Eastern Bluebird recovering from the Storm...

Thundershowers moved through the area today.... I was home doing some office work and looked outside to see this Eastern Bluebird recovering from the high wind and rain that had just hit.... he stayed on the Playscape until he dried off a bit and he was off..... click to enlarge...

Cool looking Frog...

This little Gray Tree Frog visited my neighbors house yesterday.... Just sat around and we all got a good look at him before he jumped and was gone.... click to enlarge....

Why I shoot Raw instead of JPEG

Two photos.. first photo is an untouched raw image... just as it came off of my memory card and coverted to jpeg without any tweeking... the second is a raw image with some minor sharpening, noise reduction and light adjusting....

raw digital negative

raw image with small corrections with sharpening and noise reduction and lighting

Migration slowing down

This was probably my last weekend I will spend looking for Neomigrants... I dont like it at the end of May when the leaves are out and I cant see anything... its time to switch over to butterfly's and dragonflies... I am currently building a butterfly garden.... I moved 10 yards of top soil yesterday.... luckily I got out to metro first and got lucky and photographed a Lincoln's sparrow.... cool little sparrows that skulk around.... 10 species of Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Hermit, Swainsons Thrush and one Veery.... Nothing spectacular....

Lincoln Sparrow

Magnolia Warbler

Rough-winged Swallow

Green Frog

Stoney Creek - Pileated Woodpecker and Struttin Turkeys

On 26 mile Rd today I noticed a Truck pulled over and the driver staring at something on the side of the road.... As I drove nearer, I see this big Tom Wild Turkey in full display.... He was funny... He couldn't care less who was watching him.... He kept turning his back side to me and showing me his feathers.... a couple of Hens stood by.....

I also found a Pileated Woodpecker on the West Branch Trail of Stoney Creek Metropark... First time I have seen them in the park.... He was at the base of tree and pounding so loud it sounded like someone taking a sludge hammer to wood.... I slowly sneaked up on him in the rain and was able to snap a couple of picks through the underbrush until he noticed me sliding down the ravine.... I also walked on the trail where I know Acadian Flycatchers nest.... It didn't take long before the familiar PitSee!! could be heard.... I found him after a few minutes and with some quiet stalking got near enough to snap a couple of picks.... Wish I had better ones of his belly, but I like the wingbars.... A Scarlet Tanager foraged nearby and was eating insects on a log as well as a few other migrants....

Tom - Wild Turkey

Ovenbird

Scarlet Tanager eating Beatle

Scarlet Tanager

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Acadian Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher

Swainsons Thrush

Indigo Buntings finally arrive in numbers

I have been wondering where my Indigo Buntings are... They are a little late arriving this year.. They typically signal the peak of migration in my area and thus, its peaking... I still expect this weekend to be full of migrants at Metrobeach... Got a couple of pics tonite including a nice Catbird posing for me and a little Nashville Warber who would not sit still and thus I have a soft photo, but a photo none the less....

48hr Birdathon - Final checklist 147 species

Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Swainson's thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Blue-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-Thr Blue Warbler
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Black Thr Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black and White Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Wilsons Warbler
Canada Warbler
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White Thr Sparrow
White Crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Ring necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
American White Pelican
Double crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Morehen
American Coot
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sanpiper
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Black tern
Foresters Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech Owl
Great Horned Owl
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Pheobe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird