Magee Marsh - Any tips for a first-timer? (going in May '24)

[Carmel Nikon]

I'll be interested how the Plena might perform in this environment. I'm trying to find a reason to get one! LOL!

Karen, if our timing somehow can overlap, you're welcome to borrow mine and try it out. I think you'll be impressed by the magic it creates when your wildlife subject isn't too far away! It's become my 'money lens' for people/event shoots, but I also thoroughly enjoy it for close-up birds (my pet finches, through kitchen window) and butterflies.

 

[Butlerkid]

Karen, if our timing somehow can overlap, you're welcome to borrow mine and try it out. I think you'll be impressed by the magic it creates when your wildlife subject isn't too far away! It's become my 'money lens' for people/event shoots, but I also thoroughly enjoy it for close-up birds (my pet finches, through kitchen window) and butterflies.

Thank you! I'm sure several of us will be there about the same time. No easy way to recognize each other - I will not be wearing my internet outfit......!

 

[Mike Delgado]

Yes, you have to approach Magee as a "festival," and if you aren't ok with crowds of birders it won't be fun.
Unless they have changed the rules, on the boardwalks tripods are only permitted in a very small area, otherwise no. So as others have said, handheld is really the way to go. View attachment 83052

I'll pass on this madness!

 

[jeffnles1]

Thank you! I'm sure several of us will be there about the same time. No easy way to recognize each other - I will not be wearing my internet outfit......!

Darn, it would almost be worth the 3 1/2 hour drive just to see that.

 

[Butlerkid]

OK.......since our fearless leaders are not (yet?) offering T Shirts (V necks for ladies?) or caps so we can recognize each other when out shooting, I will wear a light colored tan T shirt I had made many years ago. I've never worn it..... On the back is my avatar. And on the sleeve is a small clown face.

If it is cool and I'm wearing a jacket.....I guess you will just have to take your chances approaching ladies wearing a light tan T shirt!

 

[jimfromno]

AJ, based on the discussion here, I agree. I'm thinking one prime (400 or 500) and one zoom (hopefully a 70-200 or 100-400).

I'll be there on Wed, May 1 (if weather is good), or Fri pm May 3 (if May 1 is a wash-out), or if I'm lucky, both dates. Happy to meet up with anyone else that will be there. If there is a chance of a meet-up, should we wear some kind of identifying BCG garb to make it easier to spot each other? Or connect prior, exchange mobile numbers and set up a group chat the day of?

Carmel I'd be happy to meet up with you. I'm a member of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory and they may have some insight into bird activity. But as far as I know May 1 is the best date although I haven't checked lately. I don't mind sharing phone numbers.

 

[Carmel Nikon]

Jim, that sounds great! I'll be arriving the evening of 4/30, and need to scurry off for work activities by mid-afternoon on Wednesday 5/1, but that gives the morning (as early as we can come in) through mid-day to experience this amazing place. I can't wait!

 

[jimfromno]

Carmel just a suggestion on your plan on taking two cameras. Keep in mind that hiking the boardwalk, fighting the crowds while photographing these warblers is fairly vigorous . It's bad enough with one camera. If you take two cameras the first day I guarantee you won't take two the second day.

 

[jimfromno]

I will be there the same time as you. In addition, since I live only about 90 minutes away, I plan to do 1 or 2 visits the week of April 29.
Some pics from previous years: https://www.billnaimanphotography.com/p519552642

Great photos Bill and a wonderful reference as well. If you're 90 minutes away you may be from the Cleveland area like me. I plan on driving out one or two times myself. Do you mind meeting up?

 

[nmerc_photos]

I just returned from a 2ish day trip. Friday night, all day Saturday, and then from 6AM - 11AM on Sunday (today).

I'm planning to do a full write up, but here was the gist:

Friday night I just made the last 30 minutes before dark, so I got acquainted with the boardwalk and found two screech owls using my thermal.

Saturday was great, and I was out there from 6AM - 9PM nonstop. Weather was cool (50-65 F), there were some rain showers, and although there were what I thought was a lot of people - there weren't many "jams", and you could usually scoot by.

