Bird Walk at Lexington Cemetery
This morning I participated in my first bird walk in Kentucky. It was at the Lexington Cemetery and it was hosted by the Central Kentucky Audubon Society. A large group of about two dozen birders arrived for the walk. For such an urban environment, I was really surprised by the number of species we spotted and/or heard. We logged about 50 species in eBird, including many migrants moving through the area. Most were high up in the trees or low in the deep shadows of the underbrush, so photography was challenging.
Our first significant sighting was this White-eyed Vireo high up in a tree where it was singing and preening. It was also in the shade, so it was tough to get a clean shot but I was happy to see it nonetheless.
White-eyed Vireo. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at 1/2500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1400.
Close to where we saw the White-eyed Vireo, we next caught sight of two male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in the same tree. They were pretty high up, but that bright red patch on their breasts was unmistakable.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at 1/2500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 900.
White-throated Sparrows and American Robins were in abundance throughout the cemetery, although the sparrows seemed to know that I was trying to take their pictures. They kept low to the ground, usually next to looking for insects on the ground next to the headstones, or they would seek cover in the shadiest part of the trees. Occasionally one would pop out, like this little fella, but only for a moment.
White-throated Sparrow. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at 1/2500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1400.
Two Brown Thrashers were digging up the topsoil around the base of a tree when one spotted me and flew up onto a branch. The other followed, and they both started calling at me, clearly unhappy that I managed to get so close without being spotted.
Brown Thrasher. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 250.
The highlight of the walk for me was spotting a male Summer Tanager. From a distance the summer tanager can be mistaken as a Northern Cardinal, but as you get closer you can see color is an “orangier” red than what you see on a cardinal, it lacks the crest, the bill is different, and the body shape is sleeker.
Summer Tanager. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 500.
While it was impossible to photograph all the birds seen on this trip, I was happy to get a few good images of some birds I quite frankly didn’t expect to see in an urban cemetery. I’ll definitely be back to this location.
With this trip, I’ve officially changed the domain from www.tampabirds.com to www.bluegrassbirding.com. I look forward to learning more about birding in the “Bluegrass State” and meeting other bird photographers here. If you’re a Kentucky bird photographer, please introduce yourself in the comments below and let me know where to go birding.
Happy birding!
