Warbler Pairs and Groupings, Using Photoshop
Hooded Warbler
A foggy morning scene in the Southern Appalachians. This is not one of the easier warblers to photograph. Finding the female this early spring date, along with hearing two nearby singing males, indicated to me a great opportunity to photograph this species. This image was my first attempt at using Photoshop to combine a warbler pair.
Pine Warbler
Pine warblers begin singing in earnest in late winter in Georgia, and this coincides well with the redbud bloom. Pine warblers are year-round residents in Georgia.
Golden-cheeked Warbler
An endangered species found in the Texas Hill Country. Being familiar with the song of the Black-throated Green Warbler, which has some similarites, helped me readily find this species in appropriate Ashe Juniper/Oak habitat.
Prairie Warbler
A beautiful warbler found in scrub type habitat throughout its range. The male has more black in the face, and bolder black side stripes as well. This is one of the more cooperative warbler species for photography and thus lends itself well to creative compositions. Abundant on the Georgia Photo Journey.
Kirtland’s Warbler
An endangered species quite readily found in appropriate Jack Pine habitat almost exclusively in Michigan. Note the absence of the black in the facial pattern in the female, which has nesting material in her beak.
Prothonotary Warbler
Known also as the “Swamp Canary,” this brightly plumaged warbler lights up its environs with not only its beauty but with its sweet song. Females are much more dull than the males, showing low or no contrast between the olive back and the top of the head and face. Also pictured is a first spring male, still sporting an olive cap.
Black-and-White Warbler
A somewhat cantankarous species, which can be easy or difficult to work with, depending on the individual. Easily found in the area of the Georgia Photo Journey.
Chestnut-sided Warbler
One of the easier warbler species to work with. It is a relatively late arrival to its breeding grounds here in Georgia and is found readily here, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and on the Michigan Photo Journey.
Cerulean Warbler
One of my favorite warblers. This species thrives in old-growth forest. It is much easier to work with when one can access this species from locations that are nearer the canopy. My favorite place to visit this species is Tennessee.
Canada Warbler
Stunningly beautiful and abundant on sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway Photo Journey. The male has more black in the cap, on the face, and a bolder black necklace.
Blackburnian Warbler
A show stopper favorite for many. Difficult for some to hear its high-pitched song, even in areas where it is abundant. I have an easy-to-access, high-density population here in Georgia and also on the Blue Ridge Parkway Photo Journey. Looks great on a conifer, next to a blooming Tulip Poplar (as above} or against young, reddish-leafed foliage.
Northern Parula
One of the first warblers to arrive in spring. This pair was photographed foraging on a blooming hobblebush just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Kentucky Warbler
The male has a darker black cap mixed with gray, and a larger, bolder black face patch. This species often seems easier to photograph later in the spring season.
Golden-winged Warbler
Here is a contrast between the adult male and a first fall female. On the Michigan Photo Journey, this species is rather abundant.
Blue-winged Warbler
Another contast between an adult spring male and a first fall female plumage. This species is also a target on the Michigan Photo Journey.
Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warbler
Both crowd favorites, these handsome and competing species are virtually identical genetically. The Blue-winged warbler continues to push the range of the Golden-winged warbler farther northward. Both species are targets on the Michigan Photo Journey.
Brewster’s Hybrids
This hybrid species may be found where the Golden-winged and Blue-winged warblers’ ranges overlap. These are two individuals we located in 2018, and we hope to find this hybrid again in 2019 on the Michigan Photo Journey. WE DID! We found two Brewster’s and ONE LAWRENCE’S hybrid in 2019!
Black-throated Blue Warbler
This species is abundant on the Blue Ridge Parkway Photo Journey. The male and female look completey different and are the most dissimilar in appearance of any Eastern warbler pair.