Interesting Hummingbird Behavior

This young Ruby-Throated Hummingbird male was guarding his territory, when a young female decided to perch on one of his favorite snags. He quickly flew in and grasped her beak with his foot….snatching her off of the perch. That’ll teach her!

Dayton Dragons at KOA

The Dayton KOA campground has a small fishing pond which turned out to be a great spot for photographing dragonflies…..including the Eastern Amberwing playing peek-a-boo with his shadow….

Hummers

Late summer is my favorite time for hummingbird photography. Cicadia, crickets and katydids provide a lovely background for the buzz of the hummers’ wings.
A Ruby-Throated male has been around our Trumpet vines all summer, and he’s sooooo territorial. I was trying to photograph a female, but each time one came near my setup, he headed her off and sent her packing!

Colorful Birds

I was able to spend a short time at George Rogers Clark Park….was able to see Northern Parula, Blue Headed Vireo, and Indigo Bunting.

Magee Warblers

We made our annual visit to the Magee Marsh/Crane Creek area just east of Toledo last week. As usual, the boardwalks were often packed, and birders and bird photographers lined up to see the spring migration along the Lake Erie shoreline.
Although the predicted fallout never materialized, there were still plenty of birds to go around and fill up memory cards.
This year, I spent a good deal of time photographing from the observation deck at the boardwalk main entrance. Not only did it help to lessen the impact of the crowds, but the backgrounds are cleaner and the light better.
I’ll be posting some of my favorite shots, including this American Redstart: