Yellow Warbler
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Rondeau Park, Ontario, Canada, 2005. This photo was taken an hour before sunset. My experience is that anytime the sun is below the 30 degree from the horizon position magic can happen in photography. This is such a common bird that seeing it in such uncommon lighting compelled me to take the portrait.

White-throated Sparrow
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Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, 2005. This is one of my favourite birds. The White-throated Sparrow sings its breeding song of "Oh Sweet Canada Canada Canada" across most of Canada. People usually only hear it in migration. Having grown up in northern Ontario I heard these fine songsters all spring and summer. This is a particularly fine-feathered chap. The bright yellow of the two-toned yellow and white eyebrow stripe contrasts sharply with the black crown stripes. He boldly stared straight at me for his "portrait".

Brown-headed Cowbird
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Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, 2005. When I took the picture of the Brown-headed Cowbird I was walking along a trail along the Grand River near my home in Ontario on a very cloudy and threatening day in May. Needing a picture of a Brown-headed Cowbird and seeing several along the trail ahead I crouched down and focused upon the Male. To my great delight he turned to look at me at the exact moment the sun came out and shone upon his back revealing his iridescence in a way seldom seen. Serendipity is a bird photographers best friend.

Swainson's Thrush
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Rondeau Park, Ontario, Canada, 2005. The Swainson's Thrush is distinguished from other woodland thrushes by its bold buff eye-ring and buffy face. In this picture it almost looks pop-eyed. This bird is the only woodland thrush whose song goes up in pitch.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
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Rondeau Park, Ontario, Canada, 2005. I love it when I can capture a tiny bird like this in full song. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is such an active sprightly mite that this clear picture is indeed somewhat lucky. You can clearly see in this “portrait” shot the male’s dark eyebrow stripe. He stayed like this for only a few seconds. Only long enough to sing a few notes then off he flew.

Black-throated Green Warbler
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Rondeau Park, Ontario, Canada, 2005. I like the tension shown in this individual as he peers over his shoulder at me. The centre catch-light in his eye shows he was staring directly at me. The male Black-throated Green Warbler sings persistently during the breeding season. Although I grew up with this constant singer in Northern Ontario it was a confusing bird to know because of its two distinct songs. However, its olive-green back, black throat, and two white wing bars readily identifies him. The female has a whitish throat.

Blackburnian Warbler
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Rondeau Park, Ontario, Canada, 2005. I always think of a butterfly when I see a male Backburnian. It is so startling. Its distinctive and unique brilliant orange throat clearly shows in this shot. No other North American warbler has an orange throat. This makes it quite easy to identify.

Black-throated Blue Warbler
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Rondeau Park, Ontario, Canada, 2005. The challenge of this picture was capturing a black eye on a black face. It required exact exposure and a flash to provide the eye-light. Flash here made it a "portrait" shot by giving some spark to the eye and making it stand out from the face. I can’t believe how little wing patch this fellow showed. Either that or he is quite atypical in this regard. Most Black-throated Blues show a much larger white square patch on the wing.

American Tree Sparrow
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Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, 2005. This bird must have taken Modeling lessons. He sure knew how to pose. I had never noticed before until taking his “portrait” how much the Tree Sparrow’s legs and feet differ in color. Unless he'd walked in tar previously he definitely is black-footed. What a sharp contrast between his light legs.

American Redstart
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Rondeau Park, Ontario, Canada, 2005. Too bright you might say to use a flash. Not so. A black eye on a black face is always a challenge. It required exact exposure and a flash to provide the eye-light. However, if you look close you will see two eye-lights - one from the sun and one from my flash. He was caught in the proverbial headlights! Flash here just guaranteed there would be at least one eye-light to separate the black eye from the black face. His head angle also caught the sun. In this particular shot I could have got away without a flash but the "portrait" shot would have been pure luck.