 |
| Common Yellowthroat Warbler, Geothlypis trichas |
 |
| Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia |
Common Yellowthroat Warbler, Geothlypis trichas (Top), and Song Sparrow,
Melospiza melodia (bottom) – Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, Montana: The common yellowthroat warbler is
without a doubt the most wide-ranging warbler in North America. I have encountered the common
yellowthroat from Florida to Alaska, and from California to New Brunswick. I have
never noticed a difference in the appearance of this species.
The song sparrow on the other hand is a species whose range is almost as extensive as that of the common yellowthroat warbler. But, the song sparrow
varies greatly in color across its range and is divided into 39 distinct
races.
Both species inhabit similar habitat, so, it is not surprising that I
found this common yellowthroat and song sparrow sharing the same patch of
cattails in Metcalf NWR, just outside of Stevenville, Montana.
To photograph these birds I used a technique called “pishing.” Using my van as a blind, I pulled along
side a patch of cattails that looked perfect for the warbler. Once I stopped I readied my camera
through the open window of the van and began making a, PISHing sound. Pishing is a real art, which
yellowthroats, song sparrows and many other species excitedly respond. The more I pished, the more interested
the warbler was, and it was soon joined by an equally inquisitive song
sparrow. Both birds searched the
cattails close to my van looking for the source of the sounds.
In this case the yellowthroat was the first to respond, then the song
sparrow. Though I was targeting yellowthroats, I was more than happy to get the
song sparrow as well. Both birds
put on quite a show, providing great poses for frame filling shots.
Common Yellowthroat: Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/500
sec. @ f8, Handheld on beanbag.
No comments:
Post a Comment