Lifer Page - Featured Photos
“LIFERS”
Lifer - A bird that a birder sees for the first time
Wood Stork
On a trip to St. Simons Island in December, 2023, one bird that was on my list to see was the Wood Stork. I had six days to find them. Following the eBird reports, I kept missing them or not being able to find the spot where they were reported. Then, on the last day on the island, late in the day, I thought I would try and locate a spot I could not find the previous day. Not only did I find the spot, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw a big white bird fly up into a tree! There were 5 amazing Wood Storks settling in for the night!
I found them to be beautiful and eerie all at the same time! These Storks are about 4 feet tall and can weigh up to 6 pounds.
Wood Stork Fun Fact:
Storks, mainly the White Stork of Europe, figure prominently in mythology. They are revered in Greek, Chinese, and European mythologies as good luck and harbingers of spring and birth. The association between storks and babies was popularized by Hans Christian Andersen's fable "The Storks," written in the nineteenth century featuring the White Stork of Europe.
Red Headed Woodpecker
While I have seen two of these before, they were far, far off and I couldn’t get a good view, much less a photograph! Since I have been back on the East Coast, one of my goals was to get a shot of this gorgeous Woodpecker! I had many, many, many. many failed outings until a few birders had told me about West View Cemetery in Atlanta. This gorgeous 600 acre cemetery is stunning! A must visit! This place is also known for Red Headed Woodpeckers! I went twice! Saw a glimpse of one on my first trip, nothing on my second trip and finally, I thought, give it one more chance! I got there before the gates opened and the caretakers who let me come in a smidge early told me to find the old dead oak up by the crypts. Well, it took me about 30 minutes, I finally found the old dead oak by the crypts and there they were! This gorgeous woodpecker along with a fledgling! It was amazing. They graciously posed for me for as long as I wanted.
So, while not a typical “lifer”, it is a photographic “lifer” that was very much worth the wait!
Red Headed Woodpecker Fun Fact
The Red Headed Woodpecker has many nicknames, including half-a-shirt, shirt-tail bird, jellycoat, flag bird, and the flying checker board!
Hooded Warbler
I have been chasing this Warbler all Spring and Summer. I’m so glad today I finally got to see one, and also get a photo! Not the best photo, but they are very shy Warblers and hard to spot despite their bright yellow. They move quickly in thick cover, often low to the ground. This one was actually above me and my quick release on my tripod wasn’t “quick releasing”, so I had a split second to get three frames before he had enough of me!
I hope to get another chance to photograph him so you can really see why he is named the Hooded Warbler! Another Lifer off the list! Until we meet again, little one!
Hooded Warbler Fun Fact:
The oldest recorded Hooded Warbler was a male, and at least 8 years and 1 month old when he was recaptured and re-released during a banding operation in Louisiana in 2004
Common Yellowthroat Warbler
Most Warblers are considered shy and hard to spot, so when you do spot one, much less get a photo, it’s a big deal. I heard this Common Yellowthroat Warbler singing in the “Meadow” along the Chattahoochee, a popular birding spot. I set up my tripod right in the middle of the path and he circled me for almost one hour. He would land in the leaves, mid way in the trees, sing his song and take off to another spot. He finally, I think to take pity on me (and that’s okay) landed about 20 feet in front of me and belted out his song for about 15 seconds! I just held my finger down and shot multiple frames hoping one would be a keeper! I have been lucky to see a Common Yellowthroat on several outings since!
Common Yellowthroat Fun Fact
The Common Yellowthroat was one of the first bird species to be catalogued from the New World, when a specimen from Maryland was described by Linnaeus in 1766.
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
This beautiful Heron was a visitor to a local birding spot east of Atlanta. I would watch the reports and FB pages and see my fellow birders getting fantastic shots of her as she stepped out to catch crawfish in the pond she was visiting. I would race down there and always miss her by an hour, 15 minutes, a day! Finally, one day I decided on a whim, I’m just going to go. See if I get lucky. Guess what! I did! She was out looking for crawfish for about 15 minutes before she disappeared back into the backwash.
Yellow Crowned Night Heron Fun Fact
This species shows up several times in the fossil record, and the earliest recorded fossil is 2–2.5 million years old (from Sarasota, Florida).
