Including a very young fledgling being fed.
Yesterday morning was both a blast and an exercise in extreme frustration with Yellow Warblers in the Wasatch Mountains. Three young warblers had very recently fledged but they were mostly buried in their tree so I had a very difficult time getting good looks at them. I micro-maneuvered my pickup multiple times in order to get a “tunnel view” of them through the branches and leaves but the breeze was constantly blowing foreground branches in front of the birds, especially when they were being fed by their parents.
That unfortunate timing was maddening so my cussing repertoire grew by leaps and bounds (and it was quite extensive to begin with).
- Sorry, no image techs this morning. I ran out of time.
I had a pretty good look at this adult male but I wish he’d been just a little closer.
This is the fledgling I spent the most time with – the other 2 rarely showed themselves. This little feller was sampling almost everything in sight to see if it was edible. Often it wasn’t but I did see it pick up and swallow several tiny insects. Just before this shot was taken he had another one in his mouth that he apparently swallowed but we can still see a leftover bit on top of the tongue.
These youngsters were still very young and I suspect they fledged in the last 24 hours. I could see them flitting from branch to branch but they never flew very far – only a few inches. I doubt they were yet capable of sustained flight.
One of the few clear looks I got of any of the fledglings was on this branch.
When it turned around on the perch I had a better view of those still-growing flight feathers.
This begging pose as a parent was flying in with food gives us more evidence of its tender age – the still-featherless “armpits”.
It was so damned frustrating to get fairly good looks at the lone fledglings but always have branches or leaves blowing in front of them or shadows on them whenever an adult came in with a snack. This is one of the best shots I was able to get of a food exchange but there’s still shadows on the fledgling and no catch light in the adult’s eye.
Here we see one of the tiny insects being dropped between the two birds.
The feeding was always very quick. The adult would stuff food into the fledgling’s gaping mouth…
and then it was gone in a flash.
Toward the end of my session with them a male adult came in unusually close for a short serenade.
In addition to the leaves and branches constantly blowing in front of them I’ve rarely been as physically uncomfortable photographing birds as I was with these warblers. Usually when I’ve been uncomfortable in the field it’s been due to extreme cold during winter. But yesterday it was because in order to get a tunnel of sight on the birds through the leaves I had to hold my body above the pickup seat and shoot at awkward angles for extended periods of time. I have sore muscles this morning and I’m sure I know why.
But I shouldn’t complain. Very few humans ever see the intimate details of daily life of these secretive birds like I did through my long lens and I was even able to get some interesting photos documenting their behaviors.
For that I’m grateful.
Ron
Stunning photos, I am especially fond of the last and third to last ones. Well done!
I have watched this in the field but your photos give me a much clearer idea of what I was seeing. Warblers are quick, even the fledglings. The fledglings look much bigger than the adults in your photos, which matches my mental image of what I notice through binoculars.
I agree Pam. What I see through my big lens is ALWAYS more detailed than what I can see with the naked eye. It beats the heck out of binocs too and with photos I have a record I can review and study.
Beautiful. I am missing my quiet birding mornings.
April,I’m seeing reports of massive numbers of horseflies both on the island and at Bear River. Maybe you really don’t want to be here…
Thank you for taking one for the team in getting these incredible images. I hope your back eases off quickly.
Love this series, and suspect the parents HAVE to be quick to shut up the incessant whinging. It really is a stroke of evolutionary genius that youngsters of so many species are incredibly cute. They need to be, if their wants/needs/demands are going to be met.
EC, youngsters of this species don’t make much noise, even when begging. Perhaps they’ve evolved that way to duplicate the secretive nature of all Yellow Warblers. Thank you.
What a delightful series–even with those pesky clipped wings and catch lights in the eyes. As you know, I just love the family/behavioral series. Especially with these little guys, we don’t often get to see their tireless parenting. I’m sure they wore you out just watching them caring for all three of their youngsters. WOW! Makes me mostly glad I never did that in this life!
And I feel for your sore back! Mine is worn out trying to figure out why my email program keeps shutting me off from the outside world. Once again, I think it’s fixed, but we shall see as the day goes on. I’m NOT holding my breath anytime soon!
