Audubon's Warbler

Gallery: AvianPosted May 31, 2011112 views6 comments

Audubon's Warbler (Dendroica coronata)
Place: Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superion, AZ
Date: May 17, 2011
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC14E (1.4x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 800, aperture priority matrix metered, 1/60th @ f/5.6, fil flash with SB-800
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, 60% of frame, no Noise Reduction

I hadn't planned on posting this but seeing Luke's Myrtle Warbler I couldn't resist posting the western equivalent. These birds used to be considered separate speices (as Luke and I have labeled them) but the current taxonomy lumps them into a single speices – the Yellow-rumped Warbler. The most obvious difference in the two forms is the color of the throat of the male as seen in these two shots.

This is a very small "falls" on a very small artifical stream in the demonstration garden at this AZ state park. The running water pulls in lots of birds but the strong morning backlight and the close cover from low shrubs makes it very difficult to photograph here. I was experimenting with early afternoon light but that didn’t help a lot.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on May 31, 2011 at 11:51 PM

Nice, Rich. I like the scene and the bird just seems to be going about his business. The low light works just fine here, and the amount of flash is just right.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on May 31, 2011 at 11:51 PM

Rich - looks familiar! I like how this shows the difference between the east and west subspecies and the bird resting at the water is a very nice addition with no visual distractions.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on June 1, 2011 at 6:17 AM

Very good job under these conditions. I remember my time at the Houston arboretum, couldn't get above 1/60th either. Beautiful little bird - Well done Richard

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on June 1, 2011 at 8:28 PM

Nice post. Interesting to see these two (one?) warblers side by side. Fill flash worked well here.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on June 1, 2011 at 9:16 PM

It's good to have eastern and western versions adjacent for comparison. Glad you posted this. I especially like the habitat aspect of this one.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on June 3, 2011 at 7:45 AM

You did amazingly well in that lighting Rich and good work with the flash. Really interesting to compare the two forms of the species.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments