Thank Ceiling Cat that four or five readers came through with photos and promises of sending some imminently. We’re safe for a while!
Today’s batch of bird photos comes from Paul Edelman of Vanderbilt University. His notes and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
Birding in Tennessee during the summer can be hard work. It’s hot, humid and often rainy. And the pickings can be slim. Nevertheless there are a number of interesting birds that summer here and occasionally I can photograph them through the sweat dripping down my brow. All of these photos are taken recently in local parks–Radnor Lake, Shelby Bottoms and Bell’s Bend–using my trusty Nikon D500 and Nikkor 500mm f5.6 lens.
The two most common warblers I see are the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) and the Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor). The Prairie Warblers are usually out on branches and twigs, but the Yellowthroats tend to hide in low brush where they are more easily heard than seen. This one was more accommodating than most.
Common Yellowthroat:
Prairie Warbler:
In the open areas I see Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) and large numbers of Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) singing from the tops of bushes. Higher in the trees the occasional Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) will come out of hiding. Also up in the trees are Orchard Orioles (Icterus spurius) and Scarlet Tanagers (Piranga olivaceaI).
Yellow-breasted Chat:
Indigo Bunting:
Yellow-billed Cuckoo:
Orchard oriole:
Scarlet Tanager:
Around the lakes I see Green Heron (Butorides virescens) and deep in the woods are the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) strutting their stuff.
Green Heron:
Wild Turkey:
One final note: in a bit of self-promotion, I have posted these and many other bird photos on my web site: pauledelman.smugmug.com to which your readers are invited. Comments welcome!
Thanks for those great photos of beautiful and (in some cases) elusive birds! The Chat is magnificent.
These are so appreciated by me and gorgeous!
Really nice photos! Difficult to get a good look at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Those are good! There are also many species that are highly sought by birders as well.
Beautiful photos of beautiful birds! I’ve seen wild turkeys on a few occasions, and it always feels to me that there must be some mistake, a glitch in the Matrix or some such…but then I remember that turkeys ARE native to North America.
….Although not to the western US, where they were introduced for sport hunting and are now taking over entire suburbs 🙂
Wow, I had no idea.
Thank you for this gorgeous collection, Paul. The Indigo Bunting is one of my all-time favourite birds.
Thanks to the other contributors as well, since I don’t manage to comment everyday.
+1, except that I haven’t seen an indigo bunting before – what beautiful and vivid colouring! Thanks!
Beautiful collection, well done. We (Berkeley’Albany, CA) are overrun by wild turkeys, stop traffic, etc
It might be hot and uncomfortable, but from where I’m sitting, very much worth it. Some stunning shots here of beautiful birds. Love that green heron action!