Observe. Explore. Share.
Having grown up in central Florida and lived in Texas for the last few years, I am used to seeing warblers during migration, not singing on territory like they do here. This means I have quite a steep learning curve trying to learn the songs of local birds. I am making rapid progress, but there is an incredible amount to learn!
Male Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora pinus) - Genung Nature Preserve, Freeville, NY
As a birder, one of my nemesis birds for a long time was the Blue-winged Warbler. I have seen all but one or two species of wood warblers that are found in the eastern half of the country but for a long time, Blue-wingeds avoided me. I finally got my eyes on one at High Island, Texas two years ago but it was just a single bird. When we finally decided to move to Ithaca, I knew that this would give me a chance to not only see Blue-wingeds, but hopefully get some photos as well.
Eastern Newt (Red Eft Stage) (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) - Robert Treman State Park, New York
This past weekend, I was one of four instructors for a Backcountry Photography class offered by Cornell Outdoor Education. We left Friday evening and returned Sunday after spending a couple days hiking and exploring Robert H. Treman State Park and Lick Brook Gorge here in Ithaca.
Attwater's Prairie Chicken less than 24 hours old - Houston Zoo, Texas
As I have mentioned, if it wasn’t for the success of the captive breeding program at zoos across Texas, the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken would be long extinct. Fortunately for us, this bird still can be seen on a couple prairies and the population has been increasing each of the last few years.
Captive Attwater's Prairie Chicken (Tympanachus cupido attwateri) - College Station, Texas
Whenever you are working with an extremely rare species, it is hard to build any expectations about the possibility of actually finding, much less photographing an individual. Fortunately, for the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken, there is a substantial population living in captivity, including a few individuals that were only about 10 minutes from where I lived, so that is where I started.
Captive Attwater's Prairie Chicken (Tympanachus cupido attwateri) - Texas A&M University, Texas
While Lesser Prairie Chickens can be found in substantial numbers across several states, the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is only found on three single prairies in Texas. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands, today there are less than 100 birds remaining in the wild and that population is only sustained through a significant captive breeding and release program.
Lesser Prairie Chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) in a standoff - Milensand, New Mexico
In 2008, when I had the opportunity to spend a week in eastern New Mexico photographing Lesser Prairie Chickens on the lek, I knew I would have an opportunity to capture some great action. After all, there are only so many headshots and portraits of birds dancing you can make, so I decided to focus several days worth of shooting trying to capture the fights on the lek.
Male Lesser Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) Displaying - Milnesand, New Mexico
It’s predawn on the prairies of eastern New Mexico and I sit in my blind listening to the darkness. A slight breeze riffles through the nylon of the blind, but otherwise the prairie is nearly silent. I wait, listening for any sound of dawn. An insect chirps mechanically occasionally in the darkness. As the first hint of dawn begins to seep across the Eastern horizon, I hear the heavy flap of wings as the first prairie chickens arrive to begin their morning displays. Soon, the birds begin to arrive from all directions, flying low across the prairie and landing in an open area, as they do every morning and evening each spring.
I can hear the displays before I can see them, strange noises as the males inflate the balloon-like pouches on the side of their neck and dance furiously trying to attract a female. As they bob their heads calling, it sounds like some weird noise a plastic toy might make, but its far more than a squeak. Something between a coo, a boom, and a whistle. There really is no other display like it.
Lesser Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) - Milnesand, New Mexico
Have you ever seen a bird dance? No? A couple minutes on YouTube will turn up some amazing dancing birds including Birds of Paradise and a manikin that does the moonwalk, but have you ever actually seen a bird dance? Well, you don’t have to travel to the tropics to witness these amazing phenomena. Depending where you live in the United States, it may be in your backyard or fairly close nearby…
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) - Summerhill State Forest, New York
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) - Summerhill State Forest, New York
Like yesterday’s Song Sparrows, many Dark-eyed Juncos hang around the area over the winter and are commonly seen at feeders. They also set up territories and begin singing early in the spring. They breed in forests dominated by conifers but are also seen in mixed woods. I have had them singing in my back yard in the past few weeks, but I was able to photograph this male singing in Summerhill State Forest last week. I have enjoyed photographing these sparrows both this spring and last fall because we don’t get them in central Florida.
Drew Fulton
Photographer, Writer, Explorer, Educator, Tree Climber...
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