Cool Birds of Spring

Gray Catbird

The best time of the year to photograph birds is during the migration periods which occur in the spring in Northern Illinois.  The birds breed during this time period then move up north to Canada and beyond.  There are species who nest for a short period of time and some just passing through.

My equipment is simple, a Sigma 150-600 zoom lens attached to a full frame D610 DSLR mounted on a mono pod. Trying to steady and focus this camera and lens combination by hand can be difficult to do and tiring. The mono pod is easier to control than a tripod and easier to carry when walking through fields and woods.  Some days are better than others.  Low wind speeds and partly cloudy or light overcast skies are ideal lighting conditions for capturing birds. 

The Gray Catbird above was a surprise to find since I never saw one before. The Catbird can be detected by its down slurred mew call, reminiscent of a cat’s meow. A chunky, medium-size bird, no other North American bird has a uniform dark gray plumage. Sexes are similar. Body entirely dark gray, with black cap, black tail, and chestnut under tail coverts.  I found this bird on a tree branch but are usually found in leafy thickets along the edges of woods and streams, shrubby swamps, overgrown brush fields, and hedges in gardens. When Brown-headed Cowbirds lay eggs in nests of this species, the cowbird eggs are usually punctured and ejected by the adult Catbirds.  Ref: http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/gray-catbird

Wood Thrush

The Wood Thrush was another surprise.  I was on a back trail through the woods near the Du Page River.  Wood Thrush like deciduous forests with tall trees; more abundant in damp forest and near streams. What is sad is Cowbirds lay many eggs in their nests, so the thrushes raise mainly cowbirds with only a few of their own.  Ref:  http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wood-thrush   Thus, declining numbers. Yep! Getting hard to find. This reclusive bird's cinnamon brown upperparts are good camouflage as it scrambles for leaf-litter invertebrates deep in the forest, though it pops upright frequently to peer about, revealing a boldly spotted white breast.  Ref: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Thrush/id

Spotted Sandpiper

Walking along stone pavers on the shoreline of the Du Page River at the Churchill Forest Preserves there was a small bird drinking water on the stone.  The Spotted Sandpiper is a migratory bird.  Their breeding habitat is near fresh water across most of Canada and the United States. They migrate to the southern United States and South America, and are very rare vagrants to Western Europe. These are not gregarious birds and are seldom seen in flocks.  Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_sandpiper

Of course, looking for birds along the river you will also find the usual suspects, geese and ducks!