Summary
In early May, Anke Frohlich and artie spent three mornings photographing warblers (and other migrant songbirds) at the water feature near the southwest corner of the South Padre Island Convention Center on the South Texas coast. Both used the Sony 600mm f/4 lens, artie always with the 1.4X TC. Anke always used the lens bare. Artie always used APS-C crop mode for the warblers while Anke used it only rarely. Anke used only Manual mode while artie went with Shutter Priority with AUTO ISO and EC. Despite the fact that they did things differently, both came up with some excellent images of the very small, usually very fast moving subjects.
Tip
Keep your eyes moving and be ready to act very quickly once you spot a decent situation; warblers rarely sit still for very long!
Your Call?
Which of Anke’s three images do you like best? Which of artie’s three images do you like best? Why for each?
My Call
Thanks for the many comments at the last blog post, I Knew I Should Have Stayed Home. But … . Everyone liked one of the two cell phone images best. My top pick was Image #3, American Oystercatcher footprints on dune. Carrying your cell phone in the field assures that you will always have a wide angle lens with you. Just try not to lose it and remember that it makes a great rainbow lens!
What’s Up?
I had my stitches out on Friday morning and all is looking good. Dr. Puopolo explained to me that I need to stretch the problematic tendon in my right ring finger as it had shortened as a result of the trigger. And then stretch it some more 🙂 So that is what I have been doing. On Friday afternoon I headed to Nickerson with a good forecast — sunny with WSW winds at 15-20mph. Instead, the wind was from the south with barely a rough of west. With the sun going down well north of west, that had the birds angling slightly away from me when I arrived with the situation getting worse by the minute. None-the-less, a south wind is way better than an east wind. I worked hard and made some really good images that I will share here in about a week or so.
Despite the referees best efforts to hand the game to the San Antonia Spurs, the Knicks prevailed in Game 2 and are headed back to Madison Square Garden on Sunday night up 2 games to zero. In a similar fashion, the refs made a horrific no goal call against the Las Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals thus gift-wrapping the game for the Carolina Hurricanes. Hall of Famer Mark Messier could not believe the goalie interference call.
Today is Sunday 7 June 2026 — only one week till 80! Based on the current weather forecasts, I will likely be heading back out to Nickerson on Sunday afternoon (sunny with a WNW wind!) and then again Monday morning (sunny with a NE breeze). I will be flying back to Orlando midweek. I hope that you too choose to have fun and enjoy life. Please remember that happiness is a choice — Byron Katie, The Work.Com
If an item — a Delkin flash card or reader, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, or a Wimberley lens plate or low foot — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match or beat any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedford by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BirdPhotographer’s.Net, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
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This image was created on 3 May 2026 by yours truly at the Convention Center on South Padre Island, TX. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera in APS-C crop mode. The exposure was determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb wheel. Multi Metering -1.0 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 5000: 1/500 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 9:23:32am in the shade on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #1: Townsend’s Warbler female bathing |
Early Frustration
Anke and I chased this rare bird around at the Convention Center grounds for two days as it fed high in the trees. She got a few decent ones; I got nothing. We discovered that the water feature had been cleaned up on the afternoon of 2 May. Realizing the potential, we headed straight there the next morning. I shot for less than 30 minutes before realizing that the 600mm f/4 on the tripod was the way to go. So, back to the car I headed. And then quickly added the 1.4X TC. We were blessed for the next three days as many lingering migrants including the two rarities shared here today kept showing up.
Townsend’s Warbler is primarily a western species.
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This image was created on 4 May 2026 by yours truly at the Convention Center on South Padre Island, TX. Standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera in APS-C Crop Mode. The exposure was determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb wheel. Multi Metering -1.0 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 4000: 1/250 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 9:39:39am in the shade on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #2: Magnolia Warbler male hunting bugs |
Why Shutter Priority?
A Rehash/Review
Lighting conditions at the water feature can vary dramatically from deep shade to bright sun. I realized immediately that for me, working in Shutter Priority Mode with AUTO ISO and Exposure Compensation (EC) on the Thumb Dial would be faster by a mile than working in Manual mode. Why? Because once I selected a workable shutter speed, the only thing I needed to adjust was the EC. And Sony’s Zebra technology always made it easy to get to the right neighborhood in what can only be described as difficult conditions for making perfect exposures. Note that with the very dark backgrounds I wound up under-exposing the subjects a bit so that I did not toast any of the highlights.
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This image was created on 5 May 2026 by Anke Frohlich at the South Padre Island Convention Center. Standing at full height, she used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera in full frame mode. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb wheel. ISO 3200: 1/250 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:47:29am in the shade. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #3: Northern Parula male
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Boxy Crops
I am generally not a huge fan of boxy crops for bird photography. But I must admit that all three of Anke’s images today are beautifully designed and balanced.
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This image was also created on 5 May 2026 by Anke Frohlich at the South Padre Island Convention Center. Again, standing at full height, she used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera in APS-C crop mode. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb wheel. ISO 3200: 1/320 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:58:17am in the shade. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #4: Blackburnian Warbler male
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Low Down Blackburnian
This strikingly handsome species spends most of its time feeding atop tall trees. The male visited the water feature only once during our three day sojourn there but we both came away with a few good ones. Please remember that even after the volunteer groundskeepers did a bit of cleanup, the water feature was terribly cluttered with very few clean perches. We worked very hard for about 12 hours over the course of the three mornings as there a good deal of action (usually in spurts) and a good deal of shade.
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This image was also created on 5 May 2026 by Anke Frohlich at the South Padre Island Convention Center. Again, standing at full height, she used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera in full frame mode. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb wheel. ISO 3200: 1/320 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:09:55am in the shade. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #5: MacGillivray’s Warbler female on rock in stream
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Another Western Rarity
This female MacGillivray’s Warbler was a life bird for both of us, a new species that we had never seen before. They are real skulkers and spend most of the time foraging in the dark in dense brush. When it landed on the rock in the stream for about 1/2 second, I missed the shot. Anke did not. See more of fine her work on her website here or here on Instagram.
MacGillivray’s is separated from the very similar Mourning Warbler by the broken eye crescents.
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This image was also created on 5 May 2026. This one by yours truly at the Convention Center on South Padre Island, TX. Standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera in APS-C Crop Mode. The exposure was determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb wheel. Multi Metering -0.7 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 6400: 1/250 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 8:47:44am in the shade on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #6: Tennessee Warbler ruffling after bath |
Lucky On This One
Nearly all of the warblers that came in to bathe would fly well off into dark cover to ruffle and preen. This one was very most cooperative as it landed nearby on a relatively clean perch.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
The settings for warblers are usually challenging and the backgrounds are frequently cluttered. The colors and “pop” of the Blackburnian warbler is nice although the head is turned a bit too much towards the viewer and the tail is lost in the background. The MacGillivray’s is a beauty although I would have preferred a bit more DOF and the background, particularly the left side (right side of the bird) is quite distracting. The Parula is particularly nice too, although the background detracts from the image. She might be able to tone down the neon greens in the background. If I had to pick one, it would be the Parula with the background of the Blackburnian. Your Tennessee warbler is super too!
Disagree, disagree, and disagree. Not to mention that I have always railed against folks wishing for “more dof” in extreme low light situations. Please get real 🙂
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I like Art’s Magnolia Warbler because of the way it appears to be looking up at me. And, Anka’s Blackburnian Warbler’s glorious colors make it “pop” against the dark background.