I just returned from a trip to Southeastern Arizona. The objective of this adventure was to capture images of as many warbler species as possible. So, what are warblers and why did I go to Arizona to find them?
Warblers are a group of small birds, often very colorful and produce rich musical songs. We are very fortunate because our New World warblers are very different from warblers in other parts of the world. The “New World” refers to the America’s. In other words, our warblers are not found in Europe, Asia or Africa.
We have approximately 120 different species of warbler. Most of these birds are arboreal, which means they live in the trees, many of them inhabit the tops of the trees, making them sometimes very difficult to see. They are insect eaters, so a good supply of bugs is very important to their survival.
Warblers are mostly found in the eastern half of the country where most deciduous forest can be found. So why would I travel to the deserts of Arizona for warblers? High up on mountains in Southeastern Arizona, around 8,000-foot elevation, is a group of warblers that are not found in the eastern half of the country, and it is these birds that I was after.
Each morning, we would get up and drive up into the mountains. It would take 1.5 hours to drive up to the location where the warblers were located. Down in the desert the temperatures where plenty warm but up in the high elevations it was cold most mornings. Since warblers are insect eaters the cold temperatures kept insect activity down which wasn’t helping us.
The forecast each day was for clear skies and sunshine. This is definitely not ideal weather conditions for bird photography. The strong sun casts unpleasant shadows and also creates hot spots in the image, while leaving other parts of the image underexposed. This meant that we needed to capture our images in the early morning light before the sun got too high in the sky. The challenge was to get up to the birds as early as possible, then not waste any time once we located one of the warblers.
Here in the eastern half of the country, I can identify nearly every bird by its song. This makes it much easier when trying to locate a specific species. However, up in the mountains of Arizona, I was at a distinct disadvantage because I didn’t know the songs of the warblers we were trying to see and photograph. This slowed down the process of finding and identifying each species.
The first few days were cold and crisp. This meant the birds were struggling to find enough insects to survive. By day four, the temperatures were slowly rising, and the warblers were able to find more insects. This allowed the warblers to move lower down in the trees and more visible. And that was the break we were looking for.
The last four days we were able to locate and capture a few amazing images of the warblers we were hoping to find. One species in particular was extra gratifying, the Red-faced Warbler. It’s a species that lives in mountain forests from 6,500 to 9,000-foot elevations mainly in northern Mexico and into Arizona and New Mexico. While it took almost a week to track down and capture a few images of this cool bird it was definitely worth it. Until next time…
Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
I have just wrapped up a 9-day northern grouse tour. On this trip I have put over 2,000 miles on my truck in hopes of finding the photographing the four grouse species found in the upper Midwest. These are the Greater Prairie Chicken, the Sharp-tailed Grouse, Spruce Grouse and the Ruffed Grouse.
Grouse are in the order of Galliformes and in the family of Phasianidae. The are commonly referred to as the “Chicken-like birds” because they appear very similar to chickens. This group of birds is found in the Northern Hemisphere and inhabit temperate and subarctic regions. Interestingly, the Turkey is closely allied with grouse but have been excluded and placed in their own family.
Early spring (April and beginning of May) is when all four of these species engage in interesting mating rituals, which usually involves the male performing an elaborate display to attract females and prove that he is physically fit and would make good offspring.
The Greater Prairie Chicken males gather in spring on a traditional performance ground called a lek. The lekking behavior takes place in an area, usually on open ground, and is usually no more than 100 feet across, that is used every spring (historical) where the males gather together and display (dance) as a group to attract females. For Greater Prairie Chickens the lek is sometimes called a “booming ground” because the males give a low frequency sound that some believe sounds like booming. I don’t hear it as a boom, but I understand the sentiment.
Individual males will square off with another male. Both will crouch down and make some clucking sounds. Then one will lunge for the other and a small fight or battle breaks out. Usually, one tries to peck and bite the other. Females walk into the lekking ground to watch the male’s display. When this happens the males often stop fighting and concentrate on displaying. Females are often chased around the lek by eager males, which never amounts to any mating activity.
