And just like that, we’re heading back into Spring. New growth, the return of old favourite birds and now, having moved home last year, possibly the chance to see some that I haven’t come across before. Where we used to live, in the urban sprawl that is Brampton, Ontario, there were actually some wonderful parks, trails and green spaces, especially following the Etobicoke Creek trail, where the migrating and returning warblers used to gather. In May it became Warbler Central, a feast of colours and song just waiting to be photographed.
This year we’re further east, so I don’t yet know what I’m going to find during the Spring migration. However, being close to Prequ’ile Provincial Park and Prince Edward County is likely to yield some interesting sightings. Already we’ve seen Pileated Woodpeckers, many garden finches at the feeders as well as a wide variety of waterfowl on the Bay of Quinte.
This year, as well as the Fuji 100-400mm lens on my X-T3, I’ll also be using a Sigma Contemporary 150-600mm on a used Nikon D7200 I picked up towards the end of 2021. The extra reach on the Sigma added to the Nikon’s crop sensor will just allow me to get that little bit closer to the shot. I have a cross-strap for carrying the Nikon/Sigma combo otherwise my back complains to me for days afterwards!
There have already been a few interesting sightings. A group of Yellow-Rumped warblers have returned to Prequ’ile and an osprey has returned to Centennial Park in Trenton, despite the best efforts of the city to prevent it nesting in the same spot as last year.
May is coming soon, and with it, hopefully, more species. 2020 was a great year for warblers, if not much else, so here’s hoping for something approaching that this year.
Chris McPhee - Photographer 