I'm thinking of starting a club...the "IHW" club (I Hate Warblers). No, not personally, but from a photographic perspective.
Warbler migration can be excellent here in the Spring. We certainly get a great variety moving through, and the term "fallout" as used by birders here is seemingly almost exclusively associated with spring warbler migration. When I first started biridng 10 years ago, I remember one particularly memorable day in a small park in Sioux Falls, where I saw 20 species of warblers in just a couple of hours.
Seeing them is half the challenge here. It's SO unpredictable when, and where, a "fallout" will occur. So...for the past several years, EVERY spring I take several days off, to go searching for warblers to photograph. EVERY spring, I get extremely excited for the upcoming migration, and EVERY spring, I end up SO incredibly frustrated.
This year, we've had a very cool and wet spring, and the warblers have been a little late in arriving. Too bad I schedule my days off for the "typical" arrival time. Sigh. I did manage some time during evenings and this weekend to get out though, and certainly SAW my share of warblers. As for photos? Blergh.
Yesterday...a Hooded Warbler (lifer!) pops up in some brush a bit below me while I'm standing on a bridge over a little creek. That's a terrific bird for South Dakota. I swing the camera to shoot, and just as I'm pressing the shutter, he flies (I know, that probably sounds familiar). He moves a bit into the brush, but I still have a good view. I recompose, and...despite always using center-point focus, my 50D thinks I'm trying to shoot the surround twigs, so that's what it's always focusing on. Cursing as the bird sits there for a few seconds while my auto-focus fails, I quick switch to manual focus, and of course, then off the bird goes again.
I could go on, but you get the idea. ARGH!!! I do pretty well for other types of birds, but I'm not exactly enthralled with my warbler portfolio. Personally, I feeel shooting warblers is akin to getting my son to go to bed. I don't know what else to try, and I refuse to use electronic calls, so in the meantime...
Ats ok Terry. It is my feeling that warblers don't like us human all that much either.
Posted by Dan Sorochan on May 23, 2011 at 10:01 PM
I have some warblers in my backyard right now. Very difficult to get a good shot, always moving and staying deep within the tree branches. Takes a bit of patience that's for sure.
I'm in the same camp with you - went to a local wildlife refuge the other day and had 2 warblers (one which would have been a new species [I don't count a species unless I photograph it]) that skulked for a few minutes and disappeared before I could photograph them.
One of the things that frustrates me is that I don't consider myself a birder (and as stated above, a bird doesn't count unless it's been photographed) but my birder friends are always raving about what a great time they have on the weekends when the find 10 or 15 species of warbler. I get excited and go out to look for them and all I get are some birds way up in the trees that I can't get to sit still - or I'll have decent views in atrocious lighting. For the birders, they're thrilled - for the photographer? not so much.
As far as the warbler "crash" thing - I think that it CAN be predicted. It's mostly dependent on weather patterns - wind, fog and rain play the biggest roles. It's by no means an easy thing to figure out and you probably have to pour over 5-10 years of data to start finding a pattern but it's probably worth the effort - especially if you are taking days off.
They are frustrating little buggers I agree. This year our migration was horrible. I only saw 1 hooded warbler when last year you were practically tripping over them. And of course I ddin't get a shot of this years sighting. I can't hate um though since when I DO get the shot it makes my day! Hopefully next spring will be the bomb!
Frustrating little things on many levels. I'm in central KS, which seems to get relatively few warbler species during migration. It is really frustrating when the birders in Eastern KS report 20+ species of warblers alone on a good day, often with killer looks. I was especially frustrated on Mother's Day this year. I went for a walk along the river, but didn't bring along the camera. Of course, that was the morning that I heard and then had a great look at a Blue-winged Warbler(Lifer). Blue-winged Warblers are extremely rare in Kansas, at least in the western 2/3rds of the state. Great light, cooperative bird, no camera :(.
Actually, Terry, I've regained a bit of my composure ... As well as feed-back control over my blood pressure... By maintaining a file entitled "Perches Recently Occupied by (this-or-that) Warbler" in which the term "Recently" usually refers to an interval measured in milliseconds.
