The oak savanna at the Dane County parcel of Pheasant Branch Conservancy was bustling with bird activity this weekend; it's a veritable outdoor aviary. Many young birds have fledged and their parents are busy feeding them. Male birds continue to defend territories with song and aggressively chase intruders away from their turf.
Indigo Bunting
As we roll into summer, adult birds are beginning to lose some of their spring splendor with worn plumage, but their colors are still pretty dramatic. The songs of Indigo Buntings and Orchard Orioles sounded intact, but Baltimore Oriole voices seemed fragmented and a little less energetic.
Fledged Orchard Oriole
This young Orchard Oriole was enjoying a banquet of crickets and grasshoppers delivered by mom (below). Follow this link for short clip of the feeding action!
Orchard Oriole (female)
Baltimore Oriole
Cedar Waxwing
All of the above bird photographs were digiscoped from one trail location at the conservancy. I was standing in some shade beneath an oak tree ... and just waited. I get quite a few phone calls and emails from people asking me how I'm able to obtain the results I get with digiscoping. There's no secret or trick, really. As with most things, mastery is achieved through patience, dedication, and a lot of practice. I was at this same spot for four hours waiting for any bird to perch within 25 to 35 feet. That's how close you need to be in order to get sharp feather detail. Over an adequate period of time at a "birdy" location, the magic moment will eventually happen. You've got to be ready when it does. The action of pressing down a shutter button is the same no matter what you're taking a photograph of; it's everything before that moment that matters.
Dogbane Leaf Beetle
Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
June 16th & 17th, 2012
64 species
Wood Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
All images © 2012 Mike McDowell