Cape May warbler push

September 29, 2023 · Cape May Point State Park, New Jersey · Cold front overnight, NW wind 15 mph, 55°F at dawn · Fujifilm X-T5, 150-600mm

Slept in the car at the lot and woke to cold air and a good NW wind. That’s the setup Cape May is famous for. The bunker trail was full of warblers dripping out of the pines by 6:45 a.m. — redstarts, palm, yellow-rumps, and a Cape May that I actually photographed in Cape May, which I’ve been trying to check off for three years. Also a Connecticut Warbler reported at the state park that I looked for and missed.

Warblers in fall are famously frustrating. I don’t love shooting into a canopy at 1/250, but you take what you can get.

Female redstart in a pine — Female. Yellow patches flaring. American Redstart 200mm, 1/1000s, f/5.6, ISO 640

Palm warbler tail-pumping on a branch — Tail pumping. Always a palm tell. Palm Warbler 200mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 400

Yellow-rumped warbler in a pine — Butter-butt. Dozens around. Yellow-rumped Warbler 300mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 200

Cape May warbler, fall plumage — Cape May in Cape May. Finally. Cape May Warbler 150mm, 1/1000s, f/7.1, ISO 400

Parula warbler in leaves — Tiny and fast. Northern Parula 250mm, 1/1250s, f/5.6, ISO 640

Merlin on a bare snag — Harassing anything that moved. Merlin 400mm, 1/1000s, f/6.3, ISO 1000

Peregrine falcon flying past — Two peregrines passed within ten minutes. Peregrine Falcon 500mm, 1/1000s, f/7.1, ISO 1000

Sharp-shinned hawk in flight — Sharpie being pushed by kestrels. Fun to watch. Sharp-shinned Hawk 450mm, 1/1000s, f/7.1, ISO 800

Monarch on seaside goldenrod — Monarchs pooling in the dunes. Monarch Butterfly 150mm, 1/500s, f/8, ISO 400

Black skimmer on the beach — A pair was resting on the beach by afternoon. Black Skimmer 400mm, 1/1250s, f/8, ISO 400

Wide view of Cape May beach at low tide — Break between pushes. Cape May beach 23mm, 1/250s, f/8, ISO 400