And yes, it's one of my largest image files....but I look at it's effects as being somewhat similar those of my blood-pressure-lowering and cholesterol-lowering meds.... And it's less expensive, I'm told, than Thorazine, Paxil, and Welbutrin....... but I'm none-the-less seriously considering asking you for a membership application to the IHW Club.
The yellow-rumped warbler is my favorite local bird. They are beautiful and they eat flies (tons and tons of flies) I have a few images of them but, along with the smaller fly-catchers and the kinglets, they elude my efforts. (come to think of it, most birds elude my efforts) I'll join the club if we're allowed a love/hate relationship with them.
I suspect every avian photographer would be a member of your club, Terry. Unless you use playback, you've just described every one of my warbler photo experiences. Playback reduces aggravation by as much as 10%-15%. Sometimes.
After two days at Point Pelee and several life list warbles, with I don't n=know how many sightings (my wife is keeping the list) I have not a single image of a warbler.
Cloudy, rainy weather didn't help, nor the lack of migrants today, but at least I got a few others.
Discussion
12 repliesWarbler migration can be excellent here in the Spring. We certainly get a great variety moving through, and the term "fallout" as used by birders here is seemingly almost exclusively associated with spring warbler migration. When I first started biridng 10 years ago, I remember one particularly memorable day in a small park in Sioux Falls, where I saw 20 species of warblers in just a couple of hours.
Seeing them is half the challenge here. It's SO unpredictable when, and where, a "fallout" will occur. So...for the past several years, EVERY spring I take several days off, to go searching for warblers to photograph. EVERY spring, I get extremely excited for the upcoming migration, and EVERY spring, I end up SO incredibly frustrated.
This year, we've had a very cool and wet spring, and the warblers have been a little late in arriving. Too bad I schedule my days off for the "typical" arrival time. Sigh. I did manage some time during evenings and this weekend to get out though, and certainly SAW my share of warblers. As for photos? Blergh.
Yesterday...a Hooded Warbler (lifer!) pops up in some brush a bit below me while I'm standing on a bridge over a little creek. That's a terrific bird for South Dakota. I swing the camera to shoot, and just as I'm pressing the shutter, he flies (I know, that probably sounds familiar). He moves a bit into the brush, but I still have a good view. I recompose, and...despite always using center-point focus, my 50D thinks I'm trying to shoot the surround twigs, so that's what it's always focusing on. Cursing as the bird sits there for a few seconds while my auto-focus fails, I quick switch to manual focus, and of course, then off the bird goes again.
I could go on, but you get the idea. ARGH!!! I do pretty well for other types of birds, but I'm not exactly enthralled with my warbler portfolio. Personally, I feeel shooting warblers is akin to getting my son to go to bed. I don't know what else to try, and I refuse to use electronic calls, so in the meantime...
I'm starting the "IHW Club". Anyone care to join?
One of the things that frustrates me is that I don't consider myself a birder (and as stated above, a bird doesn't count unless it's been photographed) but my birder friends are always raving about what a great time they have on the weekends when the find 10 or 15 species of warbler. I get excited and go out to look for them and all I get are some birds way up in the trees that I can't get to sit still - or I'll have decent views in atrocious lighting. For the birders, they're thrilled - for the photographer? not so much.
As far as the warbler "crash" thing - I think that it CAN be predicted. It's mostly dependent on weather patterns - wind, fog and rain play the biggest roles. It's by no means an easy thing to figure out and you probably have to pour over 5-10 years of data to start finding a pattern but it's probably worth the effort - especially if you are taking days off.
- Luke
And yes, it's one of my largest image files....but I look at it's effects as being somewhat similar those of my blood-pressure-lowering and cholesterol-lowering meds.... And it's less expensive, I'm told, than Thorazine, Paxil, and Welbutrin....... but I'm none-the-less seriously considering asking you for a membership application to the IHW Club.
Best regards,
Dave Graham, East River, SD
PS. Congratulations on the Lifer.
After two days at Point Pelee and several life list warbles, with I don't n=know how many sightings (my wife is keeping the list) I have not a single image of a warbler.
Cloudy, rainy weather didn't help, nor the lack of migrants today, but at least I got a few others.