A Bright Yellow Prothonotary Warbler

This Bright Yellow Prothonotary Warbler landed in front of me while I was photographing a Great Blue Heron. I was at the Sally Jones West Causeway which is at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.

A Bright Yellow Prothonotary Warbler
A Bright Yellow Prothonotary Warbler

The Prothonotary Warbler is a common bird at this refuge. They are also known as “swamp warblers” because they like flooded forests, forested swamps, and forests close to ponds and streams.

When this Prothonotary Warbler landed in front of me, I was fortunate. I had my camera lying on a bean bag draped over my pickup truck’s open window. I was taking pictures of a Great Blue Heron. To get the shot, I just had to shift my camera a little. These birds like to move through thick cover, which makes it difficult to get a clean photo. If I hadn’t been set up already with my camera I would not have gotten this shot. It didn’t stick around very long before continuing on its way looking for food.

Camera Settings

  • AV Mode
  • Aperture f5.6
  • ISO 2500
  • Shutter speed: 1/1600 per second
  • -.03 exposure value
  • Focal Length: 400 mm