Downy Woodpeckers are the smallest North American woodpecker. We heard their characteristic drumming sound throughout the week we visited Magee Marsh in Ohio but they are year round residents throughout the entire US. Despite their small size (about 6 inches) the sound of their drumming carries so they’re often heard long before they’re seen. This is a female Downy; males have a red spot on the top of their head.
This little Ruby-crowned Kinglet was in shade until the breeze moved a branch slightly letting in a spot of light on its face. These tiny birds were constantly on the move at Magee Marsh. But this little one posed briefly while the light illuminated his face, then just as suddenly, the spot of light dimmed and the little bird flew off.
The tiny Yellow Warbler stands out no matter where it perches. This male is perched on a Virginia Creeper vine that encircled a Poplar tree in Magee Marsh. Yellow Warblers seem to be year-round residents of Magee Marsh, not just passing through like so many of the other warblers that stop to refuel before flying into Canada across Lake Erie.
In a rare moment of stillness, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher posed briefly for me at Magee Marsh last week in full view. It was incredibly challenging to photograph these fast moving birds. Their pursuit of gnats was endless and their movements were erratic and unpredictable. This little guy perched briefly on a bare branch without leaves or other branches obscuring the view. For me, this bird’s coloring made it one of the easiest to spot among the tangles of downed brown branches but one of the most difficult to photograph because of its quick movements.