Sunday was not very fun at all. If Sunday had been my only experience, I'd be inclined to never go back. It seemed that 2-3x as many people showed up as on Saturday. It was also much warmer (70-75 F) with pretty much direct sunlight. You could barely move anywhere on the boardwalk without brushing shoulders with someone or getting stopped by a crowd. I walked the boardwalk once, and then spent the rest of the time on some of the lesser used trails. I saw less birds and they were further away - but it was worth it to avoid the madness on the boardwalk. In the future, I will make every effort to go on a weekday instead of a weekend.

As for equipment, here was what I saw from most common to least:

Bridge/Zoom Cameras (Nikon Coolpix P1000, Sony RX10IV, etc.)
DSLR bodies + Sigma 150-600mm lens
Canon R5 or R6 + RF 100-500mm lens
Nikon Z8 or Z9 + Z 180-600mm lens
Nikon DSLR + 500PF or Nikon mirrorless + 600PF
Misc bodies + 100-400mm zooms
"Big" Primes (400 f2.8, 600 f4, 800 f5.6/f6.3, etc.) - of hundreds or thousands of people I counted less than 20 total, with the majority being 600 f4.

I saw very few Sony users, and less than 5 Olympus users. I would expect a Sony body and 200-600mm to be a good choice. Same with Olympus and the 150-400 or 150-600.

I brought all of my wildlife lenses, since I'd never been there and wasn't sure what to expect. I've also never chased warblers, or small birds in general. I'm used to mainly shooting mammals or larger birds of prey.

Z 100-400
Z 180-600
Z 400TC
Z 800PF

I quickly determined that the 800PF would be just about useless because of the 16.4' MFD and difficulty of tracking subjects in close proximity. The vast majority of birds were 8' - 15' away. With my 400TC, I only had a single time when the 8' MFD proved inadequate. I would eventually learn that MFD is probably one of the most significant factors for shooting at Magee.

I would caution that if anyone has a 600 f4 prime they want to bring - they may reconsider. I spent a lot of time shooting with others who had 600 f4s, and they were constantly missing shots because of the MFD.

The 100-400, although light - often didn't provide enough reach.

The 180-600 is just about the perfect lens for the job if you don't have a big prime.

Since I did have a big prime, I used the 400TC 100% of the time, carrying it with a peak design sling across my body. This made it easy to walk the 18 miles that I did, and then still shoot handheld. I haven't gone through my pictures to see what percentage of keepers ended up being 400 vs 560. But I was essentially using it as a zoom lens, where I'd track the bird at 400mm and then flick to 560mm if I wanted a tighter crop. I would guess my images will be 70% at 400, 30% at 560 but I'll report back once I tally for sure.

Technically you can use monopods, but I saw very few. With how fast the birds move, it seems to me it would be a hindrance. I believe tripods are not allowed at all during the peak time.

On Saturday, I was able to do most of my birding either by myself or in small groups. This was preferable and provided lots of opportunity to get good shots. On Sunday, when it was more crowded - you basically had to pick one spot on the boardwalk and pray that whatever subject you wanted would fly by.

Overall it was still a great trip, and just about every bird I saw was a lifer for me. I will definitely be back in the future, but will do as much as possible to avoid the crowds. Getting there each morning at 6AM ensured I was usually one of the first 5 vehicles, and I could reliably be on my own until 7:30AM - 8AM ish when the crowds started. By 10AM it was a mad house.

Regarding dual wielding cameras, I saw less than 5 people do it and as Jim mentioned above, it looked like a lot of extra work and stress for no real gain. A good telezoom with 500 or 600mm on the long end would be about perfect.

 

[ajrmd]

I just returned from a 2ish day trip. Friday night, all day Saturday, and then from 6AM - 11AM on Sunday (today).

I'm planning to do a full write up, but here was the gist:

Friday night I just made the last 30 minutes before dark, so I got acquainted with the boardwalk and found two screech owls using my thermal.

Saturday was great, and I was out there from 6AM - 9PM nonstop. Weather was cool (50-65 F), there were some rain showers, and although there were what I thought was a lot of people - there weren't many "jams", and you could usually scoot by.

