Saturday, May 21, 2011

Do You Dare Leave Your Camera Behind?

  I took part in a local field trip last weekend with a small group of birders. We started out at a place called Great Pond Preserve in Glastonbury. It has lots of old cedars and a ravine that leads down to a glacial pond. We were literally running away from swarms of mosquitoes and the birds stayed well hidden so we didn't waste much time there.
We had better luck at the next location which was a power line area in Portland. There were lots of Prarie Warblers there. It took a while before we were able to get good looks at them but we had a couple of instances when one landed just a few feet from us right out in the open. One of the birders in our group had never seen warblers before so that added some excitement.

 After leaving that area, we went a short way up the road to the reservoir area.We had lots of interesting birds there including an Osprey, a nice look at a Yellow-throated Vireo and several species of warbler.The bird of the day for us was the Canada Warbler. You don't see them around here as often as other warblers.We saw two at eye level. They were flying from one side of a path to the other near the edge of a metal gate. Awesome view!

  I had decided not to bring my camera with me because it detracts from my concentration while trying to help lead a trip. I wish that I had the picture to show you but then again I doubt it would be nearly as good as what I saw. Another thing is that I would have been staring at it through an electronic view finder and wouldn't have had such a great  view of it. All I have to show for the trip was these Least Sandpipers that we saw at the fairgrounds at the very end. I had to wiz though this post in 5 minutes because I'm off on a little adventure. 

6 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Sounds like a great birding outing. The Canada Warbler is a beautiful bird. Love the Sandpiper photo.

Hilke Breder said...

It's always a tough decision wether to see the bird or photograph it. Most of the time you can't do both, especially not with the warblers where you only get one chance! I usually go for the photo, so that I can study and identify the bird at leisure. And I love the challenge of getting a good picture.

FAB said...

... rarely ever. Watching wildlife for me comes first (most of the time) and then I kick myself for not having the camera ready ... and the moment is gone but like you Larry I still have the memory.

Ruth said...

I also find a camera very distracting and I actually enjoy birding more without them. But then you seem to get the best photo ops when you are not prepared. Digital cameras have changed birding for sure.

Lana Gramlich said...

Lovely shots. I have to admit that I go NOWHERE without my cameras anymore. I've missed too many great opportunities that way. However, I can see your point. If you're leading a group or some such, that would need to be taken into account.

Unknown said...

I don't enjoy birding without a camera - I don't even count new species unless I get a decent photo. I guess I'm more of an amateur photographer then a fledgeling birder!