It has been a busy time since my last post. I finally took the leap and bought a new lens. I got a 70mm - 300mm with two image stabilizers. It weighs about a pound and a half. That is all I can handle. I was tempted to get the 100mm to 400mm but was swayed by the 3 pounds of weight! I don't think I would have been able to manage that heavy a lens for full-day outings. The one I got is quite versatile. I had to go out a few times to give it a try before my birding tour.
I joined one of Dave Brown's birdwatching tours to Cape Race on Monday. The weather was as good as we were going to get. On this trip I added nine birds to my 2010 list and seven to my life list. We saw over 30 different species of birds and among them was the Yellow-rumped Warbler. You may remember that I posted an earlier experience with this kind of warbler but the spring blue colors of this returning warbler were amazing! It was like seeing the bird for the first time. It flitted around from bush to bush at Cape Race. I did the same to keep up with it. With the combination of the fresh look of this Yellow-rumped Warbler and my new lens, I was able to capture some much better pictures.
I have not tampered with the true color of these shots. There are three separate patches of yellow on this bird, on the breast, the rump and the crown of the head. I have uploaded enough pictures to reveal all three areas of yellow.
This is a very small bird that usually ranges from five to six inches. This one seemed even smaller. A very common bird in Newfoundland, there is a good chance of seeing several of these birds throughout the season.
I think that I will be deleting a lot of old shots as I break in my new lens, just in time for the Spring and Summer influx of birds.
Getting out to see the birds is invigorating. Our trip on Monday started from Quidi Vidi Lake at 5:00 a.m. and we returned home by 8:30 p.m. It was chocked full of bird sightings as well as caribou and a moose. If you are considering exploring whether birdwatching is for you, a great place to start is at the MUN Botanical Gardens. On every second Sunday (May 9, I think) they conduct a free birdwatching walk from the gardens to Oxen Pond. I understand that it takes about 2 hours and starts at 8:00 a.m. I plan to take part in the first walk of the season.
Birdwatching is like collecting and hunting all rolled into one. It is a hunting activity when it is up to you to find the birds. Once found the challenge is to not spook the bird and be able to get close enough for a good view and or picture. The picture becomes the trophy to add to the collection. Never mind, baseball cards or Pokemon cards - start a collection of nature's finest.
June 15, 2010 Update:
As time goes buy, I find that my images are getting better, and I am also finding both male and female of the species. I have uploaded three images of the female Yellow-rumped Warbler to complete this listing. I found this female on Cochrane Pond Road. I have seen several in other locations but these are the best close-ups that I have been able to collect.
There are so many faces of the Yellow-rumped Warbler given the gender, age and season. I hope you enjoy these new images.