Sunday was not very fun at all. If Sunday had been my only experience, I'd be inclined to never go back. It seemed that 2-3x as many people showed up as on Saturday. It was also much warmer (70-75 F) with pretty much direct sunlight. You could barely move anywhere on the boardwalk without brushing shoulders with someone or getting stopped by a crowd. I walked the boardwalk once, and then spent the rest of the time on some of the lesser used trails. I saw less birds and they were further away - but it was worth it to avoid the madness on the boardwalk. In the future, I will make every effort to go on a weekday instead of a weekend.

As for equipment, here was what I saw from most common to least:

Bridge/Zoom Cameras (Nikon Coolpix P1000, Sony RX10IV, etc.)
DSLR bodies + Sigma 150-600mm lens
Canon R5 or R6 + RF 100-500mm lens
Nikon Z8 or Z9 + Z 180-600mm lens
Nikon DSLR + 500PF or Nikon mirrorless + 600PF
Misc bodies + 100-400mm zooms
"Big" Primes (400 f2.8, 600 f4, 800 f5.6/f6.3, etc.) - of hundreds or thousands of people I counted less than 20 total, with the majority being 600 f4.

I saw very few Sony users, and less than 5 Olympus users. I would expect a Sony body and 200-600mm to be a good choice. Same with Olympus and the 150-400 or 150-600.

I brought all of my wildlife lenses, since I'd never been there and wasn't sure what to expect. I've also never chased warblers, or small birds in general. I'm used to mainly shooting mammals or larger birds of prey.

Z 100-400
Z 180-600
Z 400TC
Z 800PF

I quickly determined that the 800PF would be just about useless because of the 16.4' MFD and difficulty of tracking subjects in close proximity. The vast majority of birds were 8' - 15' away. With my 400TC, I only had a single time when the 8' MFD proved inadequate. I would eventually learn that MFD is probably one of the most significant factors for shooting at Magee.

I would caution that if anyone has a 600 f4 prime they want to bring - they may reconsider. I spent a lot of time shooting with others who had 600 f4s, and they were constantly missing shots because of the MFD.

The 100-400, although light - often didn't provide enough reach.

The 180-600 is just about the perfect lens for the job if you don't have a big prime.

Since I did have a big prime, I used the 400TC 100% of the time, carrying it with a peak design sling across my body. This made it easy to walk the 18 miles that I did, and then still shoot handheld. I haven't gone through my pictures to see what percentage of keepers ended up being 400 vs 560. But I was essentially using it as a zoom lens, where I'd track the bird at 400mm and then flick to 560mm if I wanted a tighter crop. I would guess my images will be 70% at 400, 30% at 560 but I'll report back once I tally for sure.

Technically you can use monopods, but I saw very few. With how fast the birds move, it seems to me it would be a hindrance. I believe tripods are not allowed at all during the peak time.

On Saturday, I was able to do most of my birding either by myself or in small groups. This was preferable and provided lots of opportunity to get good shots. On Sunday, when it was more crowded - you basically had to pick one spot on the boardwalk and pray that whatever subject you wanted would fly by.

Overall it was still a great trip, and just about every bird I saw was a lifer for me. I will definitely be back in the future, but will do as much as possible to avoid the crowds. Getting there each morning at 6AM ensured I was usually one of the first 5 vehicles, and I could reliably be on my own until 7:30AM - 8AM ish when the crowds started. By 10AM it was a mad house.

Regarding dual wielding cameras, I saw less than 5 people do it and as Jim mentioned above, it looked like a lot of extra work and stress for no real gain. A good telezoom with 500 or 600mm on the long end would be about perfect.

Excellent synopsis and the crowds are the primary reason I avoid that place on weekends. I kind of missed the window because of the weather during the week and sadly you experienced the fallout. Unfortunately, I am working the next two weeks so only have the weekends to shoot and it will have to be at local parks instead of subjecting oneself to that insanity.

They are just starting to trickle in locally and while I hear a variety of warblers everywhere, they are so darn difficult to see and capture. That's why Magee is so special.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Butlerkid]

Thank you so very much! We arrived today and I have planned 3 days here...Monday through Wednesday.

BUT.. apparently the water pump in our 5th wheel has quit working. So instead of going to Magee tomorrow morning I will be finding a solution to the water pump problem.

