Bell's Vireo, Big Island Wildlife Area, June 3, 2024
Canon EOS R5, RF 600mm f4 L IS + 2x
f10, 1/2000th sec., ISO 1600
Bell's
Vireos are favorites of mine. They are uncommon in Ohio and central
Ohio is the eastern edge of their range. They do turn up regularly at
places I like to visit. Their numbers do seem to fluctuate some from
what I can tell. They usually can be found near standing water, or at
least where there is standing water when they arrive in early May. With
this year being so dry I didn't come across very many. I only found two
in the Deer Creek area this year, although I didn't look too hard for
them. I found at least a dozen there in 2019 which was a much wetter
year. This year was the first time since I first rode my bike down the
the Prairie Grass Trail in Madison County in 2017 that I didn't find
any Bell's. Again, 2019 was the best year for them with 4 singing males
present in June along that trail. I went to Big Island hoping to
photograph marsh birds like Swamp Sparrows and Marsh Wrens, but the few
I heard were far off and would have meant wading a long way through
water of unknown depth. This Bell's Vireo was a very nice consolation
prize.
Prairie Warbler on blackberries, Tri-Valley Wildlife Area, June 11, 2024
Canon EOS R5, RF 600mm f4 L IS + 2x
f13, 1/500th sec., ISO 1250
I think f13 was a mistake in the
above photo. f10 seems to be the magic aperture for maximum sharpness
for the 600+2x on the R5, stopping down enough, but not too much before
diffraction kicks in. With that said, the full size file of the above
photo at 100% is still incredibly sharp with great fine feather detail.
Prairie Warbler, Tri-Valley Wildlife Area, June 11, 2024
Canon EOS R5, RF 600mm f4 L IS + 2x
f10, 1/1000th sec., ISO 800
Ohio's
state wildlife areas on reclaimed strip mines are always worth visting
in the summer months for birds of open areas. In the above photo the
berries the plant is on are pretty, but it is a very invasive autumn
olive. They have taken over large areas at Tri-Valley. Areas that used
to be grasslands filled with species such as Grasshopper and Henslow's
Sparrows not long ago and are now covered with autumn olives. Along
with the Cerulean Warbler, from my perspective, the Grasshopper Sparrow
has had one of the most precipitous declines in Ohio since I have been
birding. Invasive species like the autumn olive in protected places
like Tri-Valley only make things worse. Huge corporate farms,
development of open areas, and excessive mowing for hay before the
young fledge have really paid a huge toll on them in Ohio (and most
places in their range). Grasshopper Sparrows used to be easy to find
and photograph at Tri-Valley, but now they are few and far between.
.