Blue Grosbeak @ DRIWR - 14 May 2021
I've made a half-dozen trips to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge since the beginning of May, and each time I've had nice encounters with the migrant passerines. This evening was no different. But it was especially nice since I've struck out the past four times trying to locate the Blue Grosbeak that has been frequenting the short-loop area of the refuge the past several weeks.
With my back to the outdoor education center I scanned the dead trees and grassy field that has been home for this State Rarity since it was first reported on May 4th. The refuge was relatively quiet with only the sounds of House Wrens, Red-winged Blackbirds, and the loud chattering of several Baltimore Orioles high in the treetops. As I watched them I spotted several Nashville Warblers and Palm Warblers. Then, a dark blue bird flew softly across the field and landed high in the trees overhead. Blue Grosbeak!
I spent the next half-hour craning my neck to get photos of it as it sat softly in foliage that was partially-to-fully backlit by the late afternoon sun. Luckily, the male bird eventually moved to lower branches and better lighting that allowed me to finally get some nice images with the Sony a1 and 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 + 1.4TC.
Switching the camera to APS-C mode gave me an additional 1.5X crop for an effective focal length of 1260mm. Hand-held. High ISO, fast shutter speeds and 30 fps was more than enough to get all the sharp frames I needed.
The grosbeak continued on his way and disappeared into the canopy. As I walked back to the car I couldn't help appreciate the great birds this refuge has hosted in 2021 alone.
Detroit River IWR--Refuge Gateway (Humbug Marsh), Wayne, Michigan, US
May 14, 2021 5:00 PM - 5:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.4 mile(s)
6 species
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 2 Pair singing next to short trail behind Visitor Center.
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 3
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 3
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) 2
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) 2
Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) 1 Continuing. Large blue finch with rusty wing bars. Short trail behind visitor center
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
