It Just Ain't Happenin'

May. 

The month of the year that birders in the Midwest dream about.  After winter's chill gives to spring, northbound birds flood to or through the region to breed. 

Sure, I made a trip or two to the now intergalactically famous Magee Marsh in northwest Ohio.  Sure, I have walked the trails of Lake Erie Metropark before work, for work, and even on scheduled days of no work. I have even found some places I have never birded before right in my own neck of the woods - woodlots in Elizabeth Park and on Grosse Ile have been interesting. 

All that said, my mood is tempered.  I'm just not feeling it.  I walk. I listen. I pause.  But the birds just don't seem to be there.  Well, I mean, I'm seeing birds, but it seems to be such a struggle.  One of these. One of those. Eh.

Now, in the grand tradition of the seasons as of late, to hell with spring. Lets just skip it and have summer. There was frost here Monday morning. Seriously.  Frost. Today?  85 degrees.

So, I thought I could make up it for by posting some pictures.  I had to go through 3 weeks worth of pics! It seems like a winter/summer mix.  

Here's a Black-capped Chickadee. I photographed it a few weeks ago in Ohio while hunkered down in a photo blind with my buddy Josh and his dad, Dave.  Early May?  Felt like March! Whatever.  Should have been warmer in any case.....

On the flip side, check out this Bay-breasted Warbler.  (Sure the picture is a bore.  Never put your subject in the middle of the frame.  But, it's a slick-lookin' bird, isn't it?)

This bird, while a spring migrant, could be likened to a "bird of summer".  It is heading off to Ontario (and beyond) after spending the winter in the tropics.  It has a plan. Find a babe.  Be a dad. Bust a move back to the Belize.  

Maybe Nat and I will be seeing him in a few weeks.....

Three For One Deal

Common Terns. You know the drill. Local nesters.  Not common.  I've shot the birds before (cameras, people, shootin' with cameras!).  You seen it. Here. Here. 

So, the other day, I was near the colony. This time I tried a new spot.  (That is the Grosse Ile free bridge running across the  image, by the way.)

So, I found, by standing on the dock marked in the image, the birds came by quite close.  With the colony only 100 yards away, they came by pretty often, too.  (My other photo site was across the river and easily three times as far.)

While I certainly got some Common Tern photos, the one that caught my eye was the Caspian Tern.  Nothing new here - I've shot them before.  

But for whatever reason, this particular bird decided to fly straight at me...and over me. 

 

Banging away at eight frames per second and using a little Photoshop magic can be quite fun!