I appreciate the advice about the monopod. I will be using my Z8 and 400 f4.5. With or without 1.4 tele.

 

[Carmel Nikon]

I was there Wednesday May 1 (10-3) and Saturday May 4 (3-7). I ended up almost exclusively using my Z8 and 400 f/4.5. The Plena and 105 macro pretty much stayed in the bag, and the monopod was a complete waste to bring. 400mm was a good choice for focal length, though I may try a 600 PF next year - that's as long a focal length as I'd bring there.

I'll summarize my learnings as a first-timer in the coming days as I process ~15k photos from my 9 hours at Magee. Topics I have new insights on include lens choice, how to make the crowds work for you, general strategy for the place, and my newbie's view of the challenges and opportunities in warbler photography.

I'm so very glad I went. It was a GREAT experience - and totally changed how I think about bird photography!

 

[Tom Reynolds]

Question? I downloaded a writeup on Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros. In his writeup he indicated that he almost always used a flash and a Phase Frenzel lens in front of the strobe to direct the light out to 30'. He claims that the coherent light improves the detail.

Has anyone tried this?

Magee Marsh is not in my plans this year, but I have the PF setup that works on my Olympus FL900 strobe and expect to try it at some local spots. The gadget is called a Better Beamer. I found instructions on the internet on how to measure the strobe in order to pick the proper configuration. For my FL-900 it was a FX-6.

The gadget is two simple plastic arms. The rear section wraps around the strobe. A Velcro strap wraps around both arms and the strobe securing the arms to the strobe. The lens is then slipped on the front of the arms. This supposably focuses the light into a tight beam that is effective @ 30 feet. A competing product, the Mag-Beam is slicker and more expensive but currently out of stock.

My experience is that the strobe adds an unwelcome pound to OM-1/100-400 but if it improves detail, it might be worth the hassle.

Regards,
Tom

Reference: The Birds of Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros

 

[Butlerkid]

Question? I downloaded a writeup on Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros. In his writeup he indicated that he almost always used a flash and a Phase Frenzel lens in front of the strobe to direct the light out to 30'. He claims that the coherent light improves the detail.

Has anyone tried this?

Magee Marsh is not in my plans this year, but I have the PF setup that works on my Olympus FL900 strobe and expect to try it at some local spots. The gadget is called a Better Beamer. I found instructions on the internet on how to measure the strobe in order to pick the proper configuration. For my FL-900 it was a FX-6.

The gadget is two simple plastic arms. The rear section wraps around the strobe. A Velcro strap wraps around both arms and the strobe securing the arms to the strobe. The lens is then slipped on the front of the arms. This supposably focuses the light into a tight beam that is effective @ 30 feet. A competing product, the Mag-Beam is slicker and more expensive but currently out of stock.

My experience is that the strobe adds an unwelcome pound to OM-1/100-400 but if it improves detail, it might be worth the hassle.

Regards,
Tom

Reference: The Birds of Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros

Seems like Better Beamer has been around for decades. Good product. MagMod is even better. I just sold my MagMod since I really don't like dealing with flash.

 

[Doug Herr]

Question? I downloaded a writeup on Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros. In his writeup he indicated that he almost always used a flash and a Phase Frenzel lens in front of the strobe to direct the light out to 30'. He claims that the coherent light improves the detail.

Has anyone tried this?

Magee Marsh is not in my plans this year, but I have the PF setup that works on my Olympus FL900 strobe and expect to try it at some local spots. The gadget is called a Better Beamer. I found instructions on the internet on how to measure the strobe in order to pick the proper configuration. For my FL-900 it was a FX-6.

The gadget is two simple plastic arms. The rear section wraps around the strobe. A Velcro strap wraps around both arms and the strobe securing the arms to the strobe. The lens is then slipped on the front of the arms. This supposably focuses the light into a tight beam that is effective @ 30 feet. A competing product, the Mag-Beam is slicker and more expensive but currently out of stock.

My experience is that the strobe adds an unwelcome pound to OM-1/100-400 but if it improves detail, it might be worth the hassle.

