The Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island on Coastal Massachusetts is, by far, one of my favorite places to bird. It can be especially fun during migration time, when a lot of birds will stop by on their way one direction or the other. This time of year, we get many warblers, but often other surprises will pop up as well. Take, for example, this Merlin, which was looking around on the side of the road:
A note: all these photos are clickable, leading to larger versions of the images and/or details about camera type, lens type, settings, etc.
The photos below were all taken at Parker River in May, ranging from 2006 through 2009. Camera type varies, as does the lens types, though many were taken with a sigma 50-500mm. All the rest were taken with a Tokina 100-400 low-end zoom lens, but one that sometimes does the trick quite well, such as with this photo of a black-throated green warbler...
...these of a pair of Wilson's phalaropes...
...and this pair of blue-winged teal:
But the real gem for me is the Sigma 50-500mm. Combined with a Pentax K10d or K20d (I usually use the K20d, but Friday morning I dropped it, so I'm on the K10d until I can get it replaced or repaired), it can take some amazing photos, such as this (extremely small) Ruby-crowned kinglet:
Or this even smaller golden-crowned kinglet:
It can even capture this American woodcock on her nest...
...this black and white warbler...
Or this black-throated blue...
But even the K10d has its real strengths though. I wasn't sure I'd get anything decent going to the Island yesterday without the K20d, but then I remembered how I managed to fairly well with the K10 before, and made the best of it.
It worked out well. I managed to get this fairly distant shot of a Northern Shoveler:
These of scarlet tanagers:
These gadwalls:
This chestnut-sided warbler:
This magnolia warbler:
These yellow warblers:
This song sparrow:
These amazing looks at a Northern Parula:
This chickadee with a moth in its beak:
This red-eyed vireo:
This ovenbird:
This common yellowthroat:
These blue-headed vireos:
This distant look at a blackburnian warbler:
And my favorite thing of the day, a bay-breasted warbler: first I've ever seen of one:
All in all, even with just the backup camera, yesterday was a pretty good day.
As usual, feel free to treat this as an open birds/birding thread.