Kirtland’s Warbler on Jack Pine – Grayling, Michigan: After flying from the Bahamas this fellow went right to work establishing a nesting territory among the Jack Pines in the upper part of lower Michigan.
Jack Pine Warbler, is another name for the Kirtland’s, as the Jack Pine ecosystem is the only habitat this bird uses to nest. The bird is a ground nester and prefers trees that are about 4 to 20 feet in height to nest under. This bird was in perfect Kirtland’s habitat with trees 8 to 12 years old and 4 to 10 feet tall.
The nesting grounds of the Kirtland’s is closed to the public so I had to take the tour to have any hope of getting shots of the bird on it’s nesting ground. This is the fourth time I have driven to Graying to see the bird and this time was the first encounter that left me with some nice photos of the bird. After shooting a male singing in a deciduous tree I came across this bird singing while perched in a Jack Pine. This bird put on quite a show and gave me the opportunity to shoot a lot of images. I went on the tour 3 more mornings, but none gave me better shots. I’ll post a few more Kirtland’s over the next few days. Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1,600 sec. @ f5
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