Nisqually Redux
We finally got a break in the weather Friday, and as much as I hated to I skipped out on my Yoga class again to go birding. And what glorious day it was.
I saw my first butterfly of the season, a beautiful Anise Swallowtail
There were more Yellow-Rumped Warblers than I’ve ever seen before, and the bright sunshine made it possible to use high shutter speeds even in the relative shade, making it possible to capture sharper images than in the past. Here’s an Audubon’s Yellow-Rumped Warbler:
There were so many warblers that I didn’t notice until I was sitting home in front of my computer that I had been shooting two different kinds of Yellow-Rumped Warblers.
But this Myrtle Yellow-Rumped Warbler has less yellow than its Audubon relative:
I would have been perfectly satisfied just to finally capture a good shot of a warbler, but there were birds everywhere, and my favorite shot of the day might have been this one of a Green-Winged Teal that seem not to notice that I was standing not more than three feet away from where he was swimming:
Heck, I got enough good shots from Friday’s shoot to fill up a week of blog entries, but with rain predicted the next three days, and who knows how long after that I’ll save a few shots for emergencies.
loren
Those are really nice, Loren.
Shelley — 10:18 pm April 26, 2008
Heck, Loren, these photos are fantastic! How do you do it? And in such close-up. Apart from a rogue one a few weeks ago I saw my first butterflies yesterday too - brimstone, orange tip and small tortoiseshell. It was the warmest day of the year so far.
The Solitary Walker — 1:13 am April 27, 2008
Especially enjoying the close-up of the Green-Winged Teal because a pair showed up here at Scudder Pond after I returned from California.
Do you ever see quail at Nisqually?
Nice work, as usual!!
I like the reflection of the duck in the last photo.
The second warbler is my favourite I think, the way the yellow is echoed in the spring foliage.
We raised some European swallowtails, very similar to that, which chrysalised in our carrot bed one year, putting the carrot tops in a bottle garden over winter. Two out of three emerged. We photographed them, but that was pre-digital, I keep meaning to dig them out and scan them.
Fabulous, Loren. Thanks for brightening my day!
Singing Bear — 11:38 am April 28, 2008
I’ve only seen quail once in the three years I’ve been going there, am. I think it’s really too marshy there for quail.