What are your most cherished photographic Bucket List birds?

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GrandNagus50

GrandNagus50

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I am leaving for Panama on Friday night. It's a birding tour with Eagle Eye Tours of British Columbia, so I will be mostly in "run and gun" mode using my. OM1 plus Olympus 150-400mm zoom outfit. I have no particular expectations for what birds I will see and photograph, though I admit I would love to see a Blue Cotinga and/or a Harpy Eagle. I try to maintain a philosophy of "I am happy with whatever I see (and photograph)."

But as I start to prepare I am thinking about those Bucket List birds, the ones I would love so much to get photos of. A few of the New World birds I would love to photograph someday, somewhere, are the Lovely Cotinga, the Pompadour cotinga, and the Sharpbill. I could think of others, but those popped into my head.

Do you have a few birds that for you are "dream birds," possible but difficult and elusive?

Doug Greenberg
 
too many to list.

First priority will be the 'holes' in my photo library that live in my home state, California. Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Canyon Wren, Mountain Quail, California Thrasher, Band-tailed Pigeon, Spotted Owl, Allen's Hummingbird. Better photos of several others would be cool too: Townsend's Solitaire, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Gilded Flicker, Verdin.
 
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Doug Herr said:
too many to list.

First priority will be the 'holes' in my photo library that live in my home state, California. Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Canyon Wren, Mountain Quail, California Thrasher, Band-tailed Pigeon, Spotted Owl, Allen's Hummingbird. Better photos of several others would be cool too: Townsend's Solitaire, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Gilded Flicker, Verdin.
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A trip to the South Bay Area should easily get you band-tailed pigeon, Townsends warbler, and Allen's hummingbird. Thrashers and Spotted owls are so hard to find though.
 
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@raptor photo is correct about the bay area for Doug's list.

CA Thrashers are fairly easy on Mt Diablo in the east bay area (California). They are starting to sing now, perhaps establishing territories. We saw them recently in Diablo Foothills regional park on the west side of Mt Diablo.

Allen's are found more frequently closer to the coast than Mt Diablo. Ebird should help you with locations. For Thrasher as well.

I've only seen a Spotted owl once and got really bad photos as it was on a nest way high up in a tall conifer.

Band-tailed pigeons are everywhere this year in my area.

Townsend's are fairly easy in woodland settings in the east bay hill parks like Tilden and others.
 
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I guess there are different levels of bucket list, or maybe different "buckets."

There are a lot of California birds (I live in the Bay Area) that I just have never gotten photos of. These include Lawrence's goldfinch, Hermit warbler, Mountain quail, and to my embarrassment, Western tanager. I have photos of so many exotic tropical tanagers, and yet no good photo of a Western. Ha!

Townsend;s warbler: In January 2007 there was a weird phenomenon along the California coast south of Half Moon Bay. This is a Brussels sprouts growing area, and a local farm buried Brussels sprouts vegetative waste in a shallow kind of pit. This gave rise to a proliferation of grubs, worms, bugs, etc. This very small patch of ground was then overwhelmed by a veritable air force of Townsend's warblers, Ruby-crowned kinglets, Hermit thrushes, and other insectivorous birds. The birds were so intent on their feeding that photographers could walk around the area with camera rigs and take great photos at minimum focus distances. I have never seen anything like it before or since. I was using my very first DSLR, a Nikon D100, and the first version of the Nikon 80-400 zoom. In retrospect it was truly an awful lens, especially at long focal lengths, but at the time it was so amazing!
The best photos I got of these birds that day now look simply awful to me. I probably should dig the files out and post-process them again using modern software.

My point, such as it is, is that over time, one can encounter these unusual opportunities to get photos of birds that otherwise might be much tougher to capture.

And yes, Band-tailed pigeons feed in my back yard; come visit anytime :).

I am going on a warbler quest with Warbler Whisperer photographer Gene Koziara in Michigan this May. Our target birds include Cerulean, Golden-winged, Brewsters/Lawrence's, and a bunch of others. His trip information:

Photo Tours — WARBLER WHISPERER

www.warblerwhisperer.com www.warblerwhisperer.com
 
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AlanB313 said:
@raptor photo is correct about the bay area for Doug's list.

CA Thrashers are fairly easy on Mt Diablo in the east bay area (California). They are starting to sing now, perhaps establishing territories. We saw them recently in Diablo Foothills regional park on the west side of Mt Diablo.

