field notes from 02/08/23

Magee Marsh at the warbler rush

· Magee Marsh (the Boardwalk), Ohio · Cool, 52°F, partly cloudy, moderate breeze · Fujifilm X-T5, 150-600mm

Drove over from Cleveland before first light. The boardwalk at Magee in late April before the festival crowds is already crowded but not insane. Warblers dripped through the willows for three hours — some at boardwalk height, some lower, a few at eye level right on branches. Got a Cerulean that sat still for five clean frames at about four meters. Also a male Prothonotary nearly on my shoe.

This is one of those places where you stop trying to frame the bird against something clean and just shoot, because it’s happening that fast.

Cerulean warbler male on low branch
At eye level. Five frames and he was gone. Cerulean Warbler 300mm, 1/800s, f/6.3, ISO 800
Prothonotary warbler glowing yellow
On a fallen log. Yellow enough to blind. Prothonotary Warbler 250mm, 1/1250s, f/5.6, ISO 200
Black-throated blue male
Clean blue and black on green. Black-throated Blue Warbler 250mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 800
Bay-breasted warbler in spring plumage
Fresh spring plumage. Amazing. Bay-breasted Warbler 150mm, 1/800s, f/5.6, ISO 400
Magnolia warbler on willow
Magnolia doing what magnolias do. Magnolia Warbler 150mm, 1/1000s, f/6.3, ISO 200
Blackburnian warbler male
That orange. No filter needed. Blackburnian Warbler 200mm, 1/800s, f/5.6, ISO 800
American redstart male
Male, early arrival. American Redstart 300mm, 1/800s, f/6.3, ISO 200
Blue-winged warbler on twig
Briefly in good light. Blue-winged Warbler 300mm, 1/800s, f/6.3, ISO 200
Yellow warbler singing
The most common and still beautiful. Yellow Warbler 150mm, 1/1250s, f/5.6, ISO 640
Wide view of wooded boardwalk
Before the crowds. Post-dawn peace. The boardwalk 23mm, 1/250s, f/5.6, ISO 100
Baltimore oriole on catkin
Oriole popped in at 9:15. Baltimore Oriole 300mm, 1/1000s, f/6.3, ISO 400
Rose-breasted grosbeak male
Male at the end of the boardwalk. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 400mm, 1/1600s, f/7.1, ISO 1250