Birds Under the Golden Dome

07/11/2023

My bird photos in Notre Dame Magazine

When Thomas Anderson walks around Notre Dame’s twin lakes, he’s not just looking for exercise and relaxation. He’s carrying a camera and watching for birds. The photographs on these pages were taken by Anderson, a Notre Dame professor of Latin American literature in the Department of Romance L...

06/01/2023

Drove out to a Cerulean Warbler hotspot yesterday and the second I stepped out of the car I heard this guy singing up a storm.

Three Oaks, MI, USA
5/31/2023

05/26/2023

Hard to beat the excitement of hearing . . . and then seeing . . . and then getting a decent shot of a Kentucky Warbler just as he lands in a small area of light in an otherwise dark and shadow-filled forest!

05/24/2023

This super curious male Chestnut-Sided Warbler landed so close that I could barely fit him in the frame.

05/23/2023

I sure wish this handsome Magnolia Warbler had landed on the front side of this branch! 😃

05/20/2023

This shot of a dashing White-Crowned Sparrow bathed in sunlight with dark forest shadows for a backdrop doesn't really evoke the exuberance of springtime, but I love it all the same.

05/19/2023

Several times this season I have been told by fellow birders that I just missed a Black-Throated Blue Warbler, and yesterday I was directed to a spot where several had just been hanging out. My frustrating search continues, but in the meantime I will post this beauty from the archives, taken on campus a couple of years ago.

05/18/2023

Well, he didn't exactly come down to eye level like I hoped he would, the light was really difficult deep in the woods, and there's a bit too much green in the background for my taste --- but, hey, I'll take any decent photo of a Hooded Warbler that I can get. Such beautiful birds, and I just love that song!!

05/17/2023

I have seen lots of Common Yellowthroats this year, but they sure haven't been very cooperative. This beautiful male fianlly gave me a break today be singing out in the open. What a looker!!

Notre Dame, IN, USA
17 May 2023

05/16/2023

Well, the light was not perfect, and I had to wait for way too long, but I'm pretty happy with this shot of a male Blue-Winged Warbler that Marisel Moreno spotted deep in the woods at Indiana Dunes State Park this morning.

05/15/2023

Lincoln's Sparrows love to hide in the underbrush, and they avoid coming out in the open. I waited by a brush pile for about an hour hoping this guy would make an appearance, and he did not dissapoint.

Notre Dame, IN, USA
13 May 2023

05/11/2023

Took a quick trip to Indiana Dunes State Park this morning, and I was amazed by the number of birds and the glorious sound of their songs filling the forest when I arrived at 7:00AM. I had a hard time getting good photos because most of the birds were high in the treetops, but this stunning Chestnut-Sided Warbler spent a while at eye level . . . and made my day!!

Chesterton, IN, USA
11 May 2023