Yesterday afternoon I found a butter-butt shooting gallery.
On my way home from running an errand I impulsively checked out an old birding spot. It’s been almost entirely devoid of birds for many months so I fully expected more of the same. Boy was I wrong!
It was literally swarming with migrating Yellow-rumped Warblers that were using an old dead tree as a launching platform as they hawked insects flying over water. They actually reminded me of the swarms of angry hornets I stirred up recently while I was mowing my lawn – they seemed to be everywhere.
Thankfully they don’t sting and they weren’t angry, they were just hungry.
1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
So I rushed home to get my birding camera and lens and had at it with the warblers.
There were gobs of birds but it was still tough shooting, largely because of messy and unattractive backgrounds and incredibly quick subject’s. My good friend Neil Rossmiller describes trying to photograph butter-butts as being similar to photographing popping corn. I like his analogy.
1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Since the settings were so busy and often unattractive I spent more time and effort than usual trying for takeoff shots to add extra interest. This was one of my few successes.
I still haven’t seen most of the photos I took but I wanted to report on my experience with so many warblers so I quickly picked out these two for today’s post. I’ve been seeing a few scattered butter-butts recently but nothing like my experience yesterday so local blog followers who are also bird photographers may want to be on the lookout for large numbers of migrating Yellow-rumped Warblers.
If you find them in the numbers I did you’ll have the time of your life.
Ron
PS – I want to report more fully on what it was like photographing these warblers.
There were two of us inside my pickup photographing them. At times we had two or even three birds to choose from that were perched close to us. We were with them for 31 minutes and in that amount of time I took 1914 photos. I’m sure that between the two of us we took over 4000 shots in that half hour.
The shutter noise inside my pickup sounded like a war zone. All the sounds, including occasional and fervent cussing, reminded me of a couple of besieged soldiers in a foxhole fighting for their lives. I’m not kidding, I actually thought of that at the time.
It was great fun.
Loved your write-up! And, your photos!
Thanks on both counts, Sheila.
An association I am proud to claim.
Oh my.
Oh my, oh my, oh my.
HUGE smiles. And delight. (and eyes with a decidedly green tinge)
And a foxhole I would have loved to be in – something I thought I would never say…
You might have learned some new cuss words if you’d been in that foxhole, EC. But to be honest I wouldn’t bet they’d be new to you… 🙂
Almost certainly not new to me. I don’t ‘think’ I have every posted any of them here though and worry a bit that my potty mouth is so evident…
Ron probably figured “guilt by association” — with ME! 😂😂😂😈
I can’t imagine any of the other 1912 will top these two. Well done.
Thanks, Lyle.
Butterbutts!!!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Totally needed this post and the in-the-truck description today. You and Mia must have had a ball!
Are you planning to check out the location again today? If so, and you think of it/are able to do it, I’d love to see a documentary shot of the whole fracas/scene as you approach, just so I can see that many warblers in one spot.
I may not photograph them again, Marty. It’s a little dicey photographing from my pickup in that location.
They are cute! And I loved the description of inside the truck!
Good. Thanks, Arwen.
Love these birds, and so glad your shooting gallery was actually the photography kind. That underarm “down” noted on the second photo looks like fur it’s so thick!
I was surprised to see my first butter-butt of the season yesterday, too, in my fountain…about 6 days earlier than the last 5 years. And happy to know his buddies will be arriving in SoCal in short order, they are such enjoyable winter companions.
My shooting galleries are ALWAYS the photography kind, Chris.
These are beautiful, such a fun find!
Thanks, April.
Butter butts. Love it 🙂 Keep smiling!
I’m trying, Kathleen.
I’m so happy for you ! Haven’t seen much in the way of migrating birds where
I live in S. Utah, but then there’s little here in the way of watering places…..
the hummingbirds are long gone, which seems quite early compared to my past experience……I wish you many more opportunities like yesterday’s !
Kris, I hadn’t seen a hummingbird at my feeders for nearly 2 weeks so I quite filling it. Then yesterday one showed up. It was only there for a few seconds because the feeder was empty so my guilty conscience made me fill it again.
NEAT! Cute little devils…….😀 Happy “bunches” are starting to show up in your area after such a “dry spell” both for photo opportunities and the fact at least large numbers of “something” are making it through the smoke and fires.
Still having birds come, leave, show up again (or others do). Still plentiful “grub” and water here for them at least. 😀
“at least large numbers of “something” are making it through the smoke and fires.”
I had the same though, Judy. These days every little bit of good news is welcome.
Your second photo is wonderful…really like the underwing details. I’ve been seeing then around here for several weeks and sometimes thought some never left the area. I like the angry hornet analogy. I came across a bevy of these birds like that in spring with insects over a stream. Such fun!
Kathy, those damn hornets nailed me. On two different days. I don’t like to use insecticides but for those little bastards I made an exception.
There ARE times……….😉
Glad you made it through getting stung! That must have been awful. As for insecticide, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Marty, the top of my bald head must have a bullseye on it. They got me more than once.
Love that second photo Ron. And yes they are starting to show up here now. Heading out soon and will be on the lookout for them.
Good luck, Everett.
Nice to hear about big bunches of migrating birds, and I especially like the second shot. I had to reach out to touch that tuft of “underarm” down on my laptop screen. 🙂
I noticed that ‘underam’ plumage too, Cathy. It seems longer and thicker than most birds have there.
WOW!! What fun!
Envy, envy!!
It surely was, Dick.
They should arrive here soon. I can’t wait. Fun birds to watch. Love the 1st pic.
Thanks, Jean. They’re on their way. Lots of them.