Pic of the Day

Black-and-White Warbler (male), Mniotilta varia; Magee Marsh, Ohio

     Decked out in black and white this is one of my favorite warblers.  The Black-and-White Warbler is a very difficult bird to photograph, for it is always on the move, climbing, circling tree trunks, and hanging upside-down on tree limbs foraging like nuthatches.

     I shot this image after literally chasing the warbler down a boardwalk as it moved from tree to tree gleaning insects and spiders.  The shot shows the position of the bird as I most often saw it, hanging upside down.

     Black-and-Whites breed from the Gulf Coast of the United States to the northern reaches of the Canadian province of the North West Territories.  Their prefered nesting habitat is the wetter areas of broadleaf forest. By late September and early October they will be heading back to their wintering grounds from southern Florida and Mexico to northern South America. 

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/320 sec. @ f.3.5