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Every sport or hobby has one - the ultimate challenge. All baseball players want
to win the World Series at least once during their career, and long distance runners
recognize finishing a marathon as the ultimate challenge of their hobby. For most
bird photographers that I know, photographing wood warblers represents the epitome
of our chosen avocation. I could not agree more. Getting these diminutive, fast
moving targets to hold still long enough for images will test the mettle of the
best bird photographers. I got hooked immediately after spending an hour attempting
to photograph a Yellow Warbler several years ago in my own back yard. He was busily
eating worms on one of my willow trees and rarely presented me with a clear shot.
Since then, I have chased warblers every year during both spring and fall migration.
Most Wood Warblers belong to a group known as "neotropical migrants," meaning the
birds live, breed, and nest in North America during spring and summer and migrate
to and live in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Islands
during the fall and winter. Ornithologists and birders alike commonly refer to
neotropical migrants as "dicky birds." Despite the fact that many warblers are
relatively common and often strikingly beautiful, many people are unaware that they
exist. It is not uncommon for me to point out a stunning example such as a
Prothonotary Warbler to a workshop student only to hear the response,
"I never knew we had birds around here that look like that." I believe the main
reasons for this lack of awareness are: warblers are small, usually smaller than
a House Sparrow, and, unless a person looks closely it is easy to dismiss them as
just a little bird. They live in most habitat types, from prairie to forest. Some
of the most productive sites to photograph them in are wooded riparian areas.
These border creeks, streams, and rivers and often host numerous species.
A few species such as the Golden-cheeked Warbler require a specific type of habitat.
Golden-cheeked Warblers are now on the endangered species list due to competition
for habitat with humans. Many tall juniper and oak woodlands, the GC Warbler's
only choice of nesting sites, have been cleared to build houses, roads, and shopping
malls. Some habitat was cleared to grow crops or grass for livestock. Other habitat
areas were flooded when large lakes were built. I spent 3 days during the spring
of 1999 in the Texas Hill Country, the only remaining area where GC Warblers nest.
Ornithologists estimate that fewer than 25,000 pairs remain in existence, and my
goal was to capture images of the endangered birds. I did not succeed during that
trip, but I went back the next year and managed to get one decent image. On my
last day there just as sunset neared, my shooting partner that day Eric (Birddog) Isley,
spotted a female in a tree about 15' up. I was using ISO 400 film, and as the
light faded quickly, I moved in slowly and fired away. My best image from that
series is far from perfect, but I was happy get it just the same.
One way to attract warblers, especially in the spring is to play a Screech Owl
tape (Eastern or Western species depending on where in the USA you live). Of course
attracting them does not guarantee you'll get good images. The tape may agitate the
birds causing them to appear only for a brief second or two and then fly off. My
favorite time and place to photograph warblers is early spring in south Texas*.
After they arrive from their tropical winter homes, they are tired and hungry. Normally,
they will spend several days resting and fattening up on insects before continuing
their journey to northern breeding grounds. At this time, most species are exhibiting
their gorgeous breeding plumage, and getting one in your viewfinder is guaranteed to
make your heart flutter.
Photographing warblers is indeed the ultimate bird photography challenge, but it is
not easy. They are rarely still nor offer a clean background. They are nearly always
preoccupied with consuming insects and other food but are not afraid of humans. If you
approach them slowly with no jerky motions, you can often get to within minimum focus
distance (MFD) of your telephoto lens and fill the frame with the subject. Your ability
to track small, fast-moving birds in the viewfinder will usually determine whether
you experience the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat. If you enjoy photographing
birds, give wood warblers a try - I think you will like it!
*A small group of PM'ers met last spring at Galveston and enjoyed several days
of ideal conditions for photographing warblers and other species at High Island,
Anahuac, Bolivar Peninsula and East Beach.
Editor's Comment: Let us know what you think! Please email the
Editor
to let us know your thoughts.
Bill Horn has been a lifelong resident of Oklahoma and has 25 years
of photography under his belt. The last 4 years Bill has focused his endeavors on
compiling photos of The Birds of Oklahoma. He is the Senior Staff Photographer
for PhotoMigrations and Birdzilla.com. Bill's work has been featured in several
local, state, and national publications, including Birder's World on-line magazine.
He would like to invite you to visit his website located at
Birds Of Oklahoma - trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised!
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