Pic of the Day

Tennessee Warbler, Leiothlypis peregrina:  Magee Marsh, Ohio

                                   Warbling Vireo, Vireo gilvus:  Magee Marsh, Ohio

     With its gray cap, green back and slender bill the Tennessee Warbler is quite a dapper fellow in the tree tops during migration.  This spring I saw an abundance of Tennessee Warblers at Magee Marsh where they stopped to refuel before heading on to their boreal forest breeding grounds. 

     Many people were confusing the Warbling Vireo with this handsome fellow.  Though some may think they look similar, they do look quite different as these two photos show.  The Tennessee has that sleek thin beak where the Warbling Vireo as a stout hooked beek.  The dark eyeline and green back of the Tennessee is also absent in the vireo.

     They are not just different in appearance, but very different in behavior as well.  The Warbling Vireo methodically moves from branch to branch with a fairly  consistent foraging speed, the Tennessee Warbler on the other hand, moves like lighting in comparison.  This behavior easily separates the two species.

     Of course, I love photographing both, and though I have just returned from Magee Marsh I am already dreaming of next spring.  But in the mean time, I’ll prepare to photograph these lovely jewels on their return migration in the fall. 

Top photo: Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/320 sec. @ f/6.3

Bottom photo: Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/640 sec. @ f/8