Regards,
Tom

Reference: The Birds of Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros

Whether it improves detail or not, I dislike the direct lighting created by flash. IMHO it makes the bird look 2-dimensional and out of sync with the background lighting. It may help create a photo that illustrates what a bird looks like but falls short if the goal is to make a photo that tells more about the bird. YMMV.

 

[EricBowles]

Whether it improves detail or not, I dislike the direct lighting created by flash. IMHO it makes the bird look 2-dimensional and out of sync with the background lighting. It may help create a photo that illustrates what a bird looks like but falls short if the goal is to make a photo that tells more about the bird. YMMV.

If you can tell a flash was used, the technique of the photographer was probably not very good. The reason you use a flash is for a gentle fill and possibly a catchlight - with people or wildlife. You don't want the deer in the headlights look.

I've used a Better Beamer, a similar product from Harbor Digital Designs, and now use a MagMod. The Better Beamer was specific to a certain model of flash while the MagMod system fits almost all flash units and has other accessories that are very useful for portraits or event photography.

 

[GrandNagus50]

Question? I downloaded a writeup on Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros. In his writeup he indicated that he almost always used a flash and a Phase Frenzel lens in front of the strobe to direct the light out to 30'. He claims that the coherent light improves the detail.

Has anyone tried this?

Magee Marsh is not in my plans this year, but I have the PF setup that works on my Olympus FL900 strobe and expect to try it at some local spots. The gadget is called a Better Beamer. I found instructions on the internet on how to measure the strobe in order to pick the proper configuration. For my FL-900 it was a FX-6.

The gadget is two simple plastic arms. The rear section wraps around the strobe. A Velcro strap wraps around both arms and the strobe securing the arms to the strobe. The lens is then slipped on the front of the arms. This supposably focuses the light into a tight beam that is effective @ 30 feet. A competing product, the Mag-Beam is slicker and more expensive but currently out of stock.

My experience is that the strobe adds an unwelcome pound to OM-1/100-400 but if it improves detail, it might be worth the hassle.

I used fill flash during my first trip to Magee in 2017. I did not use it during my subsequent trip a few years later. I actually would discourage people from using fill flash in this situation. It's not really necessary, doesn't really add much---my opinion, particularly in light (so to speak) of improved high ISO noise reduction---and I actually found that some of the birds photographed at close range were startled by it. This doesn't indicate real harm to them, but I got the idea that on balance maybe flash was best eschewed for this particular kind of photography. I will add that if you use flash where there are so very many birders and photographers afoot you surely will get some negative comments in response. Who needs it?

 

[nmerc_photos]

Excellent synopsis and the crowds are the primary reason I avoid that place on weekends. I kind of missed the window because of the weather during the week and sadly you experienced the fallout. Unfortunately, I am working the next two weeks so only have the weekends to shoot and it will have to be at local parks instead of subjecting oneself to that insanity.

They are just starting to trickle in locally and while I hear a variety of warblers everywhere, they are so darn difficult to see and capture. That's why Magee is so special.

It is quite a magical place! Saturday was one of the most fun times I've ever had shooting wildlife. I never understood "warbler guys" but it really is such a challenging and rewarding deal shooting those little buggers.

It was almost like a drug addiction taking place. Once I got home and finished editing pictures, I was immensely sad that I wouldn't be spending more time out in Magee! It sounds like I'll be going back at the end of this week (Thursday/Friday).

For other Michiganders, I'm told Tawas Pointe State Park offers as good, if not better warblering - with none of the crowds. Since it is north of Magee, it also lasts "longer" into migration. I'll probably try that in a weekend or two.

Thank you so very much! We arrived today and I have planned 3 days here...Monday through Wednesday.

BUT.. apparently the water pump in our 5th wheel has quit working. So instead of going to Magee tomorrow morning I will be finding a solution to the water pump problem.

I appreciate the advice about the monopod. I will be using my Z8 and 400 f4.5. With or without 1.4 tele.

My pleasure! Glad I could offer something useful.

The Z8 + 400 4.5 will be a fantastic setup. 400mm/600mm are just about perfect focal lengths for the boardwalk.

