A flock of warblers
Today, after work, I decided to take a short walk at Frying Pan Farm Park, but I did not go far -- I was greeted by a small mixed flock of warblers. The more numerous among them were Palm Warblers (probably between 12 to 20). They were on their migrating path further south, to Florida, the Carribeans or Central America. Probably driven by their need to refuel their body, they were frantically feeding, to the extent of ignoring my presence. This was one of the magical moments when everything went right -- the birds were beautiful, active and unwary, the late afternoon sunlight was warm and soft, and I had the right equipment with me (I had my 300mm f/2.8 lens with a 1.4x teleconverter, which allowed me to shoot at 420mm f/4). I easily burst through more than 1,200 shots in a little over one hour. (Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
Less numerous, but no less active, were some Yellow-rumped Warblers, of the "Myrtle" race. They, too, are migrants, but they will winter here (or at least some of them). In fact, they are the only warblers to be found in the winter here. I am glad they they are.
It was fun to watch these beautiful birds, small flames of life, flitting, foraging -- and dancing -- in front of me, and hear the melodious "Oh, Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada ... " songs of the White-throated Sparrows in the background (the first time I heard them this season). They too will accompany me through the winter. Later, another migrant that will winter here, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, made a cameo appearance too.
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
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