Pic of the Day

Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris: Benton Lake NWR; Great Falls, Montana

     I took so many photos of this Marsh Wren I just had to post a few more.  In a previous post (see June 18, 2014), I had an image of the wren plucking the downy cattail fibers from the stalk.  Here, the wren alighted on the stalk and the wind blew some of the loose fibers off the stalk.  I love the feel of this image with the fibers blowing in the wind.

Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris

     One thing a male Marsh Wren loves to do is sing his territorial song; and in this shot the wren landed on the stalk and began to sing.  I was happy to get a shot as the wren turned his head to me as he sang.  On all the profile shots I have taken of singing birds, I have never been able to get the wrens tongue. With this shot I could have done a tonsillectomy!

Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris

     This last image shows a pose that I really love to see when I am photographing this noisy little bird.  I shot the image just after it had delivered a load of cattail down to its nest.  After every delivery it seemed to fly to a specific perch, sing, and then hop to this perch with one foot on one reed, and the other foot on another.  Most of the time the wren would move to this spot, sing a few notes, then quickly move on.  When I got this shot the little wren flew to the spot, got in this classic pose and sang for about five seconds, turning its head all the while, giving me a chance to get this image.

Top:  Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1250 sec. @ 7.1

Center:  Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1600 sec. @ 7.1

Bottom:  Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/800 sec. @ 7.1

Pic of the Day

  

 Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris: Benton Lake NWR; Great Falls, Montana

 This Marsh Wren was building a nest in a reed bed right along the wildlife drive.  I used my van as a blind and parked about a dozen feet from the nest.  The wren was busy flying to cattail stalks to gather the downy fibers to line its nest.  After taking the fiber into the nest, the wren would then ascend to a reed top and sing his territorial call.  He was still working an hour later after I left.  This is just one of the hundreds of images I took.  In this shot the wren is gathering fiber from the cattail only ten feet away.  The Stalk was almost full when he started.  He came to this stalk about a dozen times while I was there.  These vociferous little birds are among my favorite in the marsh. 

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/2000 @ f7.1, Window Mount used on van window   

Pic of the Day

Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris: Ouray National Wildlife Refuge

   On my trip west this year I stopped at Ouray National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Utah.  Ouray is quite out of the way, but well worth the effort to reach.  Ouray, like most wildlife refuges were created to host wintering and migrating waterfowl, but many species migrate through and nest on the refuge.

     I shot this marsh wren in early June.  Spring arrived a little late in Utah this year, and this fellow was just beginning to nest.  He proudly flew among his favorite perches singing his territorial song.  I parked my van near one of the marsh wren’s perches which allowed me to get these shots as he sang his heart out. 

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500 f4

Top image:  1/1250th second @ f7.1

Bottom image:  1/1600th Second @ f7.1

Pic of the Day

   Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris – Lee Metcalf NWR; Stevensville, Montana:  I hit Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge at just the right time.  Breeding season was underway and marsh wrens were busily building nests and defending territories.  On my second morning at the refuge I was on location at sunrise and ready to shoot.  Shortly after the sun had risen, a male marsh wren climbed to the tops of reeds and began singing their hearts out.  

     But not all the wrens were singing, many were gathering nest material.  Male marsh wrens build multiple nests within their territory and leave it to the female to choose the nest she likes.  As I watched one male singing from a reed, another flew to a cattail within a dozen feet of me.  Without even thinking I framed the wren in my viewfinder and started shooting.  I was surprised at the wrens fearlessness, and when I reviewed the images I was even more surprised that I had captured it gathering nesting material.  The  bit of cattail down in the wrens beak gave the image just the spark it needed.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1,250sec @ 7.1

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/500sec. @ f8

Recently Published Work

    My latest Birding Escape in Living Bird magazine (the flagship publication of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) is out.  The article is on Audubon National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota.  You can check out Living Bird and subscribe at:  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=1085

Pic of the Day

      Marsh Wren – Bear River NWR, Utah:  Driving along one of the many cattail marshes in Bear River NWR, I found this Marsh Wren atop a reed singing its territorial song.  As I watched the wren it moved among its favorite perches within its territory.  I positioned my van by one of its favorite perches near the road and used the van as a blind.   Not long after parking and zeroing in on the perch, the wren soon made its appearance.  Climbing to the top of the reed the Marsh Wren raised it head, opened it beak, and broadcast its call across the marsh, which was promptly answered by another wren nearby.  It territorial proclamation gave me the opportunity to shoot this image, and many more.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4 VRII, 1/1000 Second @ f7.1, ISO 200