Allen's are found more frequently closer to the coast than Mt Diablo. Ebird should help you with locations. For Thrasher as well.

I've only seen a Spotted owl once and got really bad photos as it was on a nest way high up in a tall conifer.

Band-tailed pigeons are everywhere this year in my area.

Townsend's are fairly easy in woodland settings in the east bay hill parks like Tilden and others.
Click to expand...
Allen's hummingbirds at UCSC arboretum are great, up close and in nice settings. Ardenwood farm is another option for both hummers and Townsends warblers. Ulistac is good for thrashers. Band-tailed pigeons are a backyard bird for us.
 
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GrandNagus50 said:
I guess there are different levels of bucket list, or maybe different "buckets."

There are a lot of California birds (I live in the Bay Area) that I just have never gotten photos of. These include Lawrence's goldfinch, Hermit warbler, Mountain quail, and to my embarrassment, Western tanager. I have photos of so many exotic tropical tanagers, and yet no good photo of a Western. Ha!

Townsend;s warbler: In January 2007 there was a weird phenomenon along the California coast south of Half Moon Bay. This is a Brussels sprouts growing area, and a local farm buried Brussels sprouts vegetative waste in a shallow kind of pit. This gave rise to a proliferation of grubs, worms, bugs, etc. This very small patch of ground was then overwhelmed by a veritable air force of Townsend's warblers, Ruby-crowned kinglets, Hermit thrushes, and other insectivorous birds. The birds were so intent on their feeding that photographers could walk around the area with camera rigs and take great photos at minimum focus distances. I have never seen anything like it before or since. I was using my very first DSLR, a Nikon D100, and the first version of the Nikon 80-400 zoom. In retrospect it was truly an awful lens, especially at long focal lengths, but at the time it was so amazing!
The best photos I got of these birds that day now look simply awful to me. I probably should dig the files out and post-process them again using modern software.

My point, such as it is, is that over time, one can encounter these unusual opportunities to get photos of birds that otherwise might be much tougher to capture.

And yes, Band-tailed pigeons feed in my back yard; come visit anytime :).

I am going on a warbler quest with Warbler Whisperer photographer Gene Koziara in Michigan this May. Our target birds include Cerulean, Golden-winged, Brewsters/Lawrence's, and a bunch of others. His trip information:

Photo Tours — WARBLER WHISPERER

www.warblerwhisperer.com www.warblerwhisperer.com
Click to expand...
Ardenwood farm for Western tanager. The fountain attracts lots of them in summer and fall.
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GrandNagus50 said:
I guess there are different levels of bucket list, or maybe different "buckets."

There are a lot of California birds (I live in the Bay Area) that I just have never gotten photos of. These include Lawrence's goldfinch, Hermit warbler, Mountain quail, and to my embarrassment, Western tanager. I have photos of so many exotic tropical tanagers, and yet no good photo of a Western. Ha!

Townsend;s warbler: In January 2007 there was a weird phenomenon along the California coast south of Half Moon Bay. This is a Brussels sprouts growing area, and a local farm buried Brussels sprouts vegetative waste in a shallow kind of pit. This gave rise to a proliferation of grubs, worms, bugs, etc. This very small patch of ground was then overwhelmed by a veritable air force of Townsend's warblers, Ruby-crowned kinglets, Hermit thrushes, and other insectivorous birds. The birds were so intent on their feeding that photographers could walk around the area with camera rigs and take great photos at minimum focus distances. I have never seen anything like it before or since. I was using my very first DSLR, a Nikon D100, and the first version of the Nikon 80-400 zoom. In retrospect it was truly an awful lens, especially at long focal lengths, but at the time it was so amazing!
The best photos I got of these birds that day now look simply awful to me. I probably should dig the files out and post-process them again using modern software.

My point, such as it is, is that over time, one can encounter these unusual opportunities to get photos of birds that otherwise might be much tougher to capture.

And yes, Band-tailed pigeons feed in my back yard; come visit anytime :).

I am going on a warbler quest with Warbler Whisperer photographer Gene Koziara in Michigan this May. Our target birds include Cerulean, Golden-winged, Brewsters/Lawrence's, and a bunch of others. His trip information:

Photo Tours — WARBLER WHISPERER

www.warblerwhisperer.com www.warblerwhisperer.com
Click to expand...
Yes there are many 'buckets'. I'm working on the reasonably attainable ones while I develop schemes to find & photograph the more challenging ones.

