My 2023 Images - June

June was a rewarding month for birding, and I managed to snap some stunning photos along the way. I saw a variety of shorebirds, insectivores, and herons, and spent many sessions chasing Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger) on the hills of the East Coast. It was not easy to get a good image of these fast and elusive birds, but I am still experimenting with the best settings for them.  The tools I used were my reliable Canon 7D II, Candace II, and a Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM aka Big Selma, and edited the photos with Lightroom 5. These are some of my favorite images from June that I hope you will enjoy.

Shorebirds

A very photogenic Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)

And accommodating 

An early Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) busy feeding

Pectoral Sandpiper

Herons

A juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Insectivores

A  Lifer, a first for Barbados, and a potential first for this region -  House Swift (Apus nipalensis)

Another view of the House Swift

Black Swift (Cypseloides niger)

and again Black Swift 

Someone had a bit too many flys for lunch Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis)

Yes, I can sing too

Others

Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus) the bird of our woodland that
often eludes your sight but not your ears

Grassland Yellow-Finch (Sicalis luteola)