This Saturday, June 2nd I ended up getting in a late afternoon walk, arriving at the park just after 4pm. The weather was fantastic but it was the first day that I really noticed Mosquitoes. This was probably my second-best day of birding since back in Early May when I spotted a Black and White Warbler. It wasn't necessarily because of the uniqueness of what I saw but the fact that I was presented with some great photo opportunities on top of it. The one I most regret not succeeding on was an American Redstart who gave me lots of chances but the photos just didn't turn out that great.
One photo that did turn out good though in my opinion was of this Mallard Hen with her Ducklings. This was in the little pond on the southeast side. I've been trying for a long time to photograph Ducklings but they are always moving around so fast that it turns out blurry. They also don't seem to stay together in a nice little group for very long so this photo is actually quite an achievement for me. The water is not really that green, but a reflection of the trees above. The next bird of interest I was able to catch was of a Least Flycatcher on the south side. This species is still a very new bird to me and I hope that I've identified it correctly. The first time I spotted one only a month ago, I had no idea what it was.
It looked vaguely like an Eastern Phoebe but more like a Warbler because of a prominent white eye-ring. Today I got to see one closer and for quite a long time. I first noticed it fly out from a crude nest at the crook of two branches about 15 feet up in a tree. It reappeared fairly quickly with a beak full of grass though it seemed to be very hesitant to return to the nest and I wondered if maybe I was seeing a different bird. The longer I watched it, the closer it came to the nest but never actually returned while I was poised with my camera and fighting off the mosquitoes. I eventually moved on, wondering if possibly it would not complete the nest if I had discovered it. On the north side I spotted a large, orangy-yellow bird land in some dead branches just a few feet inside the trail. It stuck out as something unusual right away with it's large size but the coloring was very akin to a Baltimore Oriole -only different.
Then it hit me that it was a female Baltimore Oriole in plain view! She moved to a different set of dead branches within just a few seconds and I snapped as many pics as I could. This is my first photograph of a female Baltimore Oriole and it was quite fun to see. My best photo of the day though was still to come as I made my way along the northeast side. It seemed that I was seeing great birds everywhere I looked. Only a few feet inside the trail and at eye-level was a Coopers Hawk. This was an usual sight and I quickly scared it up and it moved further back into the thicker woods. When the Hawk moved though, I caught a glimpse of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak just a bit further up the trail -also at eye-level!
At first he was facing away from me and I could only recognize his mostly black back with patches of white. Since the Hawk was long gone, I decided quickly to pursue the Grosbeak instead and I was happy that I did. As I crept quietly up the paved trail, he stayed perched where he was but turned to face me, showing off his brilliant red breast patch. As I focused on him, another park-goer entered my frame probably thinking I was taking his photo! Much to my surprise, the Grosbeak stayed put as the other person walked past and allowed me even more viewing time. It felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity as I shot photos of him at a great angle, in clear view and in great evening light. Even after viewing the photo I marvel at what a colorful bird this is. He clearly had something in his beak, though I can't say for sure if it was a worm or something else.
One photo that did turn out good though in my opinion was of this Mallard Hen with her Ducklings. This was in the little pond on the southeast side. I've been trying for a long time to photograph Ducklings but they are always moving around so fast that it turns out blurry. They also don't seem to stay together in a nice little group for very long so this photo is actually quite an achievement for me. The water is not really that green, but a reflection of the trees above. The next bird of interest I was able to catch was of a Least Flycatcher on the south side. This species is still a very new bird to me and I hope that I've identified it correctly. The first time I spotted one only a month ago, I had no idea what it was. 
It looked vaguely like an Eastern Phoebe but more like a Warbler because of a prominent white eye-ring. Today I got to see one closer and for quite a long time. I first noticed it fly out from a crude nest at the crook of two branches about 15 feet up in a tree. It reappeared fairly quickly with a beak full of grass though it seemed to be very hesitant to return to the nest and I wondered if maybe I was seeing a different bird. The longer I watched it, the closer it came to the nest but never actually returned while I was poised with my camera and fighting off the mosquitoes. I eventually moved on, wondering if possibly it would not complete the nest if I had discovered it. On the north side I spotted a large, orangy-yellow bird land in some dead branches just a few feet inside the trail. It stuck out as something unusual right away with it's large size but the coloring was very akin to a Baltimore Oriole -only different. 
Then it hit me that it was a female Baltimore Oriole in plain view! She moved to a different set of dead branches within just a few seconds and I snapped as many pics as I could. This is my first photograph of a female Baltimore Oriole and it was quite fun to see. My best photo of the day though was still to come as I made my way along the northeast side. It seemed that I was seeing great birds everywhere I looked. Only a few feet inside the trail and at eye-level was a Coopers Hawk. This was an usual sight and I quickly scared it up and it moved further back into the thicker woods. When the Hawk moved though, I caught a glimpse of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak just a bit further up the trail -also at eye-level! 
At first he was facing away from me and I could only recognize his mostly black back with patches of white. Since the Hawk was long gone, I decided quickly to pursue the Grosbeak instead and I was happy that I did. As I crept quietly up the paved trail, he stayed perched where he was but turned to face me, showing off his brilliant red breast patch. As I focused on him, another park-goer entered my frame probably thinking I was taking his photo! Much to my surprise, the Grosbeak stayed put as the other person walked past and allowed me even more viewing time. It felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity as I shot photos of him at a great angle, in clear view and in great evening light. Even after viewing the photo I marvel at what a colorful bird this is. He clearly had something in his beak, though I can't say for sure if it was a worm or something else.
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