I was there Wednesday May 1 (10-3) and Saturday May 4 (3-7). I ended up almost exclusively using my Z8 and 400 f/4.5. The Plena and 105 macro pretty much stayed in the bag, and the monopod was a complete waste to bring. 400mm was a good choice for focal length, though I may try a 600 PF next year - that's as long a focal length as I'd bring there.

I'll summarize my learnings as a first-timer in the coming days as I process ~15k photos from my 9 hours at Magee. Topics I have new insights on include lens choice, how to make the crowds work for you, general strategy for the place, and my newbie's view of the challenges and opportunities in warbler photography.

I'm so very glad I went. It was a GREAT experience - and totally changed how I think about bird photography!

Glad to hear you found it enjoyable too! Like Karen, the Z8 + 400 combo is deadly. I owned both the 400 4.5/600 PF at various stages, but have neither in my kit now.

I saw many many 600PF's. I think the only iffy thing might be the 13' MFD. The 400 4.5 + 1.4x would result in less opportunity for missed shots, with the 8' MFD.

Question? I downloaded a writeup on Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros. In his writeup he indicated that he almost always used a flash and a Phase Frenzel lens in front of the strobe to direct the light out to 30'. He claims that the coherent light improves the detail.

Has anyone tried this?

Magee Marsh is not in my plans this year, but I have the PF setup that works on my Olympus FL900 strobe and expect to try it at some local spots. The gadget is called a Better Beamer. I found instructions on the internet on how to measure the strobe in order to pick the proper configuration. For my FL-900 it was a FX-6.

The gadget is two simple plastic arms. The rear section wraps around the strobe. A Velcro strap wraps around both arms and the strobe securing the arms to the strobe. The lens is then slipped on the front of the arms. This supposably focuses the light into a tight beam that is effective @ 30 feet. A competing product, the Mag-Beam is slicker and more expensive but currently out of stock.

My experience is that the strobe adds an unwelcome pound to OM-1/100-400 but if it improves detail, it might be worth the hassle.

Regards,
Tom

Reference: The Birds of Magee Marsh by William H. Majoros

I have no experience flashing wildlife, but it's a hotly debated topic. That being said, I saw several people using flashes and when we compared our pictures - it didn't seem noticeably better to me. And it had the side effect of annoying everyone in your proximity.

Subjectively, the flash seemed to often scare off birds. 10 photographers could be shooting away with the bird right up close, and as soon as the first flash went it off - the bird fled up to the canopy. Obviously this was just my interpretation. Perhaps the bird would have moved on its own at the exact same time, if flash were not present.

Objectively, I (and folks I shot with) have many ruined shots from when we pressed the shutter at the same time someone's flash went off, resulting in this:

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Doug Herr]

If you can tell a flash was used, the technique of the photographer was probably not very good. The reason you use a flash is for a gentle fill and possibly a catchlight - with people or wildlife. You don't want the deer in the headlights look.

If this is the case, there are a lot of photos illustrating poor technique. Modern sensors and software obviate the need for the gentle fill, and I could write volumes about artificial catchlights, which is what flash creates.

 

[Doug Herr]

Objectively, I (and folks I shot with) have many ruined shots from when we pressed the shutter at the same time someone's flash went off, resulting in this:

View attachment 88487

has happened to me too, on more than one occasion.

 

[perchja]

I was there on Sunday and the crowds were ridiculous. I lasted about 90 minutes after 7am and got off the boardwalk. I was able to find other warblers and other migratory birds on the estuary trail as well as at ONWR and on the wildlife drive. Even found more out at Metzger Marsh. And of course other migratory birds out at Howard Marsh. I've just always learned to know where else on the trails and other parks to find warblers and not just off of those boardwalks.

 

[Tom Reynolds]

From my limited experience I would not use a flash at Magee Marsh because shooting those little buggers requires the lightest, most maneuverable rig available. In my limited experience with the FL-900 strobe mounted on my OM-1, it turns my rig from a compact, lightweight combo into a heavy bulky setup.

 

[Larry Shuman]

The secret to using flash with warblers is setting the flash compensation to -2.7 stops. You cannot tell if

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

my images are flashed or not.

 

[Tom Reynolds]

Nice. I can't tell.