was working at my dining room table, waiting for a plumber to show up. I glanced out the window and saw this Cooper's Hawk land on the neighbor's roof.

[ID: A male Cooper's Hawk stands on the roof of a house. The Hawk is mostly bluish grey with orange and white stripes on the breast and legs. He has dark red eyes and a hooked yellow beak with a grey tip. He's standing at the edge of the roof, looking off to the left. There are grey and black feathers scattered about, but the roof is blocking his prey from view. The sky in the background is an overcast grey. End ID]

Of course, I immediately jumped up and grabbed my camera. Based on the smaller size and the bluish tint to the wings, I figure the Hawk was male. I noticed right away that he was bending down to pick apart and eat something. I couldn't tell what he was eating, but I could see lots of black and grey feathers scattered about.

[ID: A male Cooper's Hawk stands on the roof of a house. The Hawk is mostly bluish grey with orange and white stripes on the breast and legs. He has dark red eyes and a hooked yellow beak with a grey tip. He's standing at the edge of the roof, looking down at his prey and lifting one yellow foot with sharp, black talons. There are grey and black feathers scattered about, but the roof is blocking his prey from view. The sky in the background is an overcast grey. End ID]

He stuck around for several minutes, which gave me some time to find a good position and adjust my settings to compensate for the overcast skies. (Picture me standing on a dining room chair, slightly crouched to line lens up with the top edge of the window.)

[ID: A male Cooper's Hawk stands on the roof of a house. The Hawk is mostly bluish grey with orange and white stripes on the breast and legs. He has dark red eyes and a hooked yellow beak with a grey tip. He's standing at the edge of the roof, looking down over the edge of the roof. There are grey and black feathers scattered about, but the roof is blocking his prey from view. The sky in the background is an overcast grey. End ID]

Just as I was taking another burst, the Hawk did a little hop to get a better grip on his meal. Go ahead and scroll past this last photo if you'd rather not see the remains of what appears to be a Downy Woodpecker. All I knew in the moment was that I had held the shutter button through the whole sequence. It was only later while processing photos that I could make out enough detail on the prey for a possible ID.

[ID: A male Cooper's Hawk is shown mid-hop in the air above the roof of a house. The Hawk is mostly bluish grey with orange and white stripes on the breast and legs. He has dark red eyes and a hooked yellow beak with a grey tip. He's just flapped his wings to hop into the air and get a better grip on his prey. The prey appears to be the remains of a Downy Woodpecker, with the head and most of the upper body torn away. However, the remaining feathers appear to have the characteristic black and white pattern on the tail to suggest either a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker. There are grey and black feathers scattered about. The sky in the background is an overcast grey. End ID]

Just after that, the Hawk flew off between the houses and was gone. It made me a little sad to think that one of our regular feeder visitors was now somebody's lunch, but it's somewhat comforting to think that our neighborhood must have a fairly healthy ecosystem. At least we have enough small birds and other prey around to convince the raptors to keep coming back to their favorite hunting grounds!

Not really a question, but I just wanted to say that your photos are awesome! You have a lot of talent, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it in the future :)

That's really kind of you to say! You can be sure that I won't be quitting photography anytime soon.

I took this photo back in May during the Horicon Marsh Bird Festival. Spring migration was just kicking into high gear, and lots of different species were moving through, establishing territory, starting nests.

One of the paths we were walking was completely taken over by Tree Swallows, claiming every available nest box. This lovely lady must have already claimed the nest box nearby because she refused to move from her perch as we passed. She gave me a nice long look from about 10 feet away, still probably the sharpest photo I've taken of a Swallow.

[ID: A female Tree Swallow sits on a bare branch. She has a white body and throat, with dark gray head and wings. There are small flecks of blue on her forehead above a jet black beak and shiny black eyes. She clings tightly to the branch with pinkish feet, seemingly unafraid of the people nearby. End ID]

I've been away for a bit! Turns out that it's harder to find time to take photos of birds, much less blog about it, when you have a second tiny child to care for. My baby was born in May, essentially right in the middle of peak migration for Wisconsin, so I've spent far less time gently cradling a camera this year and much more time with a wiggly kid slung over my shoulder. However, my partner is kind enough to carve out the odd hour for me to sit by myself and look up.

