FALL WARBLERPALOOZA, AND MORE

Philadelphia Vireo, Mines of Spain Recreation Area, Dubuque, Iowa

I haven’t been able to get out much with the camera lately but today I made up for that. The Dubuque Audubon Society had invited its members and the public for a field trip to the Mines of Spain Recreation Area in Dubuque. The ”Fall Warblerpalooza” was led by Tony Moline, who is a very active birder with very good knowledge about our feathered friends. Hence the name of the event, we were hoping to find migrating warblers in the tree tops early in the morning. We saw a few but none came in the range for the camera. But a number of other birds made it worthwhile to get out with binoculars, tripod, and camera. It was a nice field trip and while listening to Tony and other birders I learned some new things and was able to make a few clicks as well. Here is a first set of photos, maybe I post a few more during this week.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head

For the first time I saw two female Scarlet Tanagers during fall migration. We can watch them almost every year in early May in our front yard after their return from South America but have never see them in the fall. They had a feast on the fruits of a wild grapevine.

A Common Nighthawk is not easy to spot when they rest during the day. They are long-distance migrants and fly in large flocks to reach their wintering grounds in South America.

NATURE CLICKS #562 - COMMON NIGHTHAWK

Common Nighthawk, Badlands, South Dakota

Shortly after the encounter of an Upland Sandpiper (see my last blog post if you missed it) I found this Common Nighthawk sitting on another fence post along Conata Road, just outside of Badlands National Park. The wide open grasslands are an ideal habitat for this bird, who feeds on insects. I read that one bird eats upwards of 500 mosquitoes in a single day. Its enormous mouth surrounded by bristles is perfectly suited for aerial capture.

The nighthawk wasn’t bothered by my presence and gave me plenty of time to come back with a number of sharp photos. I have seen Common Nighthawks before, mostly in flight, but it was the first time I was able to add this bird to my photo library and to share a picture with you here in my blog.