I've been trying to avoid the Bay Area for a few reasons but I might have to break down and plan a few trips there if these birds become important enough to me. Meanwhile the Canyon Wren is among the more reasonably attainable species, about 1/2 hour from home.
 
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Doug Herr said:
Is the Ardenwood fountain also good for Townsend's Warbler?
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Tons of them! Literally all of my good warbler photos from the bay are from there :) The Allen's and Anna's hummers splashing in the water is fun to photograph too.
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Oh man, too many birds to list.

Just randomly that pop to the top of my head: Agami Heron, Resplendent Quetzal, Himalayan Monal, Gyrfalcon, Antipodean Albatross, Southern Giant Petrel (while feeding), Chatham Albatross, Shoebill Stork, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Secretary Bird, Bearded Reedling...

Just too many birds to see, let alone photograph.
 
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New York City street pigeons :devilish::devilish::devilish::devilish::devilish:

Seriously it seems the more elusive the more desirable.

As a comparison I once attended a lecture, with my wife, of horticultural highbrows, the people who identify a plant by botanic name and always look for rarity and uniqueness.

Apparently Hepaticas were the latest thing and people were paying upwards of $400 a plant for this tiny thing in a two inch pot. That's $200 an inch. They were making special pilgrimages to Japan to find the latest cultivars, so add the cost of travel to the $200 an inch.

They do this lecture in a big crowd using slides to show the latest images of these expensive treasures. There are hundreds in attendance.

I, an outsider, was watching the show with no preconceptions. Every time a Hepatica plant image came on the screen there were choruses of oohs and AAHS.

Now these plants looked like nothing. Tiny leaves and even tinier flowers planted in bare, boring dirt.

I felt like an episode of The Emperor Has no clothes.

Apparently these scrawny plants were special because they were so rare and unique.

I am certainly not immune to this worship of rarity.

I remember when I first was able to capture a sharp image of a Harrier hawk in flight. I thought I was getting something really special. Turns out there are a lot of them where we usually shoot and now I have cards full of Harriers. Now, because they are so available, I don't want to shoot harriers any more.

Can I value a bird for its intrinsic character and nobility instead of its rarity.

The New York City pigeon is a survivor and an optimist. I lived in New York City many decades ago and at the time it could be a nasty, dirty and cold place.

The New York City pigeon rules the roost. They are to New York City the way crows are to the Pacific Northwest.

You have to respect its sheer grit and will.

A creative perspective, If the horticulturists found beauty and worth in Hepaticas, there must be something worthwhile for New York City pigeons.

:):):):)














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I forgot to put some of my bucket list...Northern Goshawk, most of the eastern US warblers, Great Gray Owl, Elf owl, come to mind, among many others.
 
Yes, I have a short list. But lets be real here. No one has mentioned “Rodan”, but that’s a fictional monster. Then some almost seem fictional by their elusiveness and secret existence. But you know they are there by their distinctive and erie call. Or, someone you know, knows someone that says he saw one in 1957 in a place he can’t remember. I’ve looked this bird up in Petersen’s guide book and other field references and they all say basically the same thing… “Good Luck! You’ll hear them but never see one!” I’m referring to the Yellow Billed Cuckoo”. Anyone that has spent time in the Mid-Atlantic mountains has heard their sad drawn out voice. It’s almost like a voice from the tropical jungles. And it’s loud.

A couple years ago we heard yet another “doink!” on a window of our house in the mountains of Rappahannock County. We went to investigate and expected to find a titmouse, nuthatch, dove or cardinal…. Nope…. the unicorn of birds….👉 A yellow billed cuckoo! He had knocked him/her self silly but was alive and dazed. I was not going to miss this photo-op! Meg gently held the bird and I got a few images…. here’s one.
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We kept the bird quiet and warm and 1/2 hour later he was up and ready to go. Put him in a bush and he flew off into the woods. Not the end of the story..
LS2_1589.jpeg
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Few years later we moved to a coastal area in Virginia, ie, flatland. There’s a 600+ acre park across the creek from us and I thought I had heard the last of this bird. Nope, there’s one in the park making that erie call. I’ll probably never see one in the woods but I’ll keep looking….

No doubt some on this forum thread have had photographic success with this species (other than above). I’m not one of them so far….
 
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I'm a warbler and songbird nerd. Here's mine.