[ID: A Palm Warbler sits on a branch, wings folded, looking toward the sunlight. The bird is just a couple inches tall, and is sporting the mostly pale plumage that is typical of Warblers in the fall. Head in profile, the bird looks out with a dark brown eye from gray head feathers with a somewhat darker gray cap and eye stripe. The breast is a lightly streaked pale yellow, and only the under-tail coverts show a brighter yellow that would be expected of this species in spring. End ID]

I found this individual taking a small break in one of the trees in my backyard. Normally, Warblers like this one are constantly in motion, darting around in search of food to fuel their long southerly migration. But this one must have had their fill for the time being, content to sit still and take in the sights of our little patch in Madison. It was early afternoon, and the light was sifting beautifully through the leaves of the trees. I can understand why they would choose this place to rest for a moment.

[ID: The same Palm Warbler sits on a smaller branch, this time presenting their right flank to the camera. Their wings are showing the same light shade of gray as their head. From this angle, it's apparent how fluffed the little bird is, insulating themselves against the slight chill in the air. End ID]

I knew right away that this was a Palm Warbler from the way they pumped their tail up and down, up and down. Even when they were otherwise still, that tail was still going at times. What were they thinking about on this brief stop, looking south toward the lake and beyond to their destination? Did they have any children this spring? Would they take them to Cuba? Puerto Rico? Surely someone has to show the young ones the way to their winter home...

Sometimes you go out and find a bird, and other times the bird finds you. What with it still being February, I've been mostly birding at places with open water. (I'm always looking for opportunities to spot some waterfowl that I haven't yet seen this year.) And because it's February in Wisconsin, the open water tends to be near springs or the rivers connecting the various lakes. One such place is a stretch of the Yarhara River between Lake Waubesa and Mud Lake in McFarland, WI. I was just walking out of the parking lot at Babcock County Park, checking out the Canada Geese and various ducks, when this creature just strolled out from behind a tree.

[ID: A Greylag Goose stands in the snow near a river. The Goose is shown in profile looking to the right. It is mostly grey with bright orange bill and feet. The eye is dark brown with a thin orange ring around it. Folded wings become gradually darker grey as they extend back into primary flight feathers, with bright white tail coverts underneath. End ID]

Being only about 30 feet away, I knew immediately that this was one of the Greylag Geese that have been reported in the area recently. There was no mistaking that bright orange bill and distinctive honk. You know, the honk you hear in your head when someone tells you to picture a farm goose. It really is just like that, and for good reason. I knew basically nothing about the Greylag Goose except that it's classified as an escaped exotic species in the United States, but I've since read that this species is the ancestor of basically all breeds of domestic goose. It's native to Europe and Asia and was brought here to North America as a domestic. So yeah, farm goose honk.

[ID: A Greylag Goose walks in the snow near a river. The Goose is honking loudly, showing off the shaggy grey feathers on their neck. A pair of Canada Geese stand in the background. End ID]

Beside being much easier to identify, I also appreciate large, stationary birds for being easier to photograph. The Greylag and their Canada pals decided to wander over to forage right at the edge of the parking lot, allowing me to creep up behind my car and fill the frame with big grey goose. I had a nice long opportunity to watch the geese graze in the park before a pair of bulldogs and their owner came by and scared the whole flock into the sky.

[ID: A Greylag Goose forages in the exposed grass near a large tree. The Goose bends down to pick at the grass at the edge of the snow. It has bits of grass stuck to its bill, which is open and showing tiny serrated edges. A Canada Goose is standing just out of focus in the background. End ID]

I went looking for spring ducks the other day. The boardwalk between Upper Mud Lake and Lake Waubesa in Madison is usually a great place to see all the weird waterfowl that migrate through in March. And they were there! The trouble this year is we had such a warm February that almost all the ice was already gone from the lakes. So pretty much everyone except the Mallards were way out in the middle of the water. And this goof:

[ID: An American Coot stands on a small patch of vegetation at the edge of a lake. They're turned away from the camera, but looking back over their shoulder. The Coot has a slate grey body about the size and shape of a football, and black head with a bone white bill and a dark red eye. Their lobed feet are a pale yellowish green, great for walking on top of loose marsh vegetation and mud. End ID]

I'm quite fond of American Coots. Silly name aside, they have an awkward profile, beady little eyes, and beautifully weird feet. We only see them here during spring and fall migration, so it's a little treat to have flocks of them passing through. And this one in particular didn't seem to mind us watching them pick along the shore from the boardwalk. Just a sassy little glance over their shoulder before going back to their foraging.

