Twin Lakes Park

In the city of Eastchester in Westchester County, NY, Twin Lakes Park was my destination. The park is characterized by its dual lakes surrounded by lush greenery, making it a perfect spot for birding enthusiasts. Hiking along the well-maintained 2.5 miles of pathways, guests can enjoy scenic views, diverse wildlife, and the tranquility that the natural surroundings provide.

The warm wet spring has caused the trees to leaf out in earnest and spotting many of today’s targets was a bit of a challenge. Best get used to it since the canopy is going to be dense for the next several months. Some of the species I heard but sadly could not get a good clear shot of were the Yellow warblers found all along the trail, a Wood thrush that was almost deafening he was so close, a barely heard Blackpoll warbler, as well as several Blue-headed vireos. Birds that were seen were often in deep shade making for challenging but pleasant shots.

Carolina wren Nikon Z8 with Z100-400 @ 400mm 1/640 sec, f/7.1,l ISO 128000

In spite of bright sunny skies, the canopy was do dense it provided deep shade, and the wren was difficult to see in the viewfinder in spite of being reasonably close by. Fortunately, he perched on a log close to the trail and I was able to get off several shots before he took flight. If you look at the notes below this photograph, you will see that I had to use an ISO of 12,800….ridiculously high numbers to expect any thing sharp and free of noise. Thank goodness for new technology which allowed me to smooth out the very grainy texture of this shot and come up with a pretty clear shot of the handsome boy. I could continue to hear the wren’s classic song “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle” long after I had walked away from his territory.

Another bird in the deep shadows was this Gray catbird. I could barely identify this bird it was so dark where he landed, but once again I was able to lighten up the image in Lightroom and remove the grainy “noise” to provide a decent photo. What light there was filtering through the cover of leaves above imparted a green hue onto his gray body. These birds always seem to be immaculately groomed….not a feather out of place and even in the subdued light, this bird was striking.

A bit further down the trail, the canopy opened up a bit and a shaft of light shown down next to the trunk of a large tree and provided nice lighting for a shot of an Eastern chipmunk. The eastern chipmunk, a small and vibrant rodent native to North America, is recognized for its distinctive striped back and cheek pouches that allow it to store food for later consumption. Typically measuring around 9 to 10 inches in length, including the tail, these creatures are often found in wooded areas, gardens, and suburban environments. Their diet primarily consists of nuts, seeds, fruits, and occasionally insects, showcasing their adaptability in varied habitats.

The backside of the trail provided some more open views of one of the two lakes. Out on the water, there were only a few ducks…all mallards. This colorful drake was busy preening and gave me some poses that I always prefer to the standard shot of sitting still on the water. These birds will rub their bills on an oil gland found towards the rump of the bird and then rub the oil onto the feathers making them water repellent and providing a bit more insulation.

Just a bit further along the path, a Song sparrow was perched out in the open, singing its easily identifiable song. I always think of an opera singer warming up by singing ,”Meee, Meee, Meee”. The Song sparrow also prefaces his refrain with three long drawn out notes. One of our more common sparrows in this part of the country, but one I never tire of hearing or seeing.

One more sign of spring as an American robin lands on the path up in front of me with a worm in its bill. More often than not, when a bird seizes its prey or other morsel, it will immediately consume it rather than parade around with the bite for other nearby birds to see. If the bird is seen with the food in its mouth, it is more than likely headed back to the nest to feed its mate or young. We can assume, then, that this robin is part of a breeding pair.

By now, we were in mid-day and the sun had grown stronger. Bird activity typically quiets down at this time of day when the sun is intense and so it was today. The last section of the trail was quite still other than the very rich flute-like phrases of the Wood thrush. Try as I may and as close as this bird sounded, I could not pinpoint his location. Just hearing this bird is one of the most classic sounds of spring and summer in the northeast forests and seen or not, it is always one of the most exhilarating experiences of a walk in the woods.

Tech Tip - I mentioned earlier in this post about the need to use an exceedingly high ISO setting to salvage the shots of both the wren and the catbird. I’ll reiterate here the importance of taking shots even when you don’t think there is only a slight chance they’ll come out. The old way of thinking ,” it’s way too dark to take this shot” just doesn’t hold any longer. The new technology will allow for the image to be rescued, and what used to be an unrecoverable shot is now one that may in the worst case be used for identification purposes. Often, with a little work in Lightroom or a similar editing program, the image can turn into a very nice capture. Just remember that shots will be much more “salvageable” if shot in RAW than if shot in JPEG. The richness and depth of information captured in a RAW file is simply that much more voluminous than that of a smaller JPEG. The old adage of “Garbage in, garbage out” still holds. It’s simply a case of what now qualifies as “garbage” with the new digital cameras compared to the old days of film.