Better shots of a Golden-winged Warbler. Had one singing in my backyard last May during migration but I couldn't get any decent photos. Not super easy to find breeding around here though.
Better shots of a Black-throated Blue Warbler. I've only photographed a handful during fall migration but I plan on visiting their breeding grounds this spring.
Better shots of a Cerulean Warbler. I know where to find them locally so I might try again this year.
Prothonotary Warbler. Haven't seen one.
Prairie Warbler. Haven't seen one.

I'd also love to photograph these birds in their breeding colors. I only have photos of them during fall migration where some plumages are almost unrecognizable: Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped, Cape May, Mourning, Connecticut.
 
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Larry S. said:
Yes, I have a short list. But lets be real here. No one has mentioned “Rodan”, but that’s a fictional monster. Then some almost seem fictional by their elusiveness and secret existence. But you know they are there by their distinctive and erie call. Or, someone you know, knows someone that says he saw one in 1957 in a place he can’t remember. I’ve looked this bird up in Petersen’s guide book and other field references and they all say basically the same thing… “Good Luck! You’ll hear them but never see one!” I’m referring to the Yellow Billed Cuckoo”. Anyone that has spent time in the Mid-Atlantic mountains has heard their sad drawn out voice. It’s almost like a voice from the tropical jungles. And it’s loud.

A couple years ago we heard yet another “doink!” on a window of our house in the mountains of Rappahannock County. We went to investigate and expected to find a titmouse, nuthatch, dove or cardinal…. Nope…. the unicorn of birds….👉 A yellow billed cuckoo! He had knocked him/her self silly but was alive and dazed. I was not going to miss this photo-op! Meg gently held the bird and I got a few images…. here’s one.
View attachment 82709


We kept the bird quiet and warm and 1/2 hour later he was up and ready to go. Put him in a bush and he flew off into the woods. Not the end of the story..
View attachment 82710

Few years later we moved to a coastal area in Virginia, ie, flatland. There’s a 600+ acre park across the creek from us and I thought I had heard the last of this bird. Nope, there’s one in the park making that erie call. I’ll probably never see one in the woods but I’ll keep looking….

No doubt some on this forum thread have had photographic success with this species (other than above). I’m not one of them so far….
Click to expand...
Wow! That's a unique encounter, and yes they're pretty elusive. I've had some success with my best one being this headshot. I know of a few locations locally where I can find them so I might try again this year.

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raptor photo said:
A trip to the South Bay Area should easily get you band-tailed pigeon, Townsends warbler, and Allen's hummingbird. Thrashers and Spotted owls are so hard to find though.
Click to expand...
Doug Herr said:
too many to list.

First priority will be the 'holes' in my photo library that live in my home state, California. Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Canyon Wren, Mountain Quail, California Thrasher, Band-tailed Pigeon, Spotted Owl, Allen's Hummingbird. Better photos of several others would be cool too: Townsend's Solitaire, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Gilded Flicker, Verdin.
Click to expand...
Not sure where in CA you are located, but California Thrashers are plentiful in Crystal Cove state park down south.
 
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Turberticus said:
I'm a warbler and songbird nerd. Here's mine.

A good shot of a Golden-winged Warbler. Had one singing in my backyard last May during migration but I couldn't get any decent photos.
A good shot of a Black-throated Blue Warbler. I've only photographed a handful during fall migration but I plan on visiting their breeding grounds this spring.
Prothonotary Warbler. Haven't seen one.
Prairie Warbler. Haven't seen one.

I'd also love to photograph these birds in their breeding colors. I only have photos of them during fall migration where some plumages are almost unrecognizable: Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped, Cape May, Mourning, Connecticut.
Click to expand...
One first-half-of-May trip to Magee Marsh in Ohio or other spring migrant trap will give you a chance, at least, at all of these birds except the Golden-winged. Connecticut warbler does appear at Magee, but the time I saw a crowd on the boardwalk gawking at one it was not photographable (skulking, low, shy). But the general point remains, that the best opportunities for wood warblers usually offer themselves during spring migration when the birds come down lower in trees and are very fixated on feeding in preparation for the next flight.
 
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GrandNagus50 said:
One first-half-of-May trip to Magee Marsh in Ohio or other spring migrant trap will deliver all of these birds except the Golden-winged, which is tougher.
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Yes! I'd love to go but family obligations mean I have to stay close to home, so I'll keep an eye on birdcast and spend some time outside during peak migration. I had quite a few species during spring and fall migration in my backyard last year (Got tons of photos this past fall since my son started daycare in August), so I'm optimistic that I'll see some out back in the spring.
 
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