Today on BirdingPI.com, on a gloomy/cold Saturday, a bit on “mostly lesser seen warblers” + bird photography field methodology, starting with great, if brief, sightings of male Hooded Warbler:
Shot above was happenstance near the main park road. A bit more involved is ‘tracking’ a vocalizing bird by sound, even if off trail in the woods, as here in nearby Crawford County (next county south of Erie):
This instance, following a different male Hooded Warbler until a brief sighting high up in the trees:
Similar methods work even in more well-traveled areas, such as here off the Pine Tree Trail at Presque Isle. On this occasion, Wilson’s Warblers (soon to be re-named ‘Black-capped Warbler’) were heard off the main trail, vocalizing deep in the underbrush. Following the sound, and with a bit of luck, a nice sighting:
On the same day as the Wilson’s Warbler, also heard Canada Warbler. Just kept pushing through the underbrush until another nice sighting:
Downsides to off trail birding are (i) mud, (ii) getting lost, (iii) hunting accidents, and (iv) ticks. Mud is manageable with good footwear, and getting lost is unlikely considering modern phone technology. (Also easy to manage w/o technology by sensibly keeping track of landmarks.) Accidental gun death can be avoided by wearing properly-coloured clothing and avoiding hunting season. Ticks, though, are inevitable and no joke. (Not recommended, but see yesterday’s post for the hard truth.) Protect.Check.Remove.
