Pt. Mouillee and LEMP - 20 Nov 2011

I took advantage of the sunny weather this Saturday morning and headed down to Pt. Mouillee and Lake Erie Metropark.

First stop was the corner of Reaume and Roberts Rd. I spent a half-hour or so photographing the American Tree Sparrows from inside the car with the Nikon D300s and 300/2.8 VR II. The birds were a bit skittish, but soon came close enough for some nice captures from 15 feet away.

I was pleasantly surprised when a Fox Sparrow popped out of the phragmites and fed from about 20 feet away. This one had a complete tail, unlike the Fox Sparrow from a week ago that was missing its tail.

An adult White-crowned Sparrow also made an appearance, and seemed to stay near the Fox Sparrow. I managed a few nice captures from about 25 feet away.

The party was soon joined by a pair of Dark-eyed Juncos. First, a lighter-colored female, then a much darker male bird appeared.

Probably the closest bird of the morning was this cooperative Song Sparrow that perched just 5 feet away and allowed me to fire away as it considered my presence.

A pair of circling Red-tailed Hawks caused everyone to scatter, so I took my queue to head over to Lake Erie Metropark.

The trail behind the Marshland Museum was a bit quiet.  White-throated Sparrows were active in the underbrush, but otherwise things were slow.  It was not until I crossed the large boardwalk that I came upon a small flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets foraging in the brush alongside the trail.  I had the Better Beamer on the flash unit, and it helped capture these fleet-footed little critters as they hopped from branch to branch chasing down insects.

A Brown Creeper was among the flock, and was a challenge to photograph as it ducked behind the trunks of trees as it climbed upward looking for insects.  I see so few of these birds lately.  A Tufted Titmouse was another 'rare' bird for me...

As I chased it a Black-capped Chickadee popped out and begged me to take its picture.  I obliged... 

This White-throated Sparrow was one of the few that came out into the open, so I took my opportunity to capture it from about 30 feet away.