Sooooo…what’s going on with the raptor folks? Just HAD to ask. 🙂
Laura, not many raptors to shoot right now for some reason. At least not in areas where I’ve been going.
Good luck with your computer woes.
When you find out what the problem is let me know Laura. My email freezes regularly, taking the whole stinking PC with it. It may or may not reboot. Though sometimes other programs cause the same issue. Hiss and spit.
Great timing/coincidence. I was on a birding trip on Saturday and someone pointed out a Yellow Warbler back in the trees. We were close enough to see and hear him, even with my diminished hearing abilities. Great shots; I think the shadows actually enhance these images. Adults are a rare enough sight; kudos for getting shots of them and the fledglings, no less.
Thank you, Lyle. Glad you enjoyed them.
Feeding a nestful of hungry baby birds ALMOST makes being able to fly too high a price to pay…wonderful series! Must be very difficult to capture such great images when you have a miserable back…pretzel poses necessary to get them can’t be comfortable….you’re a real trooper ( and a little nuts!)…
Thanks, Patty. I’ll take only a “little” nuts as a compliment!
It’s so FLUFFY! And as the kids would say, totally squee-worthy.
“Intimate Shots” is the perfect name for your book — with that title, it would fly off the shelves. 😉
Hope you are spending some quality time with your heating pad. Thank you for taking one for the team to get these marvelous shots.
Hmmm, “squee-worthy”. That’s a new one on me, Marty. Maybe my kids were a little behind the times… 🙂 Thank you.
Ron, I’ve had an experience in the last week where doing something I liked that is very important resulted in a week of serious pain. So I completely understand the sore muscles. For my money your sore muscles were definitely worth putting up with. I love that you were able to catch adults feeding fledglings. Despite any flaws in the pictures, they show behavior that I think we’d all like to witness in person. I am especially taken with the shot where the adult is leaving. This series has made my morning. Thank you.
I like that shot a lot too, Susan – despite some obvious flaws.
Once again a nice group of pictures of the little birds. I wonder how many bugs and worms it takes to fill the crop and stomach? You must have been pretty close to the nest with the truck. I am not sure how close the camera lens draws your pictures in. You take care and have a safe and wonderful 4th.
Trudy, I suspect the nest was in the same bush the birds were but if so it’s completely buried and I’ve never seen it.
What a wonderful, intimate portrait of a young family! Thanks for sharing it this morning!
Thank you, Diane.
Nice photos Ron and always interesting to watch adult birds of all types and sizes feeding their young. After all that effort you can take a nap this afternoon and rest up for your next adventure in feathered photography.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett. An afternoon nap is a given!
I’d say you were rewarded with your persistence and perseverance! Now, you might not think you had that much patience, but the final results show you had to have had it. These are some excellent shots in very difficult situations. Great job!
Thank you, Dick. Without patience bird photographers are up that proverbial creek without a paddle!
WONDERFUL! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Always amusing to me how the young look larger than their parents at times….;) Hope you aren’t “paying” for your “contortions” to get the shots! 😉 Yes, these things will expand one’s “vocabulary” 😉 It’s bull snake in the tree season here looking for eggs babies – NOT amusing even if part of it all. 5 in less than a week, none in good shape – a LOT for us in a season. Figure long winter and cold spring has them looking for “easy” food. Yes, for some it’s their last meal……..
Yup, I’m still paying the price but it was worth it, Judy. My bad back didn’t help the situation.
Snakes gotta eat too… 🙂 I wish we had more of them although I do see quite a few gopher snakes (bull snakes) when I’m in the field in northern Utah (although many of them are road kill).
Don’t care for them in the yard as they’re TOO close to the “buzz tails” so they have a “startle factor” Neighbor has all the buzz tails so far this year.
Nope, I wouldn’t want rattlers in my yard either!
Grateful yes…AND so am I! A wonderful series of photos; many thanks for the informative share. You have to feel sorry for these parents…feeding trips all day…and that little one looks bigger than the parent!
I had that same thought while I was photographing them, Kathy – the adults were constantly on the go, catching and delivering insects to 3 youngsters. They wore me out just watching them.
At this stage of development youngsters of many species are larger than their parents.