I picked up a lifer, folks! We were canoeing along the Mississippi River a couple weeks ago, on a camping trip at Merrick State Park. I was keeping a bird list from the back of the canoe, likely doing less than my fair share of paddling, when I saw a shockingly yellow bird on the shore.

[ID: A pair of Prothonotary Warblers are perched on the same thin branch of a tree. The branch is running vertically across the frame with an adult male clinging to the upper part and a juvenile sitting just below him and looking upward. The male has an incredibly bright yellow head and body. His upper wings and back are green, and his wings change to grey-blue as they extend backward to the primary flight feathers. He has a sharp black beak and a shiny black eye. The juvenile is looking up at the male, mouth open and begging for something to eat. Their body is mostly pale grey, with a few patches of yellow on their throat and sides. They look a bit shaggier compared to the sleek feathers of the adult male. End ID]

I remember exclaiming to my partner, "It's a Warbler! Could that be a Prothonotary?", right before it disappeared into the trees. When she turned around to look, another Warbler appeared in the same spot, but this one was duller yellow. I quietly cursed my lack of a camera (the protection plan explicitly does not cover dropping it into a river), and pulled out my phone to try to pick up any songs. Sure enough, Merlin confirmed the quiet trilling as a Prothonotary! We steered the canoe back around to try for a better look, but they were gone.

[ID: A female Prothonotary Warbler clings to the end of a tiny branch with wispy silk strands on it. She's distinguished from the male by a somewhat duller yellow on her head and back, but otherwise looks very much like her mate. She's collecting what appears to be insect larvae with her bill, which look like tiny grains of white rice. End ID]

Needless to say, I was excited at seeing a new species and lamenting the addition of that same species to my "no pics" list. Later on we were relaxing at the campsite and reading our books when my partner says, "Clay, come here! Is this your bird?! They're chasing each other!" This time I could snatch up my camera before joining her at the edge of the site. And she was right! We had several little Prothonotaries flitting around and peeping at each other. After watching for a few minutes, I realized it was multiple juveniles being fed by their their parents. The kids must have just recently fledged, as they were sitting in very conspicuous places and yelling for food while mom and dad were shuttling tasty bits back and forth.

[ID: An adult male Prothonotary Warbler feeds a juvenile. The same male from the first image is perched on a branch in the sunlight, placing something directly into the mouth of his child. From this angle, the color differences between parent and child are very apparent, with the child looking almost entirely grey on their upper parts, aside from a few streaks of dull green along the back. End ID]

I was feeling incredibly fortunate to get a better look at these energetic birds, but it was tough to keep them in the frame. I found that the kids would generally pick a spot out in the open where they could make lots of noise and be sure their parents could find them. If I stayed on a child, I could be sure that a parent would be returning very soon. I also realized that it wasn't just the fledglings peeping frantically for food. Dad was staying mostly silent while foraging down in the understory, but he would give a few quick peeps after finding something to eat. It felt a lot like he was saying, "I found a bug! Where are you? Come and get it!"

[ID: A juvenile Prothonotary Warbler sits on a branch, waiting for their next bit of food. Their bill is open and wings are slightly extended, fluttering in what must be the universal dance for telling your parent that you're hungry. If you are a small bird, that is. End ID]

I must have spent an hour just following these babies down the little access road for driving up to the campsites, taking tons of photos and watching for brief glimpses of a parent. I moved slowly and calmly so as not to disturb them, but they seemed to go about their business as though I wasn't even there. The kids stuck mostly to the edges of the woods, at eye level or higher, but dad was up in the trees, down in the open grass, and just about anywhere you might find a spider or a gnat. He was often flying within a foot or two of me as he crossed the road in tireless pursuit of his goal.

[ID: A juvenile Prothonotary Warbler poses on a branch, patiently waiting for food this time. The bird is well-lit and sitting in front of a very dark patch of forest, which makes the background look almost black. This juvenile has more dull green on their face and flanks where the others were more grey and yellow, but they have the same shaggy appearance of being just recently fledged. End ID]

Thinking back, the experience was almost surreal. I knew I was walking down a paved road in a sold-out campsite, but I was in this little pocket of existence, watching these devoted parents do everything they could to make sure their children would grow up strong and healthy. For this little family, in the few weeks where this river bank has everything they need, the rest of the world might as well not be there.