Filler while I'm in BC - a sample of what my OBRC reports look like when I have a bunch of photos of the bird...
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OBRC
Report – Kirtland’s Warbler
1 – def. alternate (?) female
West Beach of Point Pelee National Park
May 18, 2013 – Mid/late morning (right
around 10am)
Optics:
BH
– Vortex Razor 8x42 Binoculars
Canon
Powershot SX30 camera
Canon
1DMark4 DSLR + the 600mm F4 lens
EH
- Vortex DLS 8x42 Binoculars
Canon
Powershot SX40 camera
Circumstances
– My father and I were birding at Point Pelee along
the centennial bike path – walking from the Visitors Centre parking lot and
heading north. As we passed the group campground, the trail cuts west across
the main road and to the west beach. It then proceeds north again along the
scrubby edge that runs the entire length of the west side of the park. It was
here, perhaps 10m north from where we first hit the edge – that we had an
unknown warbler fly from the side of the path and into a nearby dense area.
While I barely registered it as a bird, my Dad thought it looked interesting.
We spent a few minutes trying to get a look – however a large amount of plantlife
was blocking our view. Eventually I managed to get the bird in focus though a
bit of a tangle and had a clear look at a large warbler, pumping its tail! The
upperside was generally blue with dark streaking mixed in. The underside was
yellow with a fine edge of black streaks. Kirtland’s!
We soon had much better looks as the bird
moved back towards the path. We had clear enough views to make the call of the
bird being an adult female. Both my father and I were carrying out canon
powershot cameras and we tried to get some record photos. She continued to move
closer and closer, eventually dropping right down onto the path in clear view –
no more than 10 feet away!
Over the next 10-15 minutes, we followed
her along the path edge as she foraged and gradually moved northwards.
Eventually her track moved away from the path, deeper into the woods and we
lost track of her where-abouts. She had moved at least 100m from our initial
viewpoint, and I expected that she may continue this motion along this edge of
habitat and be difficult to re-locate. It was surprising to me that she was
eventually refound – maybe 25 minutes later – by Karl Konze; exactly where we
had first spotted her! She then spent the rest of the day – last seen by us
near dusk – in a rather small area where the bike path first arrived at the
west beach edge – as detailed above.
Description: numerous photos taken with my powershot camera at the time of
observation (by myself and my father), along with numerous photos taken with my
“better” camera gear in the evening do a far better job than what I can
describe. The plumage overall appears to be a perfect match for an adult
female, thanks to the uniform flight feathers (not brown/contrasting like a 1st
alt bird would be) and the light streaking along the edge of the yellow. The
lack of dark/black in the lores indicates a female.
Weather
– an east wind was blowing, which I suspected might
concentrate birds along the west edge; the reason for our birding plans in this
area. This pattern had been in evidence for a few days, leading to good
concentrations of birds around the middle of the park along the west edge. The
sun was out, but variable throughout the day. Below is 18z surface map for
CONUS on May 18.
Notes: I managed two sets of photos clearly showing the bird eating
ants. The bird hung around it’s initial
location for the rest of the day. We returned to photograph it again in the
afternoon light – and we viewed her until the sun was below some very low clouds
in the sky rendering photography moot. I do not believe it was seen the next
day.
Brandon Holden
1709-301 Frances Ave
Stoney Creek, ON
L8E 3W6
Eric Holden
Burlington, ON
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[Ontbirds] Kirtlands Warbler Pelee
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10am along the bike path on the west beach. Just across from the group
campground. Bird is a female and is slowly moving north.
Brandon and Eric Holden
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