Prairie Warbler

The Florida Keys Wild Bird Center also has another very short trail on the "road side" of the property (as opposed to the "ocean side"). This trail has no cages for injured or recuperating birds. It was simply a short walk through dense low trees. That may sound boring, but that short walk was sufficient for me to see three different species of warbler in about ten minutes. Even better, because the trees were so low, the warblers were never really very far away.

Seeing a warbler, even when they are not in full breeding plumage, is always a bit exciting to me. Their plumage feels out of the ordinary, and when I first see a flash of yellow or orange, I am immediately drawn to it. Even better, they are a challenge for me to photograph. They are very active birds, so catching one sitting still long enough, close enough, and with a clear enough line of sight can be a rare event. I have no shortage of photographs that are of the spot where a warbler was sitting just a moment ago, or a blurred image of a warbler flying out of frame, or a leaf or stick behind which the warbler is sitting. Patience and diligence will pay off, however, and I will eventually get a photograph that is worth sharing.

In this particular case, my target was a Prairie Warbler. He was not in full view, but it was enough of a view. And he was close. These photos are cropped from their respective originals, but I used my Tamron 28-75mm (at 75mm) instead of my usual Canon 100-400mm long lens.