Common Yellowthroat
Getting a good bird photo involves learning about birds and taking lots and lots of photos to improve photographic skills and techniques, but sometimes you just need to be lucky.
I haven't been out birding much for more than the past two weeks, after returning from my Arizona trip where I injured my knee near the end of that trip. I've only done some birding while driving and stopping for short bird hikes when I see avian activity. But my knee is doing better now, so I hiked 2.4 miles in 1-3/4 hours here in Old Trail. Other than a few short hikes here in Old Trail, I really hadn't done any birding here since last April 28, and it was amazing to see how much the vegetation has changed in one month. It was quite chilly this morning, and there was complete cloud cover.
I started off on the loop trail along the golf course pond, and after passing green #1 and going down the hill and over a small bridge, there's a grassy path just off the gravel trail. I hiked up there and soon heard a Common Yellowthroat. The vegetation was fairly dense, and I saw it flying around a bit, but never long enough for a photo. I just waited for a few minutes, and then got lucky. The Common Yellowthroat landed on a branch right in the middle of a tiny opening in the brush where I could see it, and it stayed there for a minute or so.
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat
Next stop was over to Western Park where Yellow Warblers like to forage. I heard one as soon as I got there, and it was close to the sidewalk where I could get some photos.
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Other than wintering Yellow-rumped Warblers, and American Redstarts in some summers, Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers are the only warbler species I see here in Old Trail other than migrating warbler species that are just passing through in the spring and autumn. So I didn't expect to see any other warblers this morning. I headed down to the soccer field, and as I approached the southeast corner of the field, I heard an unusual call. It was a Yellow-breasted Chat, and my Old Trail species # 152. Yellow-breasted Chats were considered to be in the warbler family for many years, but ornithologists moved them out of the wood-warbler family a few years ago. I still consider them to be a New World warbler.
Yellow-breasted Chat
I didn't get a really good photo of the Chat, and it soon flew into the wetlands area and out of view. But I could hear it calling from there, and it was moving south through the wetlands. I followed its call, and just after passing the community garden, I saw it flying from one tree to another one and out of sight.
Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-breasted Chat
I had an errand to run, and really didn't want to push my knee any more this morning, so I ended my hike with 26 avian species here in Old Trail.
Brown Thrasher
Gray Catbird
Chimney Swift
Red-eyed Vireo
This morning's list:
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Wren
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Chimney Swift
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Yellow-breasted Chat
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
American Goldfinch
Gray Catbird
Indigo Bunting
Brown-headed Cowbird