A selection of beautiful birds, singing and foraging - In order, Magnificent Riflebird, Bluethroat, Swainson's Warbler, Henslow's Sparrow, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Black-backed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Comb-crested Jacana.

High-speed footage can reveal an incredible amount of detail not visible in standard video. These American Avocet shot at standard frame rate (30 frames per second) and in high-speed (240 frames per second) give an opportunity to spot the amazing way an Avocet feeds with their recurved bill slicing through the shallow water. Watch for the target food item in the skinny gap in their bills, suspended by the surface tension of a tiny droplet of water which quickly travels up to the birds mouth.
Shot on Pismo State Beach, California with a Sony NEX-FS700, Canon EF 400mm f5.6.  © Benjamin M. Clock / Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2015

At the edge of Sapsucker Woods in a thicket of Alder. Shot with Canon EOS 7D, 500mm f4 IS lens with 1.4x teleconverter, 29 April 2011.  © Benjamin M. Clock 2015

In the spring of 2013 I spent a week in the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia in search of the Swainson's Warbler. My goal was to film this species singing from its Rhododendron forest habitat. I located a few individuals at different sites and found them very easy to hear but quite difficult to see. Swainson's Warblers forage and nest on the ground, creeping through the leaf litter, turning over leaves in search of prey. They also sing extensively from the ground as they walk along foraging, making the prospect of seeing and filming them in the thick vegetation quite difficult. After several days I found an individual that sang occasionally from perches within the Rhododendrons and shot the following clips. Shot on 29 May 2013 in Babcock State Park, WV, on the Sony PMW-350 with Canon HJ 40X14 lens, Convergent Designs NanoFlash.  © Benjamin M. Clock / Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2015

A new arrival in my yard in Brooktondale, NY on this cool, misty Spring morning. Drumming vigorously on a resonant flake of Sugar Maple bark, this bird was intent on announcing his return to the breeding grounds. 8 April 2011, Canon EOS 7D, EF 400mm f5.6.  © Benjamin M. Clock 2015