Photographing Common Yellowthroat Warblers – Thoughts About Using Flickr

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Yellowthroat Warbler Encounter

Last summer, I finally had an opportunity to photograph the bright little warbler with a Zorro mask; the Common Yellowthroat Warbler. This species is common, but not commonly seen out in the open in the Allegan State Game Area. Like most other warblers, the Common Yellowthroat weaves in and out of thick, leafy branches hunting for insects. It rarely show itself fully, at least not when this photographer is around.

Photo of Common Yellowthroat Warbler — Common Yellowthroat Singing his Heart Out in Open View.
Zorro Type Eye Masks Make Identifying This Warbler Easy.
ISO 800; f/8; 1/1000 Second

Enticing Birds with Song

I had already set up and positioned my tripod in an area with optimal morning light, a melt away green background, and a couple possible perches away from branch and leaf clutter. A bright, male Yellowthroat Warbler made an appearance almost immediately, but he stayed hidden in the foliage, seemingly intent on evading the camera.

I opened the I-Bird Midwest app on my phone, clicked on the audio link to the Yellowthroat Warbler song, and played it once. The Yellowthroat abandoned the safety of the bush, boldly flew close, landed on a perch near my setup, and looked around for the intruder in his territory. For 3 minutes or so he sang loudly to warn this “intruder” away.

Too Many Photos in Lightroom

I uploaded 50+ clear, nicely lit, well framed, mostly away from leafy clutter photos of this warbler to Lightroom for post processing. As usual, I was attentive to the descriptors and dates that help keep my photos organized. I highlighted with stars 3 or 4 photos that I thought were the best of the shoot.

I manage all of my photos in Lightroom, many more of each bird species than I will ever need or use. Lightroom is overloaded. When I go into the program in search of a particular photo, it takes time. Plus, I can not resist taking one more look at the hundreds of photos I did not star. TIME WASTER!!

Why Bird Photographers Use Flickr

I’ve only recently posted my bird photos to Flickr. I wasn’t impressed the first couple times I visited flickr (years ago) because, well, I’m a photo snob and there were always way too many crappy photos posted.

But I’ve taken a step back and reconsidered.

It’s fun to explore Flickr. I can join birders groups, bird photography groups and quickly share my bird photos with other bird lovers. It is inspiring (and humbling) to check out the artistry and technical prowess of some of the more advanced bird photographers. If I choose, my photos can be placed into photo competitions. Some of the more elite bird photography groups allow photographers to make comments and suggestions pertaining to the quality and caliber of the work. I can make judgements about how my photographs of a particular species of bird compares to the same species photographed by others.

Free Cloud Photo Storage

Flickr offers a very generous 1 TB of free photo storage. I already have an immense amount of free storage space on Drop Box, Google Drive, Amazon and the company that hosts my website. Free cloud storage options are as numerous as free email resources. I would not use Flickr just for free storage.

My Running Photo List

Flickr is now my go-to place to document my wild bird photography journey and store the best photo I currently have of each species (male and/or female). It’s my birding “listing tool” and portfolio to keep track of all the different bird species I have photographed.