Outdoor Ontario
Photography => Ontario Birds => Topic started by: Shortsighted on October 13, 2023, 01:03:21 PM
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This morning (not early) I returned to the Rouge field that wasn't, only to discover that it was dead quiet. What a difference a day makes. I guess maybe the wind changed direction from NW to NE overnight and that was all it took. I then decided to visit Staines Pond because it isn't very far away. The pond itself was hosting ... you guessed it ... Canada geese. The only other birds that made an appearance during the short interval that I was there included: Palm warbler x 1, a few robins, a few House sparrows, one cardinal, an Eastern phoebe, and a Ruby-crowned kinglet. A group of Common crows flew over and sneered. I saw the kinglet almost immediately upon arrival and got off a shot. The phoebe was shot on the return walk when the sun was behind me. Both shots were taken (still with my geriatric Canon T4i) and with my 300mm f4 coupled to a 1.4x TC.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Outdoor-Ontarioorg/i-BZX9g9s/0/1c4a0e7f/L/RCK%2CS%2Ccrop-L.png) (https://steinphotography.smugmug.com/Outdoor-Ontarioorg/i-BZX9g9s/A)
Ruby-crowned kinglet
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Outdoor-Ontarioorg/i-rgf2wj6/0/20465774/L/Phoebe%2Clone%20perch%2CS%2Ccrop-L.png) (https://steinphotography.smugmug.com/Outdoor-Ontarioorg/i-rgf2wj6/A)
Eastern phoebe
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Very cute small birds. Wonder how you could spot them!
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Eyes and ears. Upon arriving at a site I take a few tentative steps into/onto it and stop. I scan for movement of any kind ... birds already spooked and therefore in flight, twitching of leaves that is too severe, or too isolated to be attributed to the wind, and I listen for sounds. Some birds barely make a noise. Staines pond is next to a busy street so there is a lot of city racket to contend with, especially trucks and motorcycles. When I do proceed I may only walk a few meters before stopping and look and listen again. Rinse and repeat. Animals proceed in increments while humans give away their species by trudging along like they're part of a parade, without stopping.