When male Greater Prairie Chickens display, they lean forward, drooping their wings so they are along their sides, nearly touching the ground. They have prominent long feathers along their neck, called pinnae feathers. They raise these pinnae feathers to reveal an air sack called the gular sac, that is reddish to orange in color. The male inflates the air sack, causing the sack to bulge outwards. The males also have large yellow eye-combs which become enlarged while displaying.
In order to capture images of these birds, we had to arrive in the dark, set up a very small one-person chair blind. Next, we would set up our tripod and camera gear which includes a very large and long lens. The objective is to be far enough away, so the birds have natural behaviors but close enough to be able to capture high quality images. We would wait in the dark for the light to come up and the male grouse would enter the dancing arena one by one. Often, they would run into the lek while others flew. The moment the birds arrive they start to display / dance and give their characteristic calls. The dancing and displaying goes on for 2 to 3 hours. Slowly the individual males would walk off the lek and into the tall grass surrounding the lek. Eventually all the males leave, which allows me to get out of my blind. What an amazing experience to see, hear and document. Until next time…
Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.
I find the variations or diversity in nature to be the special ingredient underpinning the strength of Mother Nature. This was abundantly clear last week when I was in Florida for a very specific variation of the Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger). I was in search of the Sherman’s Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger shermani) that only occurs in a handful of places in Florida and a couple other states.
The Sherman’s Fox Squirrel is a subspecies of the more common and widespread Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger). The Fox Squirrel is the largest of the tree squirrels found in North America. They measure 20 to 30 inches from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail and weigh in at around 2-3 pounds.
Fox squirrels are found throughout the eastern half of the United States, but there are several subspecies of this squirrel, and I was in Florida in search of the Sherman’s subspecies. This large and unusual looking squirrel requires stands of Longleaf Pine trees that has a scattering of oaks. This squirrel feeds on pine and oak seeds, so they are highly tied to a specific habitat.
This squirrel feeds on pine and oak seeds, so they are highly tied to a specific habitat.
Just the overall appearance of this squirrel makes it worth going out of your way to see it. It has a black head, forelegs and back. It has bright white ears and tip of nose making them stand out on the black head. The belly is tan to cream color, and it has a huge fuzzy tail that can be black to silver.
Of course, in order to find one of these super shy and secretive squirrels, I did a lot of internet searches to learn of possible locations where I could find and photograph one. After sitting up late into the night, I made a list of possible locations. In the morning, I started making some calls. Most of the places were state and county parks. I called all of them. Only one had staff that picked up the phone. They told me yes, they have a couple of these squirrels. I dropped the phone and started driving. Upon arrival, I was given a map and location. It was a five-mile hike out to the location, so I packed up water, snacks, and camera gear and headed out. When I arrived in the area, I could see evidence of a Sherman’s Fox Squirrel eating the large cones produced by the Longleaf Pine trees but no squirrels. I was exhausted by the time I got back to my truck. The search continued.
While driving through central Florida I stopped at another state park that had the right habitat. I drove in and talked to the staff who basically laughed in my face and said “good luck buddy” they are hard to find and super shy. The same thing happened at the next several parks that I stopped at.
Next, I drove 1.5 hours south to a natural preserve that someone on Facebook had posted seeing one there. Upon arrival, the habitat wasn’t right. I drove down the road a little further and saw someone in their driveway. I risked it and drove onto their property. The homeowner wasn’t too pleased to see me. He said we don’t get many people out in the country. I inquired about the squirrels, and he said he had never seen one in the area. I was off again.
I made a couple more phone calls and sent a few text messages to friends who know wildlife well and live in Florida. I got a few replies but no solid leads. The search continued like this for 3 days. Just when I got a promising lead, it never panned out. It was getting very frustrating, and I was beginning to think I wouldn’t be able to find one.
A friend who was born and raised in Florida knew of the species and said the only place he had ever seen one was along a very rural road in the middle of nowhere. I had run out of leads and thought it was worth a try. One morning around 10 am I rolled up in the general area that my friend told me about. I had little to no hope of seeing one when all of a sudden, I saw one about 50 feet off the road heading towards a fence.
I pulled the truck over and got out. I was able to grab a few images of the fleeing squirrel. It sat on the fence long enough to capture a few more. It jumped to a tree allowing for a couple more images. I came back a couple times over the next couple days and managed to capture a few more images. It was amazing. Until next time…
Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.