My collection of warbler photographs is not very large, not very large at all. Sometimes I wish I spent more time on them, then again that pretty much applies to a lot of different subjects. That combined with the fact that warbler photography is, at least for me, quite time-consuming and difficult. These little birds seem to be constantly moving and are quite small. This time of year is peak migration time for warblers around the Great Lakes, and little peninsulas or marshes along the edges of the lakes are hotspots of activity. This little yellow warbler was photographed at Magee Marsh in Ohio along Lake Erie’s southern shore.

Paparazzi and celebrities

I remember one of my first times visiting this popular migration hotspot – now close to 20 years ago. With the park being on the south shore of Lake Erie, it has become a favored resting stop for migrating warblers before they begin to cross one of the big lakes. There is plenty of foliage to take cover in, early May is just about the time when tasty insects are buzzing about. There may as well be a red carpet rolled out here with a Howard Johnson’s sign. And just as red carpets can be quite the spectacle (and also HJs!), so is migration at Magee.

Because it is a popular spot with warblers, it is also a popular spot for warbler-seeking humans. Bird watching is big here with festivals planned in May around peak migration time to welcome travelers from around the country and world. Of course, bird photography is big here as well, evident by perhaps the largest collection of big glass you’ll see outside of an Olympic sports event.

Different goals and different photographs

Recalling back again to those early times, I remember throwing out a lot of slides. As a beginner in warbler photography, your primary goal seemed to be just to get an image without a blurred bird in it. Of course, if you were doing a project on bird ghosts, bird butts, or spinning exorcist-style bird portraits, you might be quite successful early on. Once your focus and reaction skills start improving, then you start watching for branches in the way and other distracting elements that are plentiful. Missed shots certainly became less painful in the wallet once I moved to digital.

I suppose one goal may be to get photographs similar to those seen frequently on the covers of bird magazines which almost seem formulaic now – clean background, bird large in the frame, pleasing branch or perch. They do indeed make for great cover photos and accommodate an editor’s need to insert copy and a masthead around the image. They don’t tend to be very story-telling though, and I find such ‘birds in habitat’ photos can be even more difficult than these types of portraits.

Birds in habitat

I remember this little yellow warbler happened to be foraging around a pond off the boardwalk area of Magee. When you find a bird that seems to be sticking around a while, you do too. The location is fairly limiting from a space aspect being on a boardwalk, having to photograph at a certain height due to the railing, and then challenging to follow the little bird around in attempts to get a pleasing image. In fact, I noted this year the park management has declared no tripods on the boardwalk area, allowing only monopods. While I haven’t been to Magee recently, I can only assume it is due to complaints of too many tripods taking up space and perhaps more than a few inconsiderate photographers.

I don’t consider this particular image of the warbler foraging around the pond a particularly good one. But I kept it – it was acceptably sharp, helped a bit with Topaz Sharpen AI. It’s obvious I was shooting through a lot of branches. This “messy” environment is one of the big reasons why warblers like this place. The thick cover helps them avoid predators during their rest stop. Perching nicely out in the open may not be the best survival approach.

Having both of these ( and many others not worthy of showing 🙂 ) helped me remember the story behind following this little bird and the many challenges involved in being a little part of their journey north.