Matt Williams puts down his binoculars and listens intently. He just heard what he thought was the call of the elusive golden-winged warbler. The call comes again—a buzzy, two-parted song. First a long note on a high pitch followed by four shorter, lower notes.

Matt has been hiking the Cowles Bog Trail in the newly-renamed Indiana Dunes National Park, hoping to see (and hear) as many bird species as possible. With its varying habitats and miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, this area is a hotspot for migrant birds.

After another call or two, the beautiful warbler comes into view. Williams swaps his binoculars for his camera and takes aim. He hopes his pictures match the magnificence of the bird.

Matt is The Nature Conservancy’s director of conservation programs for Indiana and an avid birder. Last year, his photographic book, “Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest,” was published.