Warbler Heaven

After an unusually cold spell that has lasted nearly a week, this afternoon was the type of weather we've all been waiting. It was near 70º with sunny skies and being mid-May, I desperately wanted to visit the park to watch birds. Unfortunately my back is aching again and so a full 3 mile walk seemed out of the question. As a compromise, I slung my new little stool over my shoulder and hiked back into the woods from 73rd Ave. On the way in I spotted an Ovenbird but he flew off too quickly and I didn't get a photo. Then I found a place to sit where there was actually still some standing water from recent rains. I spotted a few birds nearby including American Redstarts, a Golden-winged Warbler, and a Flycatcher of some kind –likely a Least Flycatcher. After a while of seeing more birds further away from me, I moved my stool out closer to the edge of the woods. Then, even further away, in an "island" of Buckthorn trees I noticed even more activity, all little birds on the ground picking through the muddy bottom. Here is where I moved to next and it proved to be a "Warbler heaven!" I sat here for well over 2 hours and encountered various Warblers at tremendously close proximity. It seemed nearly every other bird that I peeked at through my binoculars was a Magnolia Warbler. I'd never seen so many of them in my life, and for a short while I actually saw 4 of them together on the ground! After sitting in place for such a long time I think they just got used to me. Some of the Magnolias came within about 5 - 6 feet of me which gave me some amazing photo opportunities. This is a bird I could watch all day, they are just so beautifully colored. I had a hard time picking out my favorite shots when I got home because I had so many –a problem I rarely have! These two are my favorite of the whole bunch –especially this one who landed within feet of me and stared directly back at me. It is also fun to photograph birds now since things are greening up so quickly. It makes for much more colorful settings and backgrounds. In this same spot, among the Magnolias, was a Blackpoll Warbler! This was exciting as I've never personally documented a Blackpoll at PLP before, AND it turned out to be the 17th species of Warbler I've seen this year! Even the Blackpoll eventually came close enough for a decent photo and by now I was having quite a memorable day of birding. But my luck continued as other Warblers got brave and also came in closer. A few Common Yellowthroats actually came in even closer than the others, probably only 3 or 4 feet away from my feet. Despite the distance, they were still a challenge to photograph because they move so quick and so often. I took probably 50 shots just of the Yellowthroats to get 1 or 2 good ones. After finally deciding to move on, I decided instead of hiking back on the trail I came in on, that I would meander my way through the woods, staying alongside the edge just to see what else I might see. This also proved to be a good idea as I encountered American Redstarts in closer proximity than normal. There was a fallen tree with no bark that they seemed to like to perch on and so I went and sat right on the log for a while. Eventually one showed up right behind me and I twisted around, barely being able to see through my viewfinder to see if I even had him in the frame. The Redstarts weren't the only thing active in this area as I also spotted –of all things– a Mink running on top of another fallen log! This was surprising to me since it's kind of a ways from the creek, but it was also close to the area where I spotted them this winter too. He was moving so fast over the log that I didn't get a very good shot. I continued my meandering and eventually came across not just one but two Wilson's Warblers! This was not the first time I've seen them this year, and also not the first time I've documented them at the park. BUT, it was the first time I've ever seen two of them together. The Wilson's Warbler is a particularly speedy little bird, even among Warblers, and is notably tougher to catch a good photo of simply because they never sit still. By the time I would track him and focus, he would fly off and repeat. But eventually I caught up here and there, just a split second long enough for my shutter to release. I also got to see one from behind and above today, versus from down below which is my all-too-often vantage point of this bright yellow bird. From my new angle I noticed just how greenish-yellow they are on the backside –something I've not been able to see before. In all, I saw 7 Warblers today and covered only less than a mile of ground! The list included; Ovenbird, Golden-winged, Magnolia, Blackpoll, Redstart, Common Yellowthroat and Wilson's Warblers. Other birds spotted included; Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Swamp Sparrow, Song Sprrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Least Flycatcher, White-breasted Nuthatch and Ring-necked Pheasant (actually saw him this time!).