Geneva Wilderness Area, 9/20/2012

Tufted Titmouse

This morning I was going to do some work in Oviedo, so I thought I'd drop by Geneva Wilderness Area before work.  I had noticed that birding data between July and October is pretty much non existent during this time, and I wanted to get a sense for what may be found there.  I wasn't expecting much, figuring that Geneva might not be visited too much during this time for a reason.

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Initially things were slow, seeing only White-eyed Vireos and Eastern Bluebirds.  But when I arrived at the chapel and ponds area, things began to change.  I was hoping to find shorebirds or something interesting by the shores of the ponds, but they were empty except for a few Wood Ducks.  However, I began to hear activity all around me, mostly coming from Tufted Titmice and then from Brown-headed Nuthatches.  It seemed like the titmice and nuthatches worked up all the other birds in the area into a frenzy, and birds were everywhere.  I saw or heard Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Eastern Towhees, Carolina Wrens, White-eyed Vireos, Pine Warblers, Northern Parulas, a Common Yellowthroat, Northern Cardinals, Brown Thrashers, Downy Woodpeckers, a Northern Flicker, and a couple Pileated Woodpeckers.  I know I missed some of what was there, and the frenetic activity was still going on when I had to turn around and leave.  I didn't find anything new, but I suspect I only scratched the surface of what can be found there, and you can bet I'll be returning soon.

Northern Cardinal

Pileated Woodpecker

I find Tufted Titmice difficult to photograph.  They are seemingly everywhere, but they also rarely come out where I can get a nice clean background behind them.  I always find them up in trees surrounded by leaves.  Finally today a couple of them came out and landed where I could get a clean background.

Tufted Titmouse

I suppose I pushed my 7D a little too far on this photo of a Common Yellowthroat.  I shot this at ISO 1250 to get a shutter speed fast enough for a sharp photo.  But since the warbler was so far away I had to crop more, and the image looks more grainy than my Ovenbird photos looked at ISO 2500. But I still think it's fun to take pictures at ISOs I wouldn't have dared try with my 50D